I Survived! (scarred, but alive still!)

[TotenEngel]

OK, so we finally got down to trying to bath Smeagol this afternoon.
I put a towel in the bottom of the sink and one on the draining board, filled the sink with a couple of inches of warm water and caught him when he was sleepy.
Got to the kitchen and all hell broke loose!
The only way to describe it is he went completly mental, howling, all 4 sets of claws everywhere and a heart that was beating so hard I thought it might burst out of his little chest
We made this a fairly quick one, quick rub, rinse and out (maybe a total of 5 minutes all in!)
I think from now on we are going to try and at least dunk him in the water once weekly in an attempt to get him used to it, quick ones for a while in the hope that he will calm down a little but I was wondering what advice people had on making bath time a little easier (for him and us!)
Also, he gets quite grubby just above his eyes (kind of his eyebrows) obviously with him squirming and screeching I didnt want to put soap anywhere near that area, what do you guys use for cleaning that close to their eyes?

He's sat on the radiator an hour later still giving me the evil eye!

 

[Inferno12]

Diego is kind of the same. I have started using the bath tub instead of the sink since there is more room to wrestle the little slippery buggers. I fill the bath with warm water about 5 inches (so their grubby feet can soak) I use baby shampoo so if it does get in their eyes it doesnt hurt. I do a quick scrub down and rinse with the bath water in a cup and then have a separate large cup full of clean water and I rinse quickly. Then I wrap them making sure to get the front paws in the towel. I then grab the wash cloth that I used during the bath and while holding them like a baby, I scrub the face down and ears. If you have them wrapped tight then they will feel more secure and cant get out. Then I prop them up kiss them on the head and let them run for it!

It takes a total of 10 min or less for each one. They hate the tub and I have found that this is the best

 

[ElGatoLoco]

Welcome to the club! If one more person posts how well behaved their kitty is during bath time, I'm giving permission to Butternuts to scratch their toes.

 

[Inferno12]

Welcome to the club! If one more person posts how well behaved their kitty is during bath time, I'm giving permission to Butternuts to scratch their toes.

Ha Ha

 

[Gizzymom]

Welcome to the club! If one more person posts how well behaved their kitty is during bath time, I'm giving permission to Butternuts to scratch their toes.

Gizmo is such a little gentleman in the tub... LOLOLOLOL

NOOOOOOOO!!!! Wait Butternuts!!!! He goes psycho with ear cleaning!!!!

But thanks, TotenEngle... That story was a riot!!! Made my day!!!

 

[TotenEngel]

Thanks! I feel better after seeing tales and videos of such well behaved kitties! Glad its not just us that has to go through hell!!

Inferno.. thats pretty much what we did, but he is only a little one so I'd be scared he'd drown in 5" of bath water lol (and us after he'd taken us down!)

I have a friend who runs a very high end pet boutique and he gave me some John Paul Oatmeal shampoo (made by one of the co founders of Paul Mitchell hair care) made me laugh as I have just noticed the label that says
'Cruelty Free, Tested on humans first'

Guess its just a case of perseverance!

 

[ckutkuhn7]

We all have bath time battle stories to tell regardless if it were our Sphynx or other hairy kitty.

Snuffie is my good girl...she does so well during bath time. She doesn't like to sit down but she will just stand there and let me do what I have to do.

SoBe - well she is still a baby and still adapting to the world of water and bathtime. The first two baths she got I used the sink and she hated it. Last week I bathed her in the tub in deep water and she was much much better. She cried at first but I just talked to her in a calm voice and she calmed down. She did keep sticking her face in the water which was cute and funny but she didn't seem to think so. lol It takes time, develope a routine and stick to it no matter what fuss they show and one day your kitty won't act so shocked he is getting a bath. Goodluck, cant wait to hear how the next one goes!!

 

[ktate88]

Niles used to hate the sink--cried so loud! I tried at work in a deeper sink-- didn't go well either. I read stories on how some cats liked toys in the bath tub... did that last week. Went better, but not great. In the sink he would try to jump out but never clawed. He'd jump on the counter or on me and it was like trying to catch a falling bar of soap in the shower.

I'm sure he isn't worst, but not easy either. He dispises ear cleaning-- I get him when he is really tired and do that. For face wrinkles I'd take a warm bath cloth or pet/baby wipe when he is tired. Lots of treats after wiping and baths.

LOL at ElGato!!!

To keep soap from getting in eyes: put a drop of mineral oil in each eye just before. We do this at work for baths and during surgeries.

 

[Nofuratu]

Nofuratu is better in the tub with deep water all the way up to his neck.
He also likes his water on the hot side of warm.
Dont forget a hot towel fresh from the dryer, that cheers them up after the torture.
I use a facecloth on the face, ears, head area. That keeps drips out of the eyes and ears.
I also grease him up with coconut oil about 10 mins before the bath, so the dirt comes off easy.
You can also stuff a cotton ball in each ear to prevent water getting in there and causing an infection (swimmer's ear).
I tried a bunch of rubber duckies, but he just ignored em!
Good luck!

Adventures of A Naked Cat

 

[sphynxie]

This is my every 2 weeks of fun time with Nudie. I can only handle every 2 weeks because that's how long it takes my scars to heal No matter what you hear or see about bathing these gentle animals LOL they are all different. Good luck to all of us- I think I just heard "band-Aid" stock go up!!!!!

 

[ypvsypvs]

Just gave Darwin his first bath. Stomach deep warm water in the tub, held hand over his eyes when I put him into it because my experience is that what scares them the most is the moving surface of the water. As someone said it helps a lot to keep talking calm even if they fight you a bit.
It went fine, a few "meuws" that's it. I use extra sensitive baby schampoo by the way and moist babywipes for the face.
No hard feelings afterwards either which was nice.

Sorry Butterball Think I am out of your reach in Stockholm though hehe.

 

[fezmarie73]

Ducky is not good, but not bad. I have had better experiences as we get into a routine. Also, I let him stay in the washroom with me when I get ready for work, so that he is used to the sounds and sights. He will sit right up on the ledge of the tub or on the vanity. He also likes the little "tornado" that occurs when the tub is draining, so he will get into a tub with about 2-4 inches of water on his own just to watch the water drain! .

Anyway, if I put on shorts and an old t-shirt and get my feet into the tub with him, he does great, possibly because I find that I have better control from overhead. In the sink? NO WAY. I have battle scars from those experiences!! Never again, I say!

From what I have read (because I believe EVERYTHING I read on the internets), cats don't hate water, it's just the idea of being put into it by a human that cheeses them off.

P.S. - GO RANGERS!

 

[rmcsilva]

So far, I only tried bathing Bashir once... and it didn´t go as planned... So, any tips and tricks are most welcome!


Rui

 

[lawgrl]

Choppy gets really dirty "eyebrows" (lol, that is so funny, I never thought of calling them that!!!) too. I either put coconut oil on his eyebrows (now I'm just having fun typing that word), let it sit while doing other grooming, and then wipe off with a dry towel or I use baby wipes.

 

[marlene]

Rui, if you do a search for bath here on the lair I'm sure plenty of stuff will pop up. We talk about that a lot here.

 

[NightSpidy]

Smeagol - love-love-love that name!!!

Got to the kitchen and all hell broke loose! The only way to describe it is he went completly mental, howling, all 4 sets of claws everywhere.... - LOL, I am picturing my Dexter doing that too and I am LMAO, especially the "he went completely mental" part, sorry, but I've had such a crappy 2 weeks (my grampa died) and for some reason, that seems hilarious to me.

Also, he gets quite grubby just above his eyes (kind of his eyebrows) obviously with him squirming and screeching I didnt want to put soap anywhere near that area, what do you guys use for cleaning that close to their eyes? - I use baby wipes or I get a face cloth and put warm water on it and gently clean their faces.

He's sat on the radiator an hour later still giving me the evil eye! - ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!! After I clean "Poopy's" bum and sometimes have to submerse his back legs because of poop, he does this to me, but on his heating pad. When I do this to him, I am evil incarnate. Maybe I should have the husband start doing it, lol.

 

[Gizzymom]

Smeagol - love-love-love that name!!!

Got to the kitchen and all hell broke loose! The only way to describe it is he went completly mental, howling, all 4 sets of claws everywhere.... - LOL, I am picturing my Dexter doing that too and I am LMAO, especially the "he went completely mental" part, sorry, but I've had such a crappy 2 weeks (my grampa died) and for some reason, that seems hilarious to me.

Also, he gets quite grubby just above his eyes (kind of his eyebrows) obviously with him squirming and screeching I didnt want to put soap anywhere near that area, what do you guys use for cleaning that close to their eyes? - I use baby wipes or I get a face cloth and put warm water on it and gently clean their faces.

He's sat on the radiator an hour later still giving me the evil eye! - ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!! After I clean "Poopy's" bum and sometimes have to submerse his back legs because of poop, he does this to me, but on his heating pad. When I do this to him, I am evil incarnate. Maybe I should have the husband start doing it, lol.

I also just use the wet washcloth... sometimes with a bit of shampoo on it. Usually does the trick! But I am very lucky when it comes to bathing. Gizzy makes a sad meow on the way to the bathroom... but then he just stands there like a good little boy...:Laugh:
When it comes to ears and nails though... it's a different story!

So sorry to hear about your grandpa, nightspidy... Thank God you have your crazy crew - I'm sure they help with things considerably! They seem to just know when you need extra snuggles or cheering up...

 

[TotenEngel]

Have had a hectic couple of weeks and just come back and seen this and it did make me laugh!
First time Smeagol bit me was when I was trying to wipe poo off his bum! (think he'd actually wiped most of it off on my top already... but hey!) We have since found out he is prone to biting when he isn't getting his own way! He has recently discovered the blinds in our office and when my husband unhooked him from there the other day (he was hanging like a monkey from them!) he also got bitten!!
Husband said he was more upset that Smeagol wanted to bite him more than anything else and it took lots of kitty cuddles to make it up to him!
Am going to try the baby wipes on his eyebrows and see how far we get! (and if either of us get bitten in the process!)

 

[NightSpidy]

Have had a hectic couple of weeks and just come back and seen this and it did make me laugh!
First time Smeagol bit me was when I was trying to wipe poo off his bum! (think he'd actually wiped most of it off on my top already... but hey!) We have since found out he is prone to biting when he isn't getting his own way! He has recently discovered the blinds in our office and when my husband unhooked him from there the other day (he was hanging like a monkey from them!) he also got bitten!!
Husband said he was more upset that Smeagol wanted to bite him more than anything else and it took lots of kitty cuddles to make it up to him!
Am going to try the baby wipes on his eyebrows and see how far we get! (and if either of us get bitten in the process!)

Oh, a very important thing with the baby wipes. Hold one or two in your hand to warm them up first before wiping bum (and maybe face). I have some permanent scars on my forearm and neck.....apparently they are quite cold on the bum. Duly noted. LOL.

 

[NightSpidy]

So sorry to hear about your grandpa, nightspidy... Thank God you have your crazy crew - I'm sure they help with things considerably! They seem to just know when you need extra snuggles or cheering up...

Thanks Gizzymom, I am glad for my crazy crew and my hubby giving me some extra TLC and snuggles, I swear they KNOW.

 

[TotenEngel]

They are remarkable little critters, our feline friends, they do know when things aren't good for whatever reason and always take the time out for a lil extra lovin'.. what would we do without them?