Owning a cat
Owning a cat is good and healthy for your heart. Scientists have proven that owning a cat helps in reducing depression feasibly because they do not need much attention and care as other pets. Pet owners have confessed that petting a cat brings a relaxing and calming effect. A study carried out in 2018 in the United States shows that people who own cats have low risks of suffering from diseases like stroke, cardiovascular, and heart diseases. As a matter of fact, the risk is lowered by up to 20%.
Additionally, cats also provide you with companionship. They also give us a chance to chance to reconnect with friends and neighbors. In situations where our family is not around, a cat gives us the companion we need and eliminates boredom. A Cat enhances self empowerment that assists us to care for ourselves.
Most fundamentally, cats have special healing powers. Theoretically, a cats’ purr helps in healing. A cat purr can heal various diseases like infections, repairing broken tendons, relieving pain, enhances joint mobility, stimulates muscle growth, and reduces swelling.
Cats give us love and dedicate all their time to our happiness. Most of us have a special and strong emotional attachment with our cats. It is indisputable that cats are important in our life, that’s why it wise to repay them with a nice warm bath. It may sound strange or ridiculous but you can consider bathing your cat as a way of returning the favors.
It is believed that you bond more with your cat during bath time. Take this time to talk and cuddle your cat. We all want to make bath time more peaceful and fun but it might be daunting to some. This guide will walk you through the ways you can bath your cat without scratching them, how to prepare your cat for a bath, how often do need to bath your cat, how to bath your cat, and why you should bath your cat. Let’s get started.
Ways of preparing your cat for a bath
Trimming the claws
Your cat might be scared or over excited when immersed in the water thus causing a lot of damage like scratching. To avoid this, trim your cats’ claws before bathing him. Trim the claws one or two days before the bath so that it can plenty of time to relax and calm down. Trim carefully so that you do not cause pain or bleeding. Appreciate the cat with treats for having their claws trimmed.
Brushing your cat
You should always brush your cat before bathing them. Brushing removes tangles and knots in the fur that are painful and difficult to brush when your cat is wet. You can continue brushing your cat even when in the tab to make them feel relaxed. If your cat does not like trimming you can distract it with brushing to make trimming time peaceful.
Getting the right shampoo for your cat
You can get shampoo for your kitty from a pet store or your vet. Check the instructions carefully to be sure it is the right shampoo for your kitty and dilute small of the shampoo in water if necessary. It is advisable not to use human or dog shampoo on your cat. This is because the shampoo might dry your cats’ skin.
Make use of your kitty toys
Make sure your kitty is tired before bath time. This way you can be sure the cat will not scratch or bite. Choose a time when your cat is calm and relaxed. You can put your cats’ favorite toy in the tub and play for 5 or more minutes before adding the water in the tub. This will make your cat calm and ready for a bath.
How to bath your cat
Now that you know how to prepare your cat for a bath, you may not know how to bath your cat. This guide will help you understand how you can bath your kitty.
Control your cat
During bath time, talk to your cat in a quiet and calm voice to reduce their anxiety and also to help them remain calm. Mostly, your cat will try to wriggle its way out of t. To avoid this use fitting harness, this will allow you to comfortably hold on to your cat rather than using collars which might harm your kitty.
Avoid fighting
You should always avoid fighting your cat. A scared and angry cat can do a lot of damage and harm to an adult. If your cat does not want to take a bath, just let it be and try your luck another day. You should wet the cats’ feet first and observe its reaction. This way you will know either to proceed or to stop.
Soak your cat from the neck
Use a small amount of shampoo and water to bath your kitty from the neck to the tail. Gently, massage the cat’s neck, legs, body, tail, and belly making sure you follow the direction in which their fur has grown. Act as if you are grooming or petting your kitty so that it feels soothed and not anxious or scared.
Avoid shampoo in your cat’s nose, eyes, mouth, and ears
To prevent your cat from getting an ear infection, insert cotton balls in each ear. Remember to remove them from the ears after the bath. Cotton balls also reduce water noise which makes bath time more peaceful.
If it is a flea bath, wet the neck and the areas around it first. This is because fleas will escape from the wet area to a dry area probably the head. By doing this you can be sure that you will keep the fleas away from your cat’s head.
Rinsing the shampoo
Rinse your cats’ fur thoroughly using the tub water. Drain the water and continue rinsing your cat for three or more times until the water is clear, without bubbles. You can opt to refill the tub or use warm water from a bucket. If your cat has thick and long fur, rinsing will take more time. Dilute your cats’ shampoo to avoid misuse and save time when it comes to rinsing.
Wash your cats face
you do not have to hurt or upset your kitty by using shampoo on their face. Use a wash cloth to clean your cat’s face. Gently, run the wash cloth around the eye and keep on brushing away the fur around their nose, eyes, until their ears and the head are clean. You should never force your kitty underwater as this will definitely cause panic.
Learn your cat’s language
Try to understand your cat’s language. Know when it is upset, anxious, or frightened. Watch out for sounds like meowing, crying, sneezing, growling, hard breathing, and hissing. Do not do anything that may upset your cat or else he might dread his next bath. If bathing your cat is daunting, you might consider seeking help from your local vet. The vet may prescribe cat Xanax to make bath time easy and safe for you and your cat.
Using wet washcloths
If your cat hates bath time, you can use a wet washcloth which effectively removes dirt. They groom and clean your cat without water leaving your cat with a lovely scent. You can get treated washcloths from your local pet store. Other than washcloth, you can opt to use a spray that cleans effectively without dunking your cat in the tub.
Blotting water from your cat
Wrap your kitty with a soft towel while gently pressing water from its fur. Use another towel if the one you are using gets soaked. Act as if you are massaging your cat so that it feels relaxed and calm. If the cat does not like towel drying stop and seek another option.
Dry your cat
Leave cats with short fur to dry on their own. Keep them in a room with room heaters and a clean rug that they can sit on. For cats with long fur use a comb to comb the fur until dry to prevent it from tangling. If your kitty is not scared of driers, use a warm drier from a distance and finish drying your cat.
Treat your cat
If you do not want your cat to dread its next bath, then you must reward it. Treat your kitty with its favorite catnip or wet cat food. Let your cat associate bathing with being rewarded.
Tips of bathing your cat without getting scratched
Bathing a cat might be scary for some because they might be afraid of getting scratched. You can apply the following measures to avoid scratches.
Be organized
Bathing a cat is the same as bathing a baby. You need to have everything you need to use at hand. For instance, you may need shampoo, towels, and favorite toys to take away the cat’s attention.
Preparing before bath time
Remove the knots and gently comb the tangled fur to make bath time less painful and comfortable. Ensure the water temperature is warm and leave it running in the tub.
Do not fight your cat
It is obvious that most cats do not like bath time. Never fight your cat because it may scratch you while trying to wriggle its way out. If your cat does not want to take a bath, let it be and try another day.
Use the harness
The harness makes it easy for you to hold your cat. They are safe and comfortable for the cat compared to the collar. However, you will need another person to hold the harness for you.
Trimming your cat’s claws
it is wise to trim your cat’s claw before bathing them. This is because during bath time your cat might be scared or excited. That why it is recommended that you trim your cat’s claws before the bath probably two days before the bath. By doing this, you can be sure there will be no scratches and damages.
Putting your cat in water
Before you put your cat in the water, make sure the water warm and the spray are at a medium level. You can either opt to dunk two feet of the cat and analyze its mood. If the cat is not ready for a bath, leave it and try another day.
How often should you bath your cats
Even though cats can clean themselves by licking, they still need to be bathed to remove mats, fleas, and leave them smelling nice. How frequent you bath your cat is determined by the following factors.
- If your cat is an outdoor cat, it will require frequent bathing than an indoor cat.
- Cats are very active need regular bathing than the less active cats.
- If your cat has health issues like loose stool, flea, and ticks, and skin irritation it will definitely need more attention.
- Some cats do not self groom; those types of cats need regular bathing.
- If your cat has short fur, it will not need high maintenance like cats with long fur.
Why should you bathe your cat
Even though most cats do not like bath time, it is important to give a bath from time to time. Below are several reasons why we bathe a cat.
- We sometimes bathe cats to leave them smelling nice.
- When you bathe your cat, you get rid of fleas and ticks.
- It is a way of removing mat and tangled far.
- If you cats fur has something that it cannot wash by itself for instance, mad.
- Some pet owners bathe their cats to relieve the pet’s stress.
- Cats with a medical condition like loose stool and skin irritation should be bathed to make them feel more comfortable.
Cats are lovely pets that most people want to keep as pets. Their presence graces our homes and makes it lively. It is important to understand your pet before you decide to bath it. This guide will help solve the puzzle that is associated with cat bathing.