Beyond cats' ability to clean themselves, Diesel usually recommends not bathing cats because of the damages it can cause to a cat-owner relationship. “The act of bathing cats can cause behavioral trauma, which may affect the human-animal bond if this is not something the cat is used to,” she said.
Some of you may even be asking yourself, "Is it safe to give a cat a bath?" Yes, indeed it is. In fact, cats may need a good washing for a number of reasons. For instance, if they: Have gotten into something really messy or sticky.
Also, your cat will likely groom themselves immediately after their bath, and you don't want them ingesting any lingering shampoo. It is important to avoid wetting your cat's head; their ears and eyes are extremely sensitive, as are their whiskers. Getting water on their face will almost guarantee an angry kitty.
Because most cats aren't used to water and being bathed, bathing a cat too often could have some harmful effects. Your cat could develop dry skin. “Bathing too frequently can dry the skin, so healthy cats shouldn't be bathed more frequently than every four to six weeks or so,” Dr. Coates said.
“The act of bathing cats can cause behavioral trauma, which may affect the human-animal bond if this is not something the cat is used to,” she said. “For an adult cat that has not had a bath previously, the experience can be quite traumatic.
Scruffing removes the option to retreat and a sense of control for the cat, which commonly results in an escalation of stress, fear, and anxiety. Lifting a cat or suspending their body weight by the scruff is unnecessary and could be painful.
They also have forepaws that they can moisten with their own saliva, which they then use to wash their faces. What this natural ability to clean themselves means is that as a general rule, cats don't need to be bathed and will take care of their grooming requirements with little or no human interference.
Cats are fastidious animals that spend a great deal of their day grooming themselves. Wet fur is extremely uncomfortable for a cat and often takes a long time to dry. Wet fur is also heavier than dry and thus makes a cat less nimble and easier for predators to catch. There is also the shock factor.
Cat Bathing 101
Cats do a good job of cleaning most debris from their coat, but their self-grooming won't get everything out, nor will it make them smell any nicer. The National Cat Groomers Institute of America recommends a bath once every 4-6 weeks.
Some veterinarians advise against giving your pets untreated water to drink, such as holistic vets, due to the chemicals added to the water by the municipality during the treatment process. These chemicals include chlorine and fluoride. There can also be contaminants in unfiltered tap water.
Why do some cats dislike belly rubs? Hair follicles on the belly and tail area are hypersensitive to touch, so petting there can be overstimulating, Provoost says. “Cats prefer to be pet and scratched on the head, specifically under their chin and cheeks,” where they have scent glands, Provoost says.
Because of their territorial nature, cats believe they actually own your house. When you close a door, it is no wonder that many cats will try to open, scratch, or attack it in every single way. They may simply find your attempt to close a door as a sign that undermines their absolute reign of the territory.
Cats can find direct eye contact quite threatening. They wouldn't look another cat straight in the face unless they were fixing for a fight. When your cat's relaxed, they might look at you with a peaceful gaze or half closed eyes. A “slow blink” is your cat's way of saying they love you.
Use a vet-approved, pet-safe cat shampoo. Avoid head, mouth and eyes. After soaping their body, rinse them thoroughly in fresh water that's the same temperature as the washing water. If you don't, they might ingest shampoo or conditioner residue when they next self-groom.
While talking to your cat and offering lots of reassurance and praise, gently place her into the shower tray or bath. Using a showerhead from above is significantly less stressful for your pet as she is far more likely to be used to being rained on than she is being lowered into 4 inches of tepid water!
They can do that because kittens have a reflex in which their bodies go totally limp when picked up by the scruff—a reflex that is lost by adolescence. What is often seen as “relaxation” in a scruffed cat is actually behavioral shutdown. In adult cats, scruffing triggers fear and stress rather than relaxation.
You can "deactivate" most cats with a binder clip. Sometimes called PIBI, or Pinch-Induced Behavioral Inhibition, this procedure is safe and comfortable for almost all cats. This works best if the cat knows you. Use this procedure only when necessary, not just for fun.
Cats are already intolerant of human forms of punishment, but physically dominating a cat will break your bond with her. Never hold down, shake or hit your cat. Physically harming your cat can actually make the situation worse and cause her to lash out or become withdrawn.
A grooming professional will try to calm your cat before placing her into a few inches of lukewarm water and applying the shampoo. Often shampooing starts from the head down to the tail, while avoiding the nose, ears, and mouth of the cat.
Don't be tempted to use a blow dryer since it will probably scare the heck out of your cat. Let your cat air-dry. Keep the air temperature in the house moderate while they're drying so they don't get a chill. If your cat has long hair, comb it out while it's still damp.
Cats are biologically programmed not to drink water which is near their food or near their toileting area - this is thought to be their instinctive avoidance of contaminating their water with potential sources of bacteria.
Regardless of their reputation, cats do get lonely when they are left unattended for long periods of time. Research proves that cats are social beings that form strong bonds with their owners. Do cats get sad when you leave? Short answer: yes.
The study is among the first to show cats can recognize—and respond to—their owners' voices. “There is really a special communication that develops between every owner and their cat,” says de Mouzon, who is also a researcher at the University of Paris Nanterre.