Dear Friends,
We (me and my mum) was wondering, about a couple of things:
- Cats having baths - mum has never ever given any of her cats a bath - ever. She understands that maybe if they got covered in stuff or really dirty. However that is what tongues are for isn't it?
- Clipping claws - never done that to a cat either.
What do you all think about these things?
We know that because all the kiwi cats that mum has lived with, have been indoor/outdoor cats they get washed in the rain, and they get their claws blunted by running on the concrete and scratching trees and wood and stuff.
We are just curious about what you all think of having a bath or getting your claws clipped.
Curious Poppy.
P.S That sweeeeeeeeeeeeet kitty in the previous post, is a British Shorthair kitten, just like me.
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Kareltje =^.^= is a indoorcat, now he is buzy with his spring cleaning.....LOL
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a cat washes itself in the cat box HEHE
Its very nice to have a blog friend in New Zealand, so far away........
Purrsss for PoppyQ from Kareltje
Talk to you sooooooooon :)
Mom says to tell you that at vets where her human girl, Sarah, works, she, or someone else, sometimes gives cats a bath if they are poopie. Also mom tried to give one of her previous cat/babies... Dandelion a shower once. And decided never, ever, again would she do such a thing to a poor kitty! She thinks that if they start as kittens it is ok. She has clipped lots of claws and gotten lots of scratches from us for doing so....
ReplyDeleteWe are all inside kitties and mom has never given us a bath. She does trim our nails because they get caught in the fabric, our bed and blankets. Also if she doesn't watch them, our dew claws get so long they can start to grow into our skin - ouch!
ReplyDeleteWe all say Hi! Poppy :)
I've never had a bath and I don't think I want one. Mummy has trimmed my claws which didn't bother me, but as I don't claw the furniture she doesn't do it any more.
ReplyDeleteI do the bath once a year, and clip the claws once a week... :)
ReplyDeleteAnd so is Lego~
Taiwan - the place I live, is wetter than the place you live, I think, so it's very easily to have some oil on our fur and gets some dust or something else. Some of my cat friends even take a bath every month.
But taking bath is really killing me~~ Hee hee~
But I don't mind clipping claws, I always cooperate with Michico, no matter I am napping or I am jogging, I can always stop for her~
Just depends what you need :)
Hi Poppy,
ReplyDeleteAsh has never had a bath by the staff,I have suffered through some.My skin is really sensitive, and they have given me conditioning baths,and the V has too (vet). They are too scared to trim our claws,afraid they will hurt us.
Pinky
Fui and Suey get a bath about once every 3-4 weeks. They love to roll around in the dirt, which here is either very dry or muddy, and get a bit grubby. I also get a bit hayfeverish, and I've found that bathing them lessens the symptoms for myself and their dad. It also seems to help with Fui's hairballs.
ReplyDeleteThey don't get their nails trimmed. As you said, Poppy, their nails get blunted on the trees and concrete.
We have never had our nails trimmed because we use them for climbing trees and they have never grown too long.
ReplyDeleteEric: I had a bath once because I walked through wet cement but I didn't mind because I like water anyway. I like to sit on the Beans when they are in the bath and mum often runs some of the water over me.
Flynn: I have never had a proper bath, but mum has had to wash my back before when I have got engine oil on my furrs.
We both like to roll on the bare earth and that makes our furrs very soft and silky.
Mom has never given a cat a bath, but she always trimmed Gizzy and Jasmine's claws. She had a special tool for it.
ReplyDeleteI won't let her hold me, so my claws never get trimmed. Lucky me!
Sometimes being long haired you get a little poop on the back and have to have a quick wash off. I dont like that but luckily only a couple of times in my life.
ReplyDeleteHugs GJ xx
Texas got baths 2-3 times a year- just for general cleanliness and it also helped prevent hairballs.
ReplyDeleteWe get them a lot more than that but that is just because we are kittens and we get into things a bit more, especially Cloud who will drink out of the toilet if someone forgets to close the toilet and bathroom even for a second! Also I had some tummy issues when I was a kid and so my "area" needed cleaned frequently. When we get older Mom expects to only give us 2-3 baths a year though.
Texas never had his nails trimmed. Our nails are sharper and catch on stuff more, so she is thinking of doing so for us. One time I (Niko) caught my nail in the couch and cried and cried hysterically until Dad freed me.
Oh, we also saw a comment that someone said if you start as kittens they will like a bath more-- WRONG. It still takes two people to bathe us, just like it did for Texas.
ReplyDeleteMy kitties are indoor too, Poppy! Meg Ryan just took a bath once, because she felt on the kitchen's box of fat! after this, she cleans herself. and Sammy too!
ReplyDeletenow we get a new one, Jimmy Page. he is a white cat. so, I don't know what I'll do about this, but I'll figure out! hehe... and talking about clip claws: no way!
all the best for you, Poppy Q, and your mommie too!
sweet dreams!
All three cats are indoor cats, so we never bathe them - we brush them instead. I do clip their claws, but I've had real problems finding a good tool to do it with, so sometimes I have the vet do it. They also have a scratching post like the one you are sitting on and that helps them shed their claw layers.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The cats HATE having their claws clipped - and I can't imagine what they would think of a bath! Franklin did get in the shower with me once - not sure what he was thinking...
My mom also did not bath me, and did not clip my claw also.
ReplyDeleteBecause for her, I'm not dirty because I get use of my tounge to groom myself perfectly~
Our mom has never given any cat of hers a total bath, but she says all of us were indoor cats.
ReplyDeleteThe cat who came before occasionally got an embarrassing dingleberry on her floofy rear-furs, and our mom says she removed it and gently cleansed it with a warm paper towel.
As for clipping claws, we get ours clipped regularly. We hate it, but we actually feel better afterwards. If you aren't sure about how to do it, just ask your vet!
Purrs,
Abby & Stygia
We have never had a bath and we are fine. Never had claws clipped either but Banshee's claw are wicked. She was in the shelter for 6 months and hasn't been outside here yet due to the winter so we are hoping they will get worn once we get outside. The PM really doesn't want to tackle them.
ReplyDeleteWe don't see much sense in a bath either but don't feel too strongly about it. If it's "necessary", it's necessary. We fear though that such thing as a bath is very, very stressful for kitties and should be well deliberated. Cats that go outside shouldn't get their nails clipped as they need them to get into safety should something happen. It's a different thing with indoor kitties maybe. In fact, Chilli had her nails clipped and it wasn't a major incident... So, no one got harmed, and what's more: No one get's harmed. If you had asked us about declawing we would have answered very differently...
ReplyDeletePurrs!
I've never had a bath, other than a wet towel on my butt at the stabby place when I've pooped on every surface I possible can. I don't see a point to giving a kitty a bath unless he's gotten into something that needs to be cleaned off for him.
ReplyDeleteI get my back claws clipped about 4 times a year, and Buddah gets all of his clipped about once a month, just the tips, a little bit. That's mostly because his seem to grow too fast and they click on the floor.
I'm an indoor only cat, so unless something really sticky gets on me, I do my own bathing.
ReplyDeleteAs for claws? Yes, they get clipped when mom bean complains about getting punctured when I walk across her legs. I don't like holding still and getting my claws clipped, even though it doesn't hurt and mom bean doesn't do it too often.
Hugs....G
Baths - ours kitties have always been indoors only. We've only bathed when absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteWhen Sunny was a little boy he had to have a few baths. He had the bad habit of laying his little pudgy belly on the litter when peeing, resulting in very stinky belly.
Claws - again indoors only, so we have to do this for them.
Rascal doesn't mind. Sunny minds and is vocal and makes a little attempt to get away (but he's always happy after it's done. Haven't figured that out yet). Ollie is a hellion :-0
None of that here. We manage just fine ourselves thank you. We do get brushed. On the other hand we don't mind sitting in the shower after the humans have used it and getting all wet on our underside.
ReplyDeleteI'm an indoor, self-cleaning kitty, so no baths for me. I'm very happy about that because I'm sure I would not like it.
ReplyDeleteI have to have my clawrs trimmed because they get long and I get stuck to the carpet. I do not like this. Mommie and I have had some words over this.
I have never heard anybody talk about giving a cat a bath. So, I think you are safe.
ReplyDeleteRoxy
Mum says no bath unless I would get really dirty or have something spilled on me. She says that is what my tongue is for!
ReplyDeleteSince I have no claws, I can't help you on the second part. But if you get outside enough and use your claws, they probably get trimmed naturally that way.
We've never had baths...mom sez she would give us a bath only if we were really dirty (which we never are) or if we got into something we weren't suppose to.
ReplyDeleteWe do get our nails clipped...mom does it using just a regular human nail clipper...
Momma used to clip Mushkas nails when she first got her home but she did not like it, and momma noticed that she would hurt herself more a cause her nails were not sharp enough to hold her places where she tried to go.
ReplyDeleteMomma has since found out a long time before nme that cats nail are like sharks teeth, they grow new ones all the time and shed the old layers, that is why they need a good carpet scratching post to get rid of the old one. So she never clip our nails anymore.
Momma only washes us when there is oopsies or dirty bits a cause she would not like to have to lick poop of herself etc.. sometimes in summertime though she will will her hand and smooth it down our backs, for coolness and a cause momma is allergic to us to us, and it gets rid of a little bit of dander.
But she has never put us fully in a bath... :)
V-V
Hi!
ReplyDeleteFor the seemingly twin of PoppyQ (check us at mydailycatfix the bath is sometimes necessary in the Summer. When it gets really hot a quick bath, though a bit unpleasant refreshes him.
Of course the big issue is to do it in the least stressful way for the cat. In our case, since Stepan is very mild mannered he seems to accept it with minimum fuss and gets over it rather fast.
Issues to consider if you decide it:
- As I said earlier, try not to stress the cat. I found that it's better for him to be in an empty bathtub, and soak him calmly with lukewarm water from the showerhead, than try to immerse him in a full bathtub. In the latter case, thoughts of drowning may come to his mind.
- After the bath try to dry him as much as possible. However, since the hair drier may make him nervous the towels will never dry him 100%. Not to worry he'll manage to lick himself dry after a while. As long as he is even slightly wet keep him away from any drafts to protect him from catching a cold.
Still, I have another suggestion I got from my vet and was a life saver for any hot or fur shedding season: get a wet towel and gently rub him until you get the fur lightly wet. You get most of the benefits of a bath: collecting loose hair, offering heat relief and cleaning him too! The best part is that you can do it as often as you like.
I'll have some bath photos on our blog some time in the future to give an idea what it looks like!
Cheers and purrrs until then!
Gatuli
Oh clipping claws is essential if you have indooors only cats, to spare themselves, you and the furniture from more than necessary harm. I do that regularly (I even have a planned blogpost about it:)
ReplyDeleteBathing, well, not so often, some cats before a catshow, older cats who aren't so good at keeping clean themselves anylonger, or some special dirty occasion. Most of the times it has been fairly easy to do. Though I have been known to bathe a cat and broke my arm, but that's another story.