Do cats need baths?

The answer to this question is no. There’s really no reason why you should give your cat a bath, only under some circumstances.

Cats often spend a good amount of time licking to clean themselves and leave their scent in the morning hours. If we frequently bath our cats, they can create a negative association when carrying them even if we only wanted to pet them.

These are some of the exceptions of when it’s appropriate to give your cat a bath:

  1. If your cat lays down on something dirty and stinks.
  2. If you rescued a cat from the street and it is full of fleas or extremely dirty.
  3. If you have a hairless cat and has oil excess on its scalp.
  4. If there is an allergic person at home, a bath may reduce cat’s dander.
  5. If it's either an overweight or old cat with arthritis, which makes it very difficult to reach their back and tail. You’ll see that they usually have a greasy and matting appearance.

Most healthy cats instinctively know how to groom themselves and are very good at it. For this reason, it is not necessary to bathe your cats. With the daily cleaning that they carry out conscientiously every day, it is more than enough.

In the event that you notice that your cat is not being able to perform its cleaning as it used to, because of its age or any cause, it is better that you take it to a vet first. The vet will tell you what is most advisable, based on the particular condition your cat may have.

If for any of the reasons mentioned before, you had to give your cat a bath, we recommend the following:

  1. Place a rubber mat at the bottom of the shower or tub so that your cat does not slip and feel more secure.
  1. Preferably use warm water rather than hot or cold.
  1. If you see that the bath experience is very scary, it’s better that you use products that cleanse and moisturize your cat, and avoid giving him or her a full bath.  You can use wet towels or a clean cloth dampened with a cleaning solution, suitable for cats of course. Then, use another clean cloth dampened with warm water to rinse it off.

As you can see, you do not have to stress about having to bathe your cat when it is not necessary. And as the cat expert Jackson Galaxy says "Cats are not dogs!". Our lovely cats are already equipped with an efficient  built-in auto groom!


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published