I usually give mine a bath a couple of times a year even if they don't seem
to need it.  But have to admit that Molly has been here since November and I
haven't worked up the nerve to try to give her a bath.  She was an adult
feral when we got her, and I've worked so hard to make friends with her.
But if there is going to be an accident, a paw or tail stepped on.  A door
closed too fast, someone pushed off the counter sideways, etc.  it seems
always to be me to her.  Jake doesn't like his bath but does like how he
looks and smells once he's done.

Jo

<snip>

My personal opinion is that you should not bathe a cat at all, unless
there are really exceptional circumstances - perhaps the cat fell into
something messy and poisonous, or in some other way got into such a mess
that his or her own grooming can't deal with the fur.

OTOH, it is possible to bathe cats, and I think some cats, such as show
cats, are bathed regularly. I think their owners begin when the cats are
kittens. My cat care book says cats only require bathing if they are
dirty, have a skin condition or live in a warm climate where ticks or
fleas are prevalent. The author does give instructions, and even a photo
of a wet cat who doesn't seem to mind being bathed. I think my cats would
rebel at the first step: "Begin by gradually wetting the cat's coat until
it is saturated." My two have firm opinions on water and their coats.

Any particular reason you think she needs a bath?

<snip>

I had to bathe Ming twice a week for the first month I had him
(big-time ringworm... all over his face and body).  Since then he
hasn't needed it.  Except for when they've gotten into something nasty
or there's been some other specific reason to, I don't bathe my cats.

Katrina

Snoopy is 15 years old and she's never had a bath. If she ever got
anything on her fur that would be dangerous, then I'd bath her,
thankfully this has never happend.

I never bathe my cats.  Holly was bathed when I first adopted her because
she was infested (not heavily) with fleas.  Other than that, they are both
indoor cats and both cats have healthy, glossy fur coats.  Unlike dogs, I
don't think healthy indoor cats need to be bathed unless a special situation
warrants it -- such as getting into something, illness with diarrhea, etc.

MaryL

Typically, you should wait at least 6-9 months as that gives time for you
body to heal properly and for your cat to forgive you :-)

I've never bathed Otis, he's 16.  The only time I had to put him in water
was when he fell in a hot bath and I had to cool him down, so I put him in a
sink of tepid water, never again would I attempt it.  He doesn't need it
anyway, I've never heard of anyone bathing a cat.

Never, unless necessary!  Every time I take Persia to be boarded they ask me
if I want her bathed.  Uh, no.  She's ticked off enough that I leave her
there; I will not risk her wrath by adding insult to injury ;)

Jill

I've learned that the earlier you introduce cats to the shower, the easier
it is to bathe them.  Omar (brown tabby male) is 16 weeks old now and has
been bathed 4 times. He puts his paws up on the shower tub edge and chirps a
few times and looks inquisitive so ... I pick him up and hold him against my
chest under the shower stream.  No squirming, no scratching, no yowling,
.... soaked kitty in short order.  Apply about a tablespoon of mild shampoo
all over, lather, rinse thoroughly, wrap him up in a towel and dry.  Been
washing our cats this way for decades.

The wash interval varies with the cat, if an indoor/outdoor cat, and the
weather.  But every 2-4 weeks seems to be the average range for short hair
cats.  I've never owned long hairs or a Persian.

I dunno.  Vino is 7 and has never had a bath.  He's indoor only and I
don't reckon he gets too dirty.  He grooms himself a lot.  We like to
threaten him with a bath every now and again, but I don't know if
either of us could actually go through with it!
--
Britta
"There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown
Check out pictures of Vino at:
http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album

Once. But only if needed. All our cats, except Fez, Rufous and Xoxo were
bathed once. Because they had fleas when they came to us.

I have never bathed a cat.  The closest I've come to that was to wipe a
kitten down a wet washcloth when it was getting sick from the flea spray the
vet told me to use on him.  I do groom my cats: I've used different kinds of
combs and brushes for that, whatever seems best for the particular cat.

Sandy

I used to be the primary groomer at a high-volume feline specialty
clinic.  Don't bathe cats more than once every 6 months, unless
medically necessary.  Cats in general don't need baths unless they have
skin conditions, fleas or lay in the dirt outside a lot.  They should
be combed at least weekly (DSH) or every-other day (DLH, Persians or
Himmies), though.  best tool for grooming is a medium-toothed metal
grooming comb, regarless of hair length or type.

That being said my cats are 14 and 15 and have been bathed once, after
their last dental, when they were conked out. :)

-L.

I figure if mine ever need it I'll let Mischief's Krity do it ;-)

Their TED sends out a purrday card every year, with an offer of a
complimentary bath. I took him up on it the first year with LB. Only
that one time, though, since she didn't seem to happy with the
results.

IMHO, never, unless they need it because they've got something nasty all
over them, or need it due to a dire case of fleas or other medical
reason. All my 4 smell very nice, entirely due to their own efforts. if
the diet is good and health is sound, a DSH coat should be shiny and
naturally clean. Pedigree coats may need more attention. If it's a breed
that can get gunky eyes sometimes e.g Persians, then I would probably
use a pet-safe wipe for those areas alone. If it's an elderly cat that
can't reach all the places to wash, I'd help out with a wipe in those
places.

The only 2 cats I've bathed were a foster kitten called Betsy who was
abandoned by her mother at a very young age, and was also slightly
brain-damaged so didn't know how to wash herself, or how to use a litter
tray properly. I used to wash her daily in a hand basin using tepid
water and a drop of baby shampoo, then dry her with a cool hairdryer and
a towel. She was very patient and as far as I could tell didn't mind at
all. One day I noticed her licking her fur for herself, and we never
looked back - she learned how to wash properly all by herself. And
eventually, mostly, use the litter tray.

The other cat I bathed was an elderly foster cat called Ben who had
undiagnosed hyperthyroid, and essentially had 3 coats of fur as it grew
so fast and wasn't brushed out. After brushing out bagfuls of dead fur,
I could see the skin was greasy and unhealthy. Instead of subjecting him
to a soaking I used a bran bath for him, where you heat up dry bran to
body temp then massage it into the fur, leave for a short while and
brush it all out. It soaks up excess oils etc. It actually worked very
well and he didn't mind it too much.

Just my 2p's worth -

Deb.

I don't know about "should," but Oscar's only had a bath once -- when
she had a bacterial infection as a kitten and got herself all messy.
She didn't like it much then; I'd hate to think what would happen to
me if I tried it now.

I wouldn't bath either of my cats unless they got some substance on them
that would be toxic to them to lick off, or they fell into manure or some
such thing.
I can't understand why anyone would want to bath them on a regular basis and
if Nox is happy as she is, has nothing nasty on her fur and smells okay I
would say leave her.
Just my 2p worth.

Tweed

Unless they get into something particularly nasty that they
have obvious problems dealing with themselves, I'd say
NEVER!  Except for a very occasional flea bath at the vets
(which has seldom been necessary, because any serious flea
problems have been few and far between), I have never bathed
a cat in my entire life!  One of the advantages of cats over
dogs is that they groom themselves!  If a dog smells
"doggy", it needs a bath - if a cat smells "catty", it more
likely needs a visit to the vet for health reasons. (Healthy
cats don't smell.)

It depends on the breed, I guess. Most cats don't need extra bathing at all,
but a Sphynx cat, which is hairless, needs to be washed about once a week.

I have got two Devon Rex cats, and I don't need to bathe them at all. Well,
in fact, Teti can manage a bathe all by himself. He follows me into the
shower and sits right outside until I'm finished. Then he goes in to inspect
the water that is left on the floor, and watch it run down the drain... Of
course, he gets quite wet doing this, but that doesn't bother him at all. In
fact, he likes water.

His mother, though, acts more like a "normal" cat. Doesn't enter the
bathroom until it's dried up, but I don't bathe her anyway. They are
shorthairs, and can manage very well without being bathed at all.

Hans