Bath Without Traumatizing

[feedtheflame]

So how often are you actually supposed to bathe a cat anyways? He's starting to smell like a stinky butt and wonder if he needs a bath...

Do i need special cat shampoo or do i use baby shampoo, unscented soap...?

And most importantly, how do i do it without tramatizing him? i want to get him used to water in hopes that he'll play in it, but havent figured out how to do it yet, maybe buy some goldfish for him to catch

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I've never had one of mine smell stinky and I don't generally bathe my cats. Sometimes before a show I might bathe one, definitely I bathe my British Shorthair as those white bits on him get dirty...

I believe they say not to use human shampoo but pet shampoo as it has a different pH and so better for their skin, so yes source a cat shampoo from the pet store.

We do introduce our kittens to water usually...we run the water warm and place the shower head on the hose on the floor of the shower. That lets them approach the "shower monster" in their own time and with curiosity. Not all are as fascinated with it as others...

 

[Pam Flachs]

I've never had a cat smell bad enough to bathe. Is your cat rolling in something; does his poop smell bad, is it soft, or has he stepped in it or dragged his tail in it? I'd look for the source first, as cats should never smell bad....perhaps he ate something that has given him gas? What are you feeding him?

The only time I ever bathed a kitten (for a cat show) I put her in the kitchen sink with a towel for footing, and using the sink sprayer with warm water, wetted her down, applied a very small amount of human baby shampoo (it did dry her hair out too much) and rinsed well. The kitten took it very well, but she loved to play in water before that.

I have not bathed a cat since. In fact, I just sniffed my 6 year old DSH, the one who got the bath almost 6 years ago.....she smells great, like fresh outdoors. Of course, my nose itches now

 

[feedtheflame]

I've never had a cat smell bad enough to bathe. Is your cat rolling in something; does his poop smell bad, is it soft, or has he stepped in it or dragged his tail in it? I'd look for the source first, as cats should never smell bad....perhaps he ate something that has given him gas? What are you feeding him?

The only time I ever bathed a kitten (for a cat show) I put her in the kitchen sink with a towel for footing, and using the sink sprayer with warm water, wetted her down, applied a very small amount of human baby shampoo (it did dry her hair out too much) and rinsed well. The kitten took it very well, but she loved to play in water before that.

I have not bathed a cat since. In fact, I just sniffed my 6 year old DSH, the one who got the bath almost 6 years ago.....she smells great, like fresh outdoors. Of course, my nose itches now

i dunno why he smells stinky. I feed him acana dry kibble and supplement it with whatever random stuff i have (a few times i bought cheap canned food for emergency), cooked chicken, raw chicken, the occasional tuna or shrimp...

His poops will get really soft but i think that was from feeding a lot more wet food? and lately he doesnt seems to be pooping much more than twice a day...dunno if thats normal or if he's holding back a little cus im starting him on the litterkwitter (though its on the floor and filled with litter, so not much of a big deal)

took a sniff and its only his back half that smells,.... doesnt smell as bad as yesterday either, its mostly disppeared

 

[feedtheflame]

omg i just caught him eating a hole in a knitted dish cloth while i was typing this...

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Sudden diet changes will definitely cause looser stools and some gas too... so the emergency canned food may have caused the really soft stools. Wonder if some got ON him? Ewww..

 

[Pam Flachs]

Hmmm. I'd say he is eating something that is disagreeing with him. My guess might be the tuna or shrimp, but with some cats it could be the chicken.

Your words..."random foods"....might be the key here. Try feeding him only the dry (and that might be the cause) and one of the other meats alone, say start with chicken, and see if his smell improves.

Cheap canned cat foods can cause gas and loose stools, even if they love it and seem to do well eating it.

Cats will poop less on a good quality dry and/or raw or cooked meat, vs canned food, but it should not have a strong odor, or strong enough that you are considering bathing him. If he does have some loose stool on him, try wiping the area with a baby wipe or washcloth.

My best guess is that something he is eating is causing the loose stools and probably some gas.

I doubt it's from the dishcloth, lol! That def. is not a good thing for him to eat.

 

[feedtheflame]

alright so one big poop a day could be perfectly normal for a 13wk kitten? im gonna stop the cheap stuff for now, never wanted to give it to him in the first place anyways. He's getting some raw chicken thigh tongiht though! He's been screaming at me all day since i got home.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I have 12 week old kittens here, they seem to be pooping sometimes twice a day but often only once... and well formed poops every time. They get a mix of kibble, canned and raw but it's the same kind all the time and not changing up the type of canned or kibble etc.

I agree with Pam, try taking him back to just the kibble for a while (say a week at least) and see if the stools firm up... definitely stay away from feeding "random" foods for a bit.

 

[feedtheflame]

okay sounds good. the pooping thing was worrying me cus i was trying to pay close attention to it cus of the litterkwitter. For instance, if he poops 3 times a day and theres only one, id be worried he was gonna have an accident soon on my floor.