New Sphynx mom guilt - Waah, I feel like a bad mommy!

[peachfuzz]

For starters I love you guys! This forum is so helpful and funny and informative about these guys. Don't know what I would do without this as a resource on my little dude.

But I just need to share/vent and ask for some perspective.

Lately between poo foot and just trying to keep gunk out of his eyes, skin, ears, and keep his nails clean I feel like my little Wade is getting so grumpy with me. He hates his weekly bath and ear cleaning and it takes both my husband and I to bathe him. He whines when I clip his nails (I clipped 2 too short in the last 2 weeks cause his nails are brownish so often and hard to find the quick even in good lighting, and he seems to have forgiven me but OMG felt so awful I just coddled him for a while) and when I try to wipe the "rust" off of him. I also have to basically catch him before he and his furry brother get let out of their room and wipe the poop or excess litter off of him before he goes racing around the house. And I really try to be gentle, use a soothing tone and try my best to warm things I have to rub him down with but still:sour:

He seems to have forgiven my husband and loves spending time lounging on him but I'm the one that usually does all the foot and skincare in addition to feeding them. I mean he still purrs with me and perches on back if I'm on the couch but he just seems less, I don't know, cuddly with me I guess? :bigtears:Have I just made my baby associate me with negative things? Or is it just normal for them to dislike all the cleaning? I would appreciate any advice from you all.
Sorry for the whining, you guys I just don't want my baby to grow to dislike me. :cry:

 

[KitKat26]

Sorry you are having such a tough time . I've kind of found at the beginning when I had Piper, if I was stressed or nervous about bathing/grooming her she would be stressed out. I kind of gained confidence over the past several months and became a little more firm with her, if that makes sense, and it has calmed her down a lot.

Have you tried bathing her in different places to see what she likes better? I started off in the kitchen sink and since then have moved to the bathtub which works better for her because the water is higher and keeps her warm. I think she freaks out when she gets cold from being wet.

Just make sure to stay calm, give him lots of baby talk while you are grooming and treats after. Don't feel guilty, I felt the same at the beginning and her and I just both kind of got used to it and that's just the way it is. Good luck!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

I am sure you will get some great advice. Mine is at night put a nice fluffy blanket in the dryer and place on your lap. Your baby will hopefully associate cuddle time with you and not just cleaning. Patti

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sorry you have such a hard time with Wade. It sounds familair cause my both boys hate bathing, cleaning ears, clipping and cleaning nails. There was a time they start running when I tried to pick them up cause they associated it with bathing or cleaning. So now I make sure I pick them up several times to only cuddle. I play extra with them so they also associate me with fun time. And....I started washing and cleaning them less often cause they hate it so much. So now I so have dirty boys sometimes but they're more happy and less grumpy to me. And that makes me very happy:joyful:.

Hope you can work it out with Wade too(y)

 

[Hairless Blessing]

@Catzzzmeow gave you great advice, plus, a few treats.
Maybe this will change things.

 

[Lickleone]

If he hates weekly baths then bath him every second if that seems to stressful bath him once a month honestly the more you bath the more oil he will produce anyways. There's no hard and fast rule about baths. Mine only get bathed ever 4 months or so and they none the worse for it in fact I think they better off since doing that

 

[lealea]

I'm lucky with Rosie, she loves her baths, purrs all the way through. I just make sure to put the mat in the bath for her so she doesn't slip and make the water nice and warm. She doesn't like having her feet done and cries a little bit, but I have started to take her out of the bath and do them quickly while I hold her in a towel, then give her a nice dunk back in the warm water again after. Ears always get done pre bath, which she tolerates very well, although I can tell she doesn't like it much as she tries to pull her head further and further away lol.

I have a great vet that does complimentary nail clipping daily and since they are only a few minutes away, we go there for nail clippings. That alleviates my stress of course and she purrs the whole time in the vets as they make a big fuss of her, so it's a stress free experience for her, too. For cleaning her nails, I try and do it when she's preoccupied in her own little cleaning session. She gets lost in licking her feet, so while she's distracted, I take another foot and gently clean her nail beds and between the pads with cotton wool.

She always gets a treat after a bath and after I've dried her she runs straight to the kitchen in expectation, squeaking in delight!

I've found also, as Rosie has got older, she has less eye bogies than when she was a baby and we don't have to wipe them as much. (Either that or she's just got better at wiping them all over my clothes and furniture!) I recommend getting some baby flannels for face washes between baths, as they easily wipe off muck from around the eyes, nose and lips with a little warm water.

 

[Bobbafett]

My one girl will not do baths. I don't understand why. I've taken her to th breeder and she can bath her no problem. When I try, it's a disaster. With tears and scratches.

So what we have done is we sit her on the table and soap her up. Then cover her in warm wet towels and wipe the soap off. Yeah, she's not 100% clean, but it's a lot better than she was. I'm terrified of hurting her when I've tried baths and my grandmother thinks she's going to have a heart attack from the noises she makes.

 

[peachfuzz]

Thank you all so much for all of your advice and well wishes!! I really appreciate it!!

Yeah things are slowly getting better I think it was he could sense my anxiety about upsetting him and once I calmed myself and worked on making bath time quicker and involved some tasty treats his disposition has improved and he forgives me much more quickly! I think it's that his breeder was much faster than I am. Also I do his ears and nails before bath time rather than after. Also yeah I let him stay a little more dirty too, seems he's happier that way anyway, hahaha!

I get snuggles and purrs much more often than before and I'm grateful. He's such a sweet boy most of tand I'm so grateful I ran across this breed

 

[Catzzzmeow]

@peachfuzz just enjoy the journey and take it one day at a time.

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