Bathing the cat

[Lyra]

We found fleas on the cat this weekend. I've been doing some research and have found online that a mullein infusion poured over the cat will paralyze the fleas, making it easy to comb them out.

My questions is, how on earth to I manage to bathe the cat? She is not going to be happy.

 

[Suzie]

My cats are never happy when I bathe them. I usually fill up the water enough to cover their entire bodies without making them swim and rinse off as quickly as possible. Be sure to keep one hand on the cat at all times!

 

[happyrociante]

It helps if you can do it in the kitchen sink so that you are at a better height to control the cat's movements.
Run the water first so the cat isn't stressed out by the additional noise.
Make sure not to get close to the cat's eyes and ears until you are almost done because it will freak them out as soon as you start that part.
Wear clothes that you don't mind getting wet.

Honestly, I would suggest getting some diatomaceous earth and sprinkling that over the cat to get rid of the fleas. It basically dehydrates the flea from the outside in and I promise it works. I don't know if the infusion that you are talking about will also kill the flea eggs and larvae.

 

[Jessi]

Get help! Seriously, restraining a squirming cat -and- trying to wash it or soak it is not an easy task. Have a friend or spouse help you so that you have multiple hands to work with and can get it done as quickly as possible. Is your cat declawed? Be warned that you may definitely end up with scratches if the cat struggles and you can't let it go yet.

 

[Laurasav]

We've only had to bathe cats twice, two cats out of the total of six indoor only cats we've had/have. The first cat bathed was because she escaped outside unnoticed when we went out to a Halloween party. When we came home, she was sitting on our porch, filthy dirty! It took both my husband and I to hold her down in the bathtub, washing her. She was upset to the extreme that I was afraid she'd have a heart attack! Poor thing!
The second cat was a stray we took pity on in the Winter cold. We brought him in and just for caution sake, we gave him a flea bath immediately, just in case he had fleas that could come out in our home and onto our resident cats. We had friends over that night and they ran out to get the flea shampoo for us so we'd allow the poor thing inside. We all four stood around this tom cat, bathing it in the laundry sink, but it was pretty docile. I think he was just glad to get out of the cold! He ended up staying with us until his death many years later!

 

[Lyra]

It sounds like I have my work cut out for me.

I looked for diatomaceous earth at the pet store today, but the guy had never heard of it. I was also looking for brewer's yeast, which you can supposedly put in their food or sprinkle on them, but I couldn't find any, even at the herb store.

 

[Ankh]

The way I do this, is lightly bathing the cat with a warm rinsed cloth.
This works because I'm not dousing the cat in a tub full of water, and
its getting clean too.

 

[Waynefire]

It is a challenge, but you can do it! I used to work for a vet and once in a great while we would have to do this. It was a real pain and sometimes we would end up scratched, but it worked out great for the animal afterwards. Just make sure you dry them off really well to prevent illness.

 

[Lyra]

What if, instead of drawing water in the tub, I put the cat in the empty tub and poured water over her? I am planning to make an herbal infusion to pour over her to help get rid of the fleas. Maybe I could do that more easily then wrestling her into a tub of water.

 

[Youlovejordan]

I had a lot of pet cats over the years and they are the hardest to bathe! They scratch and claw especially if they are an older cat, it's the worst. What can you do is go to Walmart or online and buy cat bathing straps. It's like a harness with suction cups to keep the cat secure while you bathe her. It worked for me.

 

[Isabellas2007]

Giving a cat a bath is a challenge you will never want to undertake! I know when I gave mine a bath I was getting the meanest looks around! However, if your cat smells and cannot do the work themselves then you have to do this. If they are not declawed a little warning is to try to cover their feet or you will be sliced to pieces!

 

[TabithaW]

My biggest tip far bathing a cat is to make sure the water is in the tub before the cat is. The sound of running water will freak them out more than anything else. If the tub is 1/2 full & you have the cat by the scruff of the neck, you can lower the cat into the water. Once it's wet, it's wet & there is no real reason for it to struggle too much as the damage is done. Oh, my second biggest tip; don't use a hair dryer unless you must. Cats are more afraid of blow dryers than they are water.

 

[2Nature]

Ah, when we tried bathing our cat it was like trying to pin down the wind, or better yet, mission double impossible. So basically I closed the door, took the shower and tried to target the cat as best as I can. My wife almost died laughing when she saw what I was doing.

 

[ssamcd]

Another tip is make sure those fleas don't get in your carpet or you will have a bigger problem. Usually the fleas all jump off after a treatment. I would wash the cat petting her at the same time keep the towel handy and hold her to keep her calm. You can start combing her that will also keep her calm. Cats love to be petted.

 

[happyrociante]

It sounds like I have my work cut out for me.

I looked for diatomaceous earth at the pet store today, but the guy had never heard of it. I was also looking for brewer's yeast, which you can supposedly put in their food or sprinkle on them, but I couldn't find any, even at the herb store.

You can get it off the web from several places. I think even Amazon carries it. If you get a food grade batch it has excellent health benefits for humans as well. My mother and father in law swear by it. It can help with blood sugar levels when you are diabetic, a great detoxifier, can help with cholesterol and blood pressure and just kind of gives you a good energy buzz if you are lucky. And it really does kill fleas, ants and cockroaches to name a few pests.

 

[letusbefree]

My roommate and I recently gave our kitty a bath to rid her of fleas. Our initial strategy was to take her into the bathroom, close the door, and fill the tub with water just enough to cover her paws... she was not cool with that, so then we tried the sink, which she was also not cool with. Ultimately, I ended up removing everything from my bathroom counter, and using a small plastic cup I just sort of poured warm water onto my cat while she wandered around on top of the counter (my roommate held her as still as she could). We massaged the shampoo into her fur, and then just kept pouring cups of water on her and rubbing it out until she was clean. The bathroom was very, very wet, but it worked -- afterwards, she was clean, soft, and flea-free! Remember to wrap your kitty in a towel when the bath is over... for some reason, cats find towels comforting.

Anyway, you may have already bathed your cat at this point, but if not, good luck!

 

[Sage]

Do you have a shower curtain or door on the tub? Fill the tub with water. Pull the door or shower curtain to where it is half shut. Make sure the bathroom door is closed. Place the cat in the water.

I would be very careful using herbs to bathe a cat. You can use a little Dawn or Ivory dish soap and it will work just as well or get a mild shampoo from a pet store. Any type of soap is going to kill the fleas, Dawn is the type they use on wild animals when there is an oil spill.

 

[misumaru15]

I wasn't even aware you could bathe them. Letusbefree it sounds like you had the right idea. It got the job done and the cat was calm at the end.

 

[shaunche]

it's a very difficult task, cats generally hate water. You just need to get it done as fast as possible. It would be easier if you had a partner to assist you. One of you can hold the cat and the other can wash the cat with whatever you are using.