Contrary to popular belief, there are cats who may actually enjoy being bathed occasionally, says Tufts veterinary dermatologist Ramón Almela, DVM. They like the water if it is applied soothingly. And they like the attention.
But Dr. Almela concedes that most feline pets find the experience of being bathed very stressful. In fact, he says, while a dog with an illness that affects the skin can be bathed with a medicated shampoo to tamp down on symptoms — maybe itchiness and scratching resulting from an allergy — medicated shampoos are not really a thing for cats. Too many felines would not willingly submit to the number of baths needed to make such shampoos work effectively over the long run. That’s why for cats with conditions that play out on their skin, there are topical medications like sprays and creams that get applied to particular spots on their coats. Such topicals have active ingredients, for instance, anti-inflammatory agents that can stop itching or antiseptic compounds to inhibit the growth of disease-causing pathogens like bacteria.
Most cats don’t require baths to keep clean, either. They are phenomenal self-cleaners. In fact, they spend a fair amount of time each day licking their fur and also their paws so they can wipe their own faces. And you couldn’t design a better device for cleaning out dirt and debris than a cat’s tongue. The feline tongue’s sandpapery roughness is due to backwards-facing barbs — think of the sharp barbs in the ground that don’t let you back up once your rental car goes through the gate. These are way better than a comb’s teeth for raking out dander, pollens, and whatever else shouldn’t be there — even fleas.
Additionally, the barbs, or spikes, are hollow, like straws. That allows them to suck up a cat’s saliva, which drips down to the skin as a cat licks herself and serves as a powerful detergent. (The tongues of big cats like bobcats, snow lions, and leopards have the same mechanism.)
For all that, however, some cats, at some point, do need a bath. Perhaps they have arthritis or another age-related disease that keeps them from reaching their entire bodies. Or sometimes a cat gets into something gummy or sticky that no amount of self-grooming will cleanse away. Or a long-haired cat simply can’t handle all the cleaning required. (The hairier the cat, the larger her surface area. A cat’s true surface area, hair and skin together, is about the size of a ping pong table.)
What’s the best way to bathe a cat who can’t cover all the ground herself?
A bathing primer
First things first. It may not be necessary to actually put your cat in the sink and pour water on her. If your pet is not too dirty, you can use pre-moistened wipes. They’re like baby wipes, except with conditioners and anti-bacterials formulated specifically for feline hair.
You can also try a dry shampoo that comes in powdered form. You shake it onto your cat’s body from the container and then work it through with your hands sheathed in rubber gloves. Then just brush it through.
One more non-sink option is a foam. Unlike powder, it dampens the fur, but not the way a bath would. And it doesn’t get all over the place, like powder. When you’re done, you just towel off the residue. But if only a plain old bath is going to do it:
5. Make sure your cat’s nails are trimmed first. If you’re not worried about getting scratched, or getting scratched badly, you’ll remain calmer, and that will help your pet remain calmer.
6. Brush your cat before bathing her. Loosening her fur and removing some of it ahead of time will make the bath itself go easier and faster.
7. Bathe your cat when she’s feeling mellow. You may even want to play with her first to tucker her out a bit. The ASPCA says that could make her less prone to resisting. It may also make your cat feel more bonded to you, as in, “Ah, there’s a pattern here. First play, then bath time.”
8. Have a cat-specific shampoo at the ready (along with a fluffy towel or two for immediately afterwards). A cat’s skin is more sensitive to chemicals than ours because it is thinner. A cat’s coat also has a different pH than ours, which means some of the chemicals in shampoos meant for our own hair are too harsh or irritating for our felines. Dr. Almela says Douxo and Dechra are among the brands that are reliable for our pets.
9. Put a rubber mat on the bottom of the sink or tub. No cat likes to be slip-sliding around.
10. Make sure the water is no hotter than lukewarm. Unlike some people, cats do not like feeling too hot at first and then acclimating.
11. Respect your cat’s preference for how she wants to get wet. Some are fine with having water sprayed on them from the nozzle. Others would prefer to have it poured over them from a jug, as if they are in a Roman bath. Note: The ASPCA recommends five parts water to one part shampoo.
12. Not the face. If you feel you must clean your cat’s face, do it with a moist wipe — at another time.
13. Coo to your cat as you go, no matter how frustrating the bathing endeavor might be. Never express anger or frustration. After all, she didn’t choose the bath. You did.
14. After you dry off your pet (gently, next to you while she is inside the fluffy towel), give her a delectable treat. That will let her know that a bath always has a happy ending.
