cat — Housewife's Whimsy

I don’t know about you, but Rory HATES to be bathed. However both Alex and I are slightly allergic to him and he often gets into things that get him pretty dirty. This necessitates a “deep cleaning” on a regular basis.When my parents got their second cat about 10 years ago they talked to their vet about bathing since my Dad is highly allergic to cats. When you bathe a cat it keeps the dander low so they are less likely to trigger an allergic reation.

The vet they spoke with suggested putting the cat is a delicates bag for washing. This keeps the cat contained and they can’t escape or claw you. Your cat will hate this when you start. Every time I put Rory in the bag he mews pitifully and acts like I’m killing him. However, his reaction is a lot more violent when I wash him without the bag. Last week he got into something and his belly was all nasty, so because I needed to scrub his belly I couldn’t put him in the bag. After that bath was done I had scratches all over my arm and back (he got out of my grasp and climbed over me).

Of course you want to be very careful about getting water or soap in your cat’s face. It is easier to do this when they are in the bag since they are constantly squirming. But the benefits of keeping them contained outweigh that fact. After your cat's bath be sure to towel him dry. This will help him not be so angry with you since you are essentially "grooming" him.

If you are careful and train your cat eventually your cat won’t hate this as much. It will take time though, don’t give up if your fuzzy baby is all dirty!