kittens

[greeneyes71884]

hi, i have 2 kittens, male and female about 5 months old - we bathe them aproximately once a month - just before their monthly dose of advantage -
recently i've been told that it's not a good idea to be bathing them that often b/c it might dry out their skin - does anyone know if this is true i realy like the fact that my kitties smell real nice all the time--but if bathing will harm them...
maya

 

[SneakBetta]

Yeah, I think that's true. It's that way with dogs at least!

 

[PrObLeM_ChIlD]

i have heard the same thing.

 

[Liz05]

Ditto- we bathe our cats once to twice a year.

 

[sandyd]

I have to agree that it is not good for their skin to be bathed that often. If you like that fresh clean kitty smell, there is a non toxic wipe that they sell at petsmart that you can wipe the kittens with. I am not sure where you are located, but i saw it at petsmart as well as a non aerosol spray that you could use on them.

I also use advantage on my 2 cats and 1 dog who are all inside animals. It is a great product and i recomend it to everyone who hates fleas. You may want to talk to the kittens vet and see if there is a special kitten shampoo that does not dry them out that you could use monthly. Good luck. Sandy


Edit: Just wanted to make sure that I reminded you to read the label if you get those cloths or spray, I am unsure if it is safe for kittens. May want to double check with your vet.

 

[MAM]

yes, this can be very drying. cats bathe themselves, if they're moms taught them (i had a cat once, taken from mom too early and never really learned to bathe herself properly). the only time you should wash your cat is if they don't bathe themselves, if they've rolled in something yucky (like when they stink of dirty litter because the crazy kitties decided to sleep in it). and even then, the dry shampoos from the petstore are the best bet. if you brush them every day or at least a few times a week (thoguh if long haired, please brush them daily, nothings worse than mats and having to completely shave your cat, they don't like that at all), that also helps to keep them smelling nice.
that, and you never know, give them baths too often, they might start to resent you.

 

[fish&chips]

i have 2 cats 1 kitten bacardi and 1 yr old sambuca

i thought as there both mostly white bathing them will be a added bonus to kiss fleas (drowning them) and making them smell nice

but to find out there coats where drying out becoming fluffy and soft

now im not sure if its true but cats must have grease in there fur to help them while being outside in rain cold weather

i have to say whenever my cats get wet from rain they look greasy (dirty untill they dry


it is also well known cats and dogs clean themselves

 

[fish&chips]

kill ops hehe kiss

 

[spanky_pp_]

i'll say washing cats is to some extent crule. Everybody knows that cats fear water, its in their nature. It does dry their skin out. But bathing kittens also makes them not clean themselves as they dont like the taste of the shampoooo on their fur.

 

[freshmike]

I agree with spanky too some extent.....except for when the cat decides to roll around in the dirt and wants to sit on your white couch after!!!!

 

[Jo]

I agree, in the winter my cat is forever coming in covered in mud and just lately she is covered in oil (probably from sleeping under the car!) all the time...I have tried to get her to be washed, but being a rescue cat she is even more wary of most things than a cat that has been looked after from a kitten. Needless to say, I gont scratched and bitten for trying, so have given up...she seems to be fine cleaning herself and might look messy for that day, but will spend a good few hours at night cleaning herself and look clean again in the morning.

I'd avoid washing a cat if at all possible, I think that people can interfere too much in animal's lives sometimes...unless it is something toxic on the cat's coat, in which case I would wash it off...conflicting advice i'm sure...!

 

[fishyjessie]

On the other hand, my kitty Duke loved to take baths. I often had to remove him from the bathroom so I could get a moment of privacy. He did not have skin problems of anysort even tho my husband swore he was part fish. If there skin does start to dry out, try switching shampoos or not using any at all.

 

[Jo]

he he...well if he loves it then whats the harm!

 

[lauraswan26]

I have a kitten, Emma, who came to us in pretty bad shape; she'd been rejected and actually attacked by her mother, and had no concept of how to clean herself. Our vet told me to bathe her when needed with a small amount of baby shampoo, because it's the most gentle thing out there and wouldn't hurt her eyes if she accidently got any in it. Also, it's not toxic, so it wouldn't hurt her if she tried to clean herself. She came to really enjoy those baths (she has long fur and had trouble cleaning herself after using her box, so she needed them frequently), and her fur was extremely soft, and her skin was never dry. And to top it off, she smelled baby sweet! Anyway, she got so used to being clean that she hated getting the least bit dirty after a while, and has learned to clean herself very immaculately. She's almost 7 months old now, and just about the cleanest cat around, and I haven't had to bathe her since August. I guess it depends on the cat and the situation, but I can tell you that it did our Emma a lot of good, and didn't hurt her one bit.