Bath Time Hell

[LoonyLuna]

Hi There,

Just an enquiry to those of us who have sphynxies that HATE bath time, any pointers/tips for making it more pleasant for both of us?

Luna has never liked baths since I brought her home, but it seems like every bath gets worse and worse. Almost like she's saying "I told you I didn't like this, yet you keep doing it, how else do I have to communicate to you to cut it out???".

It's progressed from moans and groans, to straight up hissing and the occasional swipe that I've been lucky enough to dodge so far (usually when I'm scrubbing her belly and legs). If I have treats to distract her with while I'm working on these areas, it's no problem. But she's on a food trial right now, so no treats during bath time for awhile, which is not going to be fun lol!

I'm trying not to react because I don't want her to feel like I'm afraid of her, and I know it's just because she's unhappy so I'm not going to punish the behaviour either.

So yea, any pointers on how to avoid getting scratched/bitten and of course to make the process easier on her would be much appreciated!

Btw I love my Luna so completely but I'm so jealous of those people who have kittens that just love their spa days haha

 

[Annejo12]

My Raphael hates baths as well. I only bathe her around once every six weeks. That is when she starts to feel greasy. My vet said it is only necessary when she feels dirty. I wash her face every day and clean her ears every day. Some of the tricks that help but are not perfect (she screams like I am killing her):

I don’t bring her into the bathroom until after I have filled the bathtub with water;
Someone on this site had recommended having the bath water cooler than you think it should be (that has helped a lot);
I bring ping pong balls into the tub;
I put her in the water, let her stand for a few seconds and then I use a cloth to put water on her body;
When she tries to get out I take her out, put her on a towel on the floor, and soap her down;
Then I put her back in the water, use a cloth to wash off the soap and taker her out when she complains again;
I then put her back in the water and keep doing this until the soap is all washed off;
When she is finished I dry her in a towel, clean her ears and let her escape;
Lastly I leave a little pile of treats on the bathroom floor for when she ventures in there again.

Then I just leave her alone until she forgives me and comes to me!

I guess maybe some kitties just don’t like baths!

Good luck and please share any tricks that work for you.

 

[LoonyLuna]

My Raphael hates baths as well. I only bathe her around once every six weeks. That is when she starts to feel greasy. My vet said it is only necessary when she feels dirty. I wash her face every day and clean her ears every day. Some of the tricks that help but are not perfect (she screams like I am killing her):

I don’t bring her into the bathroom until after I have filled the bathtub with water;
Someone on this site had recommended having the bath water cooler than you think it should be (that has helped a lot);
I bring ping pong balls into the tub;
I put her in the water, let her stand for a few seconds and then I use a cloth to put water on her body;
When she tries to get out I take her out, put her on a towel on the floor, and soap her down;
Then I put her back in the water, use a cloth to wash off the soap and taker her out when she complains again;
I then put her back in the water and keep doing this until the soap is all washed off;
When she is finished I dry her in a towel, clean her ears and let her escape;
Lastly I leave a little pile of treats on the bathroom floor for when she ventures in there again.

Then I just leave her alone until she forgives me and comes to me!

I guess maybe some kitties just don’t like baths!

Good luck and please share any tricks that work for you.

I didn't think about taking her out to soap her down or give her a break, I might have to give that a try!

I do put some toys in the tub, but she's too distracted by how unhappy she is to even notice them, she's definitely just a kitty who is generally not a fan of bath time.

I also put a towel down on the bottom of the tub so she isn't slipping and sliding, because I find the second she starts sliding around it freaks her out and then she's scrambling to get out of there!

 

[Yoda mom]

@LoonyLuna , awh... I can relate . Mine haate spa day. I used to have to wear a coat to ward off the war wounds they gave in protest.
I have a routine now with weekly wipe downs with trizultra with keto (no strong smell at all) on swissper cotton pads, really gets the brown off. I use whole body except faces**
I use it to wipe out ears too and nail beds.. ah. I can spa time without a coat! they can go a long time between full baths.

for full baths a member recommended a stokes flexibath. I put on bathroom counter with drain plug out and over sink, I put hand towels in the bottom. set up all supplies and a rinse cup ready, shampoo bottle opened. I have drying towels off to the side to scoop them up and dry them. I use cotton baby face clothes. they still protest but no longer need to wear a coat!
they stand up on the edge and I can rinse bellies. I also got a rinse aid that attaches to the sink with an included adopter.
been doing this routine for over a decade with my crew.

members will surely chime in. hugs n head smooches adorable Team Luna! keep us update

 

[LoonyLuna]

@LoonyLuna , awh... I can relate . Mine haate spa day. I used to have to wear a coat to ward off the war wounds they gave in protest.
I have a routine now with weekly wipe downs with trizultra with keto (no strong smell at all) on swissper cotton pads, really gets the brown off. I use whole body except faces**
I use it to wipe out ears too and nail beds.. ah. I can spa time without a coat! they can go a long time between full baths.

for full baths a member recommended a stokes flexibath. I put on bathroom counter with drain plug out and over sink, I put hand towels in the bottom. set up all supplies and a rinse cup ready, shampoo bottle opened. I have drying towels off to the side to scoop them up and dry them. I use cotton baby face clothes. they still protest but no longer need to wear a coat!
they stand up on the edge and I can rinse bellies. I also got a rinse aid that attaches to the sink with an included adopter.
been doing this routine for over a decade with my crew.

members will surely chime in. hugs n head smooches adorable Team Luna! keep us update

Wow a coat eh? I might have to try that until I can convince her to relax a bit!

That flexibath looks amazing and way more convenient than the bathtub, plus with the rinse adapter the whole process will go a lot faster, qnd she might feel better in a smaller space. That's a great suggestion, thank you for passing that along!

 

[FluffyBassu2]

Hi There,

Just an enquiry to those of us who have sphynxies that HATE bath time, any pointers/tips for making it more pleasant for both of us?

Luna has never liked baths since I brought her home, but it seems like every bath gets worse and worse. Almost like she's saying "I told you I didn't like this, yet you keep doing it, how else do I have to communicate to you to cut it out???".

It's progressed from moans and groans, to straight up hissing and the occasional swipe that I've been lucky enough to dodge so far (usually when I'm scrubbing her belly and legs). If I have treats to distract her with while I'm working on these areas, it's no problem. But she's on a food trial right now, so no treats during bath time for awhile, which is not going to be fun lol!

I'm trying not to react because I don't want her to feel like I'm afraid of her, and I know it's just because she's unhappy so I'm not going to punish the behaviour either.

So yea, any pointers on how to avoid getting scratched/bitten and of course to make the process easier on her would be much appreciated!

Btw I love my Luna so completely but I'm so jealous of those people who have kittens that just love their spa days haha

I have started using a damp towel over mine to help contain her somewhat - I put the cleanser on the towel and rub gently, holds her down - protects me from lacerations and she seems to feel safer and happier when bathing

 

[kellyannallen]

Zino really dislikes his Spa Day and we do it as little as possible! He's okay with nail clipping and ears washing and wiping his eyes though.

We don't have a tub at all and our kitchen sink is a no go, so we use our normal bathroom sink with a big thick towel in it and his own washcloth.

Every so often we use a really neutral and allergy tested for babies, body wipes, but he tolerates those.

Yoda Mom, is that stokes flexi bath flat on the bottom? We have a HUGE shower ( we planned for old age there and we ourselves do not take baths!) and if it could sit on the floor in our shower and still drain, that could be a way we could use something other than our normal bathroom sink!

We don't stress Zino out, and he is okay.... But he is not a Spa day lover!

 

[Natalie Murphy]

I started using the kitchen sink as a bathtub and I did the opposite I made the water warmer and what a difference it made as he can can stand up in the sink and it’s easier for me to wash the tummy and in between the back legs. With the water at 38 degrees Celsius he even lays under the water level.
Oh and I have a glass of wine first Then I’m set and done. I’ve not had a scratch since

 

[Yoda mom]

@kellyannallen , yes, the flexibath is flat on the bottom. it's small, folds easy for storage. before I got it I made a DIY with a rubber maid 17 inch , short, container and carefully cut a whole out on the bottom corner to mimic the flexibath. I like the idea of sitting in the shower with the flexibath! I got mine online

@FluffyBassu2 , great idea with draping a small towel on the back.

@LoonyLuna , members have great ideas! like a damp handtowel draped over the back. I recall others mentioning seems to help calm them.
keep us updated! you will find a routine that works best,, be sure to share! you got this! hugs n head smooches

@Natalie Murphy , lol love the glass of wine idea. have one for me. cheers

 

[Sadiesmum568]

I cannot describe just how much my Ophelia - now one and a half - hates any kind of cleaning. Nail cutting, bathing, wiping… she’s a grunge kid thru and thru.
I just accept that when she’s so dirty I feel ashamed and have to clean her it’s going to mean torment for her and pain for me. Then I try to buy back her love with treats and hours of playtime.
It is what it is!

 

[LoonyLuna]

I started using the kitchen sink as a bathtub and I did the opposite I made the water warmer and what a difference it made as he can can stand up in the sink and it’s easier for me to wash the tummy and in between the back legs. With the water at 38 degrees Celsius he even lays under the water level.
Oh and I have a glass of wine first Then I’m set and done. I’ve not had a scratch since

That's amazing, definitely will take that suggestion of a drink beforehand so I'm more chill, and maybe that will make her more chill haha

 

[LoonyLuna]

@kellyannallen , yes, the flexibath is flat on the bottom. it's small, folds easy for storage. before I got it I made a DIY with a rubber maid 17 inch , short, container and carefully cut a whole out on the bottom corner to mimic the flexibath. I like the idea of sitting in the shower with the flexibath! I got mine online

@FluffyBassu2 , great idea with draping a small towel on the back.

@LoonyLuna , members have great ideas! like a damp handtowel draped over the back. I recall others mentioning seems to help calm them.
keep us updated! you will find a routine that works best,, be sure to share! you got this! hugs n head smooches

@Natalie Murphy , lol love the glass of wine idea. have one for me. cheers

Yes! These are all amazing pointers!!! She has a bath day coming up, and I'm will definitely be giving some of them a try but I'm still not convinced it'll be a total 180 because I just wiped her dirty bum and she complained like I was torturing her lo

 

[Xandria]

Mine detest bathing. It took me a while to learn how they would try to escape and then helped.

My spaw time goes as follows: ears, nails, body. From most comfortable activity to least LOL.

What helps me is:

• I set everything up in advance. They know what's coming but they know they have to deal with it. I do ears in the bathroom, nails at the kitchen table, and body at my double sink in the kitchen (one sink filled with rinse water and the other is open for soaping down and rinsing. All implements are ready to go.
• Towels in the dryer so they are warm. I wrap a fresh warm towel around each of them when doing ears and nails. This restrains but keeps them warm.
• I make sure that ear cleaner, shampoos, witch hazel (for blackheads), and coconut oil (for nails) are warm.

Not sure if any of that will help, but that's my two cents!