To bathe or not to bathe your cat - that is the question!

I prefer not to die, so I do not bathe my cats.

My daughter once bathed our cat. In return for this kindness he took a massive dump in the middle of her bed😂

When it comes to clipping nails, I think I've discovered a fool-proof way to do it without your cat fussing. This has at least worked for all my cats, personally. One disclaimer I have is that I've done this since kittenhood, I'm not sure about starting it on adult cats. I start with getting them used to me touching their paws; petting, booping, and gently squeezing to expose their claws. I especially make sure to do this while they're sleeping or tired. Lastly, I only clip their nails when they are settled and sleepy (usually in belly-up position). I stroke their head to let them know I'm there, and then make my way to clipping their nails. They sit quietly and let me do it every time without a single protest. No partner needed 😁

I've had to bathe my 12yo kitty only once in her life, within the first week I adopted her at 6mo. She jumped right into the unflushed toilet! I put her right from the toilet bowl into the bath lmao. She's still not the brightest bulb in the drawer all these years later, but she never did repeat that mistake.

My dog peed on my cat... so I’m here now

My brother had a cat that loved baths. They literally had to lock him out of the bathroom when he heard the water running.

My sweet darling 18 year old Snoopy recently passed.... and I miss giving her warm baths. She had dementia, and stopped grooming herself in the last few months. She seemed to really enjoy being pampered. She even liked being blow dried! I miss everything about her - even her little tangles and litter-encrusted toes....

I'm surprised there's not more people mentioning the problem of long haired cats getting poop in their fur. My Cleo occasionally gets a poopy butt, and if it's bad enough, she does get a bath. She absolutely hates it, so I'll be taking some of those tips to try and make it a more acceptable experience. She never even thinks of attacking me though, the sweetheart, she just wants to escape.

"Have a partner" me looking at my second kitten You up to lend a paw? 😂

Times I’ve had to bathe a cat can be boiled down to two things: cat is either covered in paint or diarrhea. Bathe your cat if it has stuff on it that would make it sick if it licked it off itself

The comment about needing 2 people to cut nails makes me SO grateful to have 2 cats that love the attention of getting their nails cut and the treat afterwards that they run to me the moment the drawer with the clippers in it opens and get in line 😂. Heck, I lift up a paw and there’s immediate deep purring. I love meh babies 😍♥️.

Normal cat body temp is around 100F-102F which is higher than normal human body temp. Many years ago, past experience with bathing my elderly arthritic cat (18 years old) was that she did much better when bath water was around 110F - 120F. I think it felt like a hot tub for her achy joints. For me, the kitchen sink was the easiest place for me to bathe the Queen cät.

I ended up in the emergency room once because I was bathing my cat. Turns out the human ear is a great foot hold to climb over the shoulder.

Had to bathe my cat once. Neighbor dumped motor oil in the yard like a tool and my cat got in it. Of course, I didn't want her trying to lick it off, so out came the dish detergent. She cried so pitifully the entire time. I felt bad for her but I didn't want her poisoned trying to clean herself.

I rescued a stray kitten a little over a month ago and I gave her baths daily because she was so malnourished and weak that she couldn't hold herself up when she pooped so she ended up pooping on her hind legs - it broke my heart to see her like that so I tried holding her as support which helped a tiny bit. When I was drying her off I would turn on my TV and pull up cat videos and anytime one started cleaning themselves I would make her look at the TV and tokd her to take notes 😂 Once she gained some strength I would bring her out to spend time with my resident cats and she would watch them clean themselves so intently -- it was adorable. Finally all that work paid off when I saw that she had a little mess on her leg and after filling up the sink and preparing a warm soft towel, I picked her up and saw that she had cleaned herself and no longer needed a bath! 🎉 I felt my heart swell with pride and from that moment on I praised her every time she attempted to clean herself. Now she's really good at it!

When my family's cat got quite elderly (about 17 years old), he didn't do such a good job grooming himself anymore and his fur was matted and greasy. So, my sister decided to give him a bath. Afterwards, she walked into her bedroom where he was sitting on her pillow. He made eye contact with her then started peeing. He then ran away. My sister was so upset, she said that he couldn't get on her bed without help so she knew he was really determined to make it personal.

I've only had to bathe my cat once. He got fleas (the dog brought them in - her flea collar needed to be replaced). And none of the other flea treatments worked for him. So. Flea bath. Never again, if I can help it. It wasn't even violent. He just cried the whole time. He looked so betrayed 😭

In the 4 years of owning my cat I've only given him a bath once. He had explosive diarrhoea and was covered in his poop, it had to be done.

My tip for helping the bathing experience for your cat is I place a small plastic step in the bathtub for them to stand on during the bath. They stay because they are out of the water and are not as upset. I scoop the water up over them with a cup to get wet and wash.

My kitten wasn't off the street but he had fleas! I figured it out because he scratched A LOT. He was 8 weeks old, and itching with his teeth frequently. I bought a flea comb the next day and checked. It took 2 baths in dawn dish soap (24 hours apart because we had to wait a few days for a vet appointment) to get rid of them PLUS medication from the vet. Bathing cats is not easy but there will be at least 1 time in your cats life where they NEED a bath!