10 Tips to Properly Wash Up a Cat without Getting Hurt

Cats are love. They are fluffy, cute and attractively mysterious—no wonder they are among the most commonly found pets and rival the popularity enjoyed by dogs. However, despite all the cutesy things about these felines, it is terribly difficult to take care of them. You need to take care of them more than you need in case of dogs, and therefore, they can be real spine-breakers.

One of the most difficult tasks is bathing a cat, and if your luck is running bad lately, you are most likely to be clawed by your otherwise lovely pet. If you run a quick search on the Internet, you will realize that bathing a cat is the most worrisome activity in their petting life. While there are many, many tips posted online, we have compiled the best coming from veterinarians as to how to bathe your cat without being clawed.

10 Tips to Properly Wash Up a Cat without Getting Hurt

So, without further ado, here are tips to bathe your cat and ensure your safety

1. Trim those claws

When covered in water, your cat may get excited and cause damage, but you need to enforce damage control to protect yourself from injuries. So, get your cat on your lap and trim its claws. Make sure you are gentle while trimming their nails and do not cut them to a point where it causes bleeding or pain.

When you are done trimming, pat your cat for being the nice kitty!

2. Brushing your cat

This is a very important step you cannot afford to skip. When you do the brushing, this will help in the removal of tangles and knots in the fur which will otherwise cause pain while washing up. Get a comfy brush so that your cat is quickly eased out.

While brushing, be gentle and do not apply too much force in removing the tangles—you may get clawed!

3. Getting the right shampoo

It is not just about humans that they need the right shampoo for their hair—the same applies to cats. Talk to a vet about the same and get a high-quality cat shampoo to minimise the chances of getting clawed.

4. Make your love want to bathe

Just like we do with babies, we can attract the cats into bathing. Pick up toys or anything which interests your cat and entice them to come closer to the bathing zone. Convey to them, howsoever you do so, that you are getting them only when you are bathing.

5. Preparing the battleground

Oh, we are talking about the bathroom. There are a couple of things you should ensure: closing the door to prevent the cat from escaping; making the cat used to the bathroom; and making it more cat-friendly.

In case there is a litter box inside the bathroom, immediately remove it because, amid the chaos, the litter box may, well, get littered. It will only double your after-bath work and you would not want that to happen anyway.

6. Wear protective clothes

Despite all the measures, you may still get attacked so it is better you wear comfortable but protective clothing to guard your body against harm. You should opt for a sweater, long-sleeved shirt or a jumper to hide skin as much as possible. Gloves may also be worn but will increase the bulk.

It is better if you wear clothes which are old and which you do not mind getting wet.

7. Calming down your cat

Throughout the bathing session, you need to calm down the cat. There are many ways to ensure that: talking to your cat politely; patting head regularly; do not be loud; get some help; be confident about everything you are doing and be really gentle.

Use shampoo and soap carefully and avoid getting them into the cat’s eyes. You will get scratched, trust us!

The point is to make the cat believe that she will not be harmed.

8. Watch out for the signals

There may be occasions when the cat is getting anxious and you must take note of them. Signals include hissing, breathing hard, meowing, crying or sneezing. If your cat is too frightened, stop immediately.

If it is the cat’s first bath, be very easy on them otherwise they will be frightened of a subsequent bath.

9. Drying the cat

Get a towel and gently wrap it around the cat. Press and rub it gently. When the towel gets too wet, get another one. You can also make use of the hair-dryer, but be careful about the heat.

10. Reward the cat

Of course, the cat has gone through an ordeal and should not go without a reward. Get something for the cat as a reward and it will feel more comfortable and motivated in the next bath.

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