Tips For When To Start Bathing A Cat Or Kitten?

The age at which you can start bathing a cat is a somewhat controversial topic. There are experts who defend that the ideal age is from 2 months, however, the most widespread is that it is from 3 months when you bathe a cat for the first time.

Why? Basically because, before this time, the animal still does not have a well-defined body temperature and therefore could catch cold. In any case, it is always recommended that we take great care of your first bath and that, if it is winter, we have the heating open so that it does not get cold at any time.

In addition, it is at 3 months when you can start bathing a cat because it is also at this time when the first vaccine. In fact, subjecting him to a bath without being properly vaccinated could be dangerous to the health and even to the life of the animal. So don’t play it!

Tips for a cat’s first bath

In addition to knowing the best time to start bathing a cat, it is also important that you take into account other tips that will help you make the experience perfect for the animal. Here are some ideas to help you accomplish this task:

• Use a small bowl: the first time it is much more recommended that you bathe the cat in a basin or a baby bathtub. Well, in this way, you will have more control over him and you will prevent him from slipping or getting scared.
• 2 cm of water maximum: cats are very curious, and even more so when they are puppies. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not exceed 2 cm of water to prevent it from being scared or falling.
• Warm water (35ºC approx.): avoid bathing your cat with very cold or very hot water. The best thing is that it be pleasant and that the environment is in good temperature conditions so that, as we have already said, you do not get cold.
• relax it: the most common is that the animal is tense and nervous, not knowing exactly what is happening. But, for this reason, it is recommended that you speak to him in a soft tone and that you caress him so that he can relax.

Now that you are clear about when to start bathing a cat, it is important that we make it clear that you won’t need to bathe him every week not even remotely! Cats are very neat animals and they will take care of their daily cleaning themselves. In addition, thanks to their rough tongue they will be able to remove accumulated dirt and excess hair that accumulates.

Therefore, the bathing of the cat will depend a lot on the way of life that it has since a domestic cat does not get dirty in the same way as a cat that goes outside every day. In fact, if the cat does not go outside, with 1 wash per month It will be more than enough to keep your hygiene at bay.

On the other hand, if the cat goes outside, its frequency of washing may be increased. you shall bathe your cat in the following circumstances:

• dirty skin: if you see that your cat has stains on its hair or skin, then you will have to wash it (mud, oil, etc.)
• Contact with chemicals: if you think your cat has come into contact with bleach or products that may be toxic to him, it will be essential that you bathe him immediately to prevent him from harming himself
• grease in the hair: Like our hair, cats’ hair can also be oily (especially in long-haired breeds). Therefore, if you see that his fur is greasy or excessively tangled, it is time for a bath.
• On the recommendation of the veterinarian: It may also be that the veterinarian recommends that you bathe him to improve any condition.

And we end this article by explaining how you can bathe a cat at home so that the experience is positive and relaxed for both of you. Above all, you have to arm yourself with a lot of patience and a lot of tact since, most likely, the animal is a little stressed and defensive.

In addition, we recommend that you place a mat in the basin or bathtub that you use for washing, which will prevent slipping and, therefore, frighten you even more. Before you start bathing the cat you will need to:

• Warm water (about 35ºC approx.)
• Special shampoo for cats
• Special towel to dry your skin and fur

Bathing a cat step by step

Once you have all the materials ready, it is time to start with the bathroom. To do this, you must follow these simple stepss that we indicate below:

1. Wet the lower part of his body with your hand or with a sponge that is very soft
2. Little by little, ascend so that the cat does not get scared and gets used to the water
3. Apply the soap gently, as if it were caresses and let it act for 2 or 3 minutes to achieve a greater cleaning
4. Then, rinse the soap with warm water, making sure that it is completely clean of any residue (think that the animal will continue to wash itself with its tongue daily, therefore, it is better that it does not find foreign substances in its body)
5. Dry it with a towel without being rough. Do it carefully and with a soft and relaxed voice so that the cat is calm
6. Give it a final brushing so that it is perfect and totally neat

In case you bathe the cat in winter, you can blow dry always keeping a safe safety distance. Also, keep in mind that the noise of this device could scare him, so if you can, avoid this method. The cat must be well dry to prevent it from catching a cold or getting sick.

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