Cats do not like the water so much, because they are usually extremely shy of water. Basically, cats do not need to be bathed or washed, because they clean their fur themselves several times a day. Cats are extremely clean animals.
They are always concerned about their own cleanliness. Cats spend two to three hours a day grooming their fur. For this purpose, the cat mainly uses its tongue. On parts of the body that it cannot reach with its tongue, it uses its paw to help.
The cat's tongue has a rough surface and works like a comb. Usually cats start with washing their face. For this, they use their paws to wash behind the ears as well. After that, the whole body is cleaned up to the tip of the tail.
When the cat cleans itself, all loose hair is combed out. Likewise, the dirt that is in the fur is removed. However, you can also help the cat by combing its fur with a cat comb from time to time.
Cats bathe when necessary
Cats are very reluctant to bathe. Bathing is always associated with great stress in cats. Therefore, cats should be bathed only in exceptional cases.
If the cat comes home from its outdoor walk once very dirty, try to remove the contamination with a damp cloth. If the contamination in the cat's fur is too great, then prepare a bath for the cat.
How to bathe the cat properly
Prepare bath
the temperature should not exceed 35 degrees
keep windows and doors closed
put shampoo and towel ready
Which shampoo to use?
However, body care products for us humans are absolutely unsuitable for cats. Therefore, use a special cat shampoo for bathing the cat.
After you have bathed the cat, it should be dried immediately so that it does not catch a cold. A hair dryer would speed up the drying of the fur, provided that the cat is not afraid of it.
How do I get the cat used to bathing?
To get your cat used to bathing, you should start early. Young cats are still very curious and are more likely to make friends with bathing than older cats. The earlier cats get their experience with bathing, the easier bathing will be later on.
However, cats should not be bathed more than 5 to 6 times a year. Apartment cats, on the other hand, should not be bathed more than 2 to 3 times. This allows the natural protective layer on the cat's coat to remain intact.
However, if the cat is infested with parasites, you can bathe the cat several times if necessary.