What can I use to bathe a kitten?

thetope

our kitten fell down the loo...(in my half asleep stupor i forgot to put the lid down and shut the door) he was a bit smelly anyway as when he came to us he had diahorrea, but that was the last straw!

we bought some kitten/puppy shampoo from our local pet store and gave him a good wash and rinse down with the shower. i think he knew it was for the best as he didn't struggle or make a fuss at all! i was VERY surprised!

afterwards we towelled him off and took the hair dryer to him (as he is long haired). He was a bit shivery to start with but again made no fuss and was dry and warm again in under 5 minutes. all in all a short and sweet experience and he looks very much the better for it!

sooz

agree with the others, don't bathe a cat unless you really have to. if you must, try wearing oven gloves.

our cat had his last bath when he came home covered in blood...so we thought. treated very well and gently cleaned his paws, which we thought were bleeding, hand fed him pieces of fish, and debated whether to call the vet, but could see no signs of any cuts on him.

finally realised that the neighbouts had painted the tops of their walls with red anti climb paint :mad:

thent he next day, instead of the cat going to the vets, i was at the doctors getting antibiotics for the bite mark that went straight through my hand!

Lydia_2

Please don't bath your cat, a little kitten will be terrified. Try to pat her gently with a damp cloth to clean her and if you cant get it all off she will manage to do the rest herself.

purplegirluk1

She still has a poorly tummy at the moment, though you wouldn't have guessed by the way she has been running around and playing all day! The smelly young thing is currently curled up in my wardrobe on top of some nice clean and freshly ironed clothes (mine of course not OH's!).

Just before tea she will be washed in the sink (empty) with a wet soapy flannel. I have been reading up on batheing since this morning and have read that it is best to gradually get her used to going in the sink whilst it is empty, then to clean her with wet cloth, then to pour a few cups of warm water over her, then to eventually put a little water in and pop her in for a little bath. So tonight will be stage one, empty sink and cloth. I hope that this will stop her from worrying though to be honest she is a very good girl and doesn't mind me doing most things to her. She'll let me put a tablet down her throat, look in her ears, comb her for fleas etc so fingers crossed that this will be ok. Sounds like a plan to me!

purplegirluk1

se999 wrote:

It could be worth giving the vet's surgery a ring, and get their advice. If she's still ill she might not be able to cope with a bath, also get their advice as to how long before she needs to see a vet, kittens can get very weak very quickly.

If you must try without asking the vet first. Just use a warm damp cloth to clean her coat with, I'd recommend doing only the worst bits so that she doesn't get damp all over. Dry immediately after and keep her warm and dry.

We took her to the vet on Friday for her vaccinations (sp?) and I mentioned that she had been having a little tummy trouble. He said that we should not give her any trets at all and keep her on the same food all the time. We had given her a little chicken, fish etc and there had been two occasions where she had been upset by this. We hadn't given her any treats since then and then last night my mum gave her salmon without me knowing! It was only a little but it must have upset her (well it upset me when I woke up with cat poop right by my head!!!) so from now on she is on a strict diet of Burns cat food and nothing else!

I don't think that we need to go back to the vets again as she is looking fine, of course I would go back if she continues to be poorly!

squiggles

Pleased the kitten is feeling a little better now and didnt have to go in that awful bath.

maryb

Glad you are sorted out now but I thought I would pass on a tip from when I had to clean up a kitten. Buy a baby hairbrush - they are very soft. Then wrap the kitten in a towel and put her on your lap with her tummy exposed. Dip the baby hairbrush in some warm water with something like baby shampoo in it, and sponge it on just a little area at a time. If you have a pair of tweezers handy you can also pick out any fleas you see when her fur is flat against the skin. plunge the tweezers into a saucer full of disinfectant which kills the fleas.. Wrap the towel round her as soon as you have done an area and move round to a new bit. Just doing a little bit at a time you can make sure she doesn't get traumatised and get rid of all the fleas at the same time.

skintchick

purplegirluk1 wrote:

She still has a poorly tummy at the moment, though you wouldn't have guessed by the way she has been running around and playing all day! The smelly young thing is currently curled up in my wardrobe on top of some nice clean and freshly ironed clothes (mine of course not OH's!).

Just before tea she will be washed in the sink (empty) with a wet soapy flannel. I have been reading up on batheing since this morning and have read that it is best to gradually get her used to going in the sink whilst it is empty, then to clean her with wet cloth, then to pour a few cups of warm water over her, then to eventually put a little water in and pop her in for a little bath. So tonight will be stage one, empty sink and cloth. I hope that this will stop her from worrying though to be honest she is a very good girl and doesn't mind me doing most things to her. She'll let me put a tablet down her throat, look in her ears, comb her for fleas etc so fingers crossed that this will be ok. Sounds like a plan to me!

Please don't. Cats don't need to be bathed and it will upset her. She'll clean herself. I've had cats for years and have never bathed them.

She surely can't smell THAT bad?

black-saturn

I know what you mean about the cat smells. Some cats are worse than others and the smell can be overwhelming. Funnily enough the owners cant smell it!! If you must bath your cat use a really mild shampoo like baby shampoo and rinse him with water with a couple of drops of tea tree oil in which will help guard against fleas.

shammyjack

Try a Boxer or a Mastiff, they make a good job of it but your kitten will be like a bar of wet soap if you try to hold it !





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