Cat bathing is the black hole of the feline continuum.
On one end is a purring creature, on the other, a flayer.
The majority of cats will lash out as soon as they read your mind, let alone see a sink or tub, and the episode goes thermonuclear when the cat hears actual water.
People who succeed are hard to shut up. They post wet kitty photos and slide shows on the Internet and conduct forums for other climbers of Mount Everest.
Nell Liquorman, a contributor to Animal Wellness magazine, gives tips in the February/March issue and with a straight face says the experience can be, while short of Zen, less than harrowing. She practices on her rescues, Howie, 16, and Zoe, 8.
Everyone knows cats that haven’t been bathed in a decade. They seem fine. So why bother?
“Cats get dirty,” she said in a phone chat from Crystal Beach, Fla. “Haven’t you seen scroungy- looking cats? Even a cat in the house picks up things from the environment.”
Proper bathing and brushing keep cats healthier, she said. A regular routine can discourage, even crush, an onslaught of fleas.
Cats groom themselves, yes, but with every lick, spread the potent Fel d1 allergen, which also goes airborne for a long while before it settles to the ground. Bathing tames the beast, said cat groomer Vania Velotta of Celebrity Pets in Akron, Ohio.
Cats also ingest a ton of dead hair, which can wrestle their intestines into knots, and they spread scoopable litter and other delights from the kitty box when they groom. Aging, arthritic and fat cats, which is not necessarily redundant, can’t reach all their places. They need help.
“Some cats have problems where they can’t care for themselves,” said Velotta. “Some, like Persians, are bred for their fluffy coats, which they can’t handle themselves … We had one cat that climbed up a chimney. You don’t want them cleaning that up themselves.”
Velotta calls herself a cat whisperer.
“Cats are all different, but they’ll pretty much tell you what you can do and how you can do it. Some cats, it’s sort of a challenge. There are a few cats that are really bad, where I had to put them in a wire cage and wash them through it. My philosophy is to do what the cat needs and don’t try to push it.”
“What gets most people in trouble is that people are nervous about bathing the cat. Cats pick up on that,” said Velotta. Liquorman warns to not “gang up” on the cat. The same calm family member should do the dirty deed, so to speak, each time.
Bathe cats on dry, not humid days, so they dry quicker. Be sure to cover the drain to avoid hurting legs or paws.
Rather than immersing the cat, put him in a sink or dish tub and use a sprayer or ladle of water to gently wet his bottom with warm water. No downpours! Let the cat put his paws on the edge of the sink to give him the illusion of control.
“Put a leash around his belly or around his neck,” said Velotta, so the cat doesn’t give you the slip. You can hold him by the scruff of the neck, as long as his weight is supported. Instead of pumping from a bottle and sudsing, have a little bowl of lightly sudsy water nearby, using a mild soap made especially for cats, and dip from it to save effort and time. Work quickly and talk sweetly to him. “It’s
really an art form,” she said.
If your cat shivers, drape a warm washrag over his back. This may help him feel more secure. Massage your cat while you rub lightly with your fingertips. Move the water away from the eyes and rinse thoroughly so the cat doesn’t ingest soap later.
“The best way to do it is the fastest way,” said Velotta. Take it one step at a time. Brush your cat before you even think water. Most cats like to be brushed. Each session, go a little farther.
The next time, introduce him to the sound of nearby water. ” she said. “It’s easy and I’ve never used a professional groomer.”
Cats with de-clawed front paws should have their back nails trimmed. They can grow long and brittle and become quite painful, she said.
“It’s not the same as dog claws,” said Velotta, because of the way they retract, but they curl inward and get caught on things and pull off or break off and be painful.”
If Fluffy has been de-clawed, consider your options carefully. “Scratching isn’t as much of a problem as the biting,” said Velotta. “They’re really deep puncture wounds and they get infected right away. People say, `Oh, she’s de-clawed, she’s not going to hurt you,’ but those are the cats that bite.”
Meanwhile, Liquorman admonishes pet owners to shun chemicals. “Dipping is very toxic. Don’t use poisons. They affect you and they affect the planet.” Not to mention the cat.
