Cat is one of the animals that naturally is not really fond of water. So, taking your cat to have a bath might not be an easy job. Kitten, as its young, might experience hard time to bathe as well.
Kittens might be messier and it requires little help from you to clean up their body. Different with adult cat, kittens are not able to groom themselves yet.
Bathing adult cats and kittens is very distinctive. Kittens need more attention to be bathed as some of their body functions are not developing perfectly yet.
If your concern is taking care of the fur, then these steps on how to take care of cat fur at home might be beneficial for you. You might not have to go to the pet salon!
If this is the first time you handle kittens, you should enrich your knowledge by exploring the first aid items you should prepare for your kittens.
Here are the 8 must-known tips on how to bathe your kittens. Hope all these tips will be beneficial for you as a cat owner.
- Prepare Your Kitten’s Bathing Tools
Preparation is the best thing you need to do before bathing your kitten. That is why preparation becomes the first of the 8 must-known tips on how to bathe your kittens. Before bathing your kitten, you should have some bathing necessities. Here are the things you need to prepare:
- Cat-friendly shampoo
- Towels
- Brush
- Comb
- Rubber mat
- Container
for rinsing
Make sure all of these items are ready and handy. Bathing kittens might need extra hands so have your family member or friend be with you to help you.
Also, notice the use of cat-friendly shampoo to prevent any irritation or sting on your cat’s eyes. If you have a cat with matted hair, then you can apply these tips on how to groom a cat with matted hair. Make sure all these items are ready before putting your kitten into the tub.
- Get Your Kitten into the Bathroom
This is the second thing you need to do. Make sure you catch your kitten into the bathroom. There is an interesting fact about cat and bathing. A cat that has been bathed before will be likely to enjoy its next bathing session, while the cat that has never been, well, you know it will tend to get panic once it is asked to bathe.
Being calm is the key of being success in bathing kitten. Your kitten might try to escape during the bathing session, but don’t be stressed out as the more you are stressed, the more stressed your cat or kitten will be.
- Warm Water Instead of Hot Water
Who feels enjoyable bathing in hot water? Your kittens will not for sure! Make sure fill the tub or sink with knee-deep water, not too deep. Check the temperature of the water as well as too hot water will make the kitten become angry or uncomfortable or feeling burned as well!
- Pay Attention to Wet Certain Body Parts
First part of the body you need to wet is the fur. Avoid the kitten’s face area. Wet your kitten’s fur thoroughly over its body. Then, rub the shampoo on its body gently.
Make sure you use cat-friendly shampoo. If you are curious on how cats change their fur color, read fur color change in cats. They are incredibly amazing!
After rubbing the cat-friendly shampoo all over your kitten’s body, gently massage your kitten’s body. Massaging your kitten’s body will provide comfort for it so it won’t be too active during the bathing time. The suitable cat shampoo will also help to prevent cat fleas to bite humans.
Again and again, use warm water to rinse the soap all over your kitten’s body. One important notice while rinsing your kitten’s body is make sure no soap is left behind because once your kitten is dry, the soap left will irritate the kitten’s skin and cause it to scratch its body.
Besides, there is also a possibility of your kitten licking the soap and it is not good since it might create stomach upset. So, make sure it is completely clean!
On the previous process, your cat’s face is not washed yet. So, this is the time to wash your kitten’s face properly and comfortably. Different with the way of cleaning its body, face washing process will only need a piece of cloth that is soaked into warm water before without any soap. Just simply wipe its face gently. Never spray water to your kitten’s face or get your kitten’s face into the water directly.
Once the bathing process is done, it is time for drying your kitten’s body. Take your kitten out from the tub and wrap its body by using a clean, warm and dry towel.
Then, put it into a warm room where it can dry off its body. You can use hairdryer to blow dry your cat, but be mindful if your kitten seems to be afraid of its sound.
The most important thing to get the 8 must-known tips on how to bathe your kittens successful is patience. You need patience to bathe the little creature. Once you are successful in handling this small creature, then you will get the satisfaction. Good luck!