The Questioned Cat Bath

 A cat bath is not only stressful for your cat. It can be extremely stressful for you too. It was a nightmare for me. 

It was the start of the morning and I had just found out that Miso made a mess of himself in the litter box. No matter how good he is at using it (which he is, he is just extremely bad at covering up his business), he will always get something stuck to his godforsaken fur. His fur is lovely, but so very inconvenient. So yes, he had poop all over his back fur. Normally, I would have taken to the cat wipes. Those are my saving grace whenever he goes potty for number two. I had been washing his bum for weeks now, and he should be used to the water if I ever had the need to bathe him, right? Wrong. Cats, being how cats are, need a lot of conditioning to like baths. I did not do any of that because I wanted him clean right away, so we just went for it. On the internet, tips to bathe a cat will tell you to put a towel on the bathtub in order to give the cat something to hold on since the tub is slippery. For my Ragdoll cat, that was a waste, since that towel ended anywhere but at his paws. During the bath, it is best if you have someone else to help you there, hold the cat firmly but not too hard so you don't squeeze the life out of it. Of course they will hate it and will meow and yowl in a tragic way that sounds as if you are torturing it, but it has to be done, so you bathe the cat. Wet it and put shampoo on it and use your hands to scrub the dirt away. You can also use the purple cat Kong brush to take excess shed hair.

Kong ZoomGroom Cat Brush | Pets At Home

Of course, you should use non-scented shampoo for your cat. You can use cat conditioner too, but I chose not to. I thought it would be best for Miso groom himself and distribute himself the natural oils his skin is stripped of during a bath. After it, this was him.

Miso after his bath

A very annoyed and upset wet kitty. Do not wet the cat's face or ears when you bathe it. It will only lead to problems and infections. After you are done, dry your cat with a towel as best as you can. It will not dry it completely but will help the process of drying. Leave your cat alone, because it will be angry and scared. At least, this was his reaction after being subjected to what probably felt like torture.

If you are wanting to bathe your cat, really question the reasons. Is it really necessary? In Miso's case, it was because he had poop all over his fur at the back. A real mess. Do not bathe your cat often either, because baths strip the skin of the cat from its natural oils, which can give it cat dandruff, and you do not want that. I have only bathed Miso once in his life, and that is preferred because cats clean themselves perfectly well. Below, I will leave Jackson Galaxy's video on cat baths, where a professional cat behaviourist measures the cons and pros of bathing a cat and why you should or should not do it.

See you next time with thoughts of a first time Ragdoll cat parent!

Heaven 🐱