Thread: Least stressful way to bath a kitten

Oops- Meant to read.... If bathing is the way forward!!

If he is in a really bad mess then most probaly trying to do something about it will help, some will accept it no problem & others you might have to be a bit firmer with & face a bit of a struggle hopefully you have the first type,although he might be smelly make sure his nails are cut first less likely to hurt so much if he fires off,if you have a shower then its a lot easier,turn his bottom towards the shower head but try & let him get used to the water coming out before directing it onto him & then go for it,once wet use any shampoo you might have to hand but make sure you rinse out well afterwards,you could if not try standing him back legs in a sink with front legs on side & wash him down that way,it is a lot easier if there are two of you so one can help hold but as silly as it might sound the holder needs to be ready in case babe flips but doesn't want to hold him tightly from the start,that seems to upset them more than just having someone there in case but they do like someone making a fuss at the head end & telling them how good they are,good luck hope you can succeed & you soon have a nicer smelling furry to cuddle again....oh forgot to say have plenty of towels handy for all of you....x

We have a shower stall. I just enclose the beast (I mean cat) inside along with myself. The shower has a handheld shower head. I wait until the water is a good temperature before pointing it at the offending area. Once wet, I use some pet shampoo & rinse well. Poor little thing has no where to go go. Like jckkerrison says, have plenty of towels nearby. This method does make it less stressful for me & DH doesn't have to help. My cat loves water, but only when he wants to be in it. Good luck.

When Roark was a baby he used to get poo bum and the easiest thing to do was just hold him under the faucet in the bathroom sink with his back against me and his stomach and bum directly under the stream of water. I would then just wash with pet shampoo and dry him. He hated it but I think part of him knew I was helping him.

Now that he is older and does not fit in the sink (let alone me holding him with one hand) I bath him in the bathtub.

I have one waterbaby and one not quite so waterbaby :-) Both of them prefer being washed in the bath. I start with the bath empty, put the plug in and slowly fill it so that it's about 2" deep, talking to them and stroking them the whole time. If I put the water in first and then try and put them in, they panic.

Moto, the waterbaby, is the only one who'll take the shower head. Moshi freaks completely if I turn it on! That's where the 2" of water in the bath comes in handy - I can just scoop it up with my hands and wash her bum :-)

They both absolutely ADORE the drying bit. I scoop them up in a big towel and make a game of it and they're purring within seconds and completely relaxed.

Good luck! The first time is always nerve wracking!

I have had the same thing happen with my kitten 'Mist' this morning. I think I may have given him a little too much tuna yesterday and he was very loose this morning which stuck to his fur around his bottom. I bought some pet wet wipes the other day and have used those then let the fur dry and then brushed the fur and he looks lovely again. Your kittie may have been in a bigger mess than my boy though.

We use dry shampoo and comb it through for reasonably minor incidents. For anything worse I sit in the shower with the demon...