bathing cats

ok dumb question.......those of you who bath cats regularly.....can you,do you,should you ......use an hydrobath for a cat ??

TIA

have only done a few cats in my time . I put them into a crate, put that into the bath and wet them with the Hyro hose at a distance. I have since found out that you should not use pyrethren products on cats, so I just stay clear. i would like to formally apologise to the poor cats that I traumatised

Haven't found the need to. They are often scared of any rushing water sound, even just the rinse hose. Once you turrn it on, they often freak out. Just use a jug with the shampoo pre-mixed and sponge on.

I don't have a Hydrosurge but I use my Bathmaster as a first quickie bath.

I use my hydrobath. I have done my own many times and I did someone's persian on Saturday. Can't say they like it but no worse than some dogs

I own 4 cat 1 is a Long coat 2 regular and 1 bald cat..

I groom them every 2 weeks including a bath..

I hydrobath as blasting the shampoo ect is easier then trying to scrub a cat that really does not want to be there... you cannot chain a cat up just causes to much hassle .. so

I walk the cat to the tub SLOWLY quiet voice and trun them to so they are facing BACK to me..... i hold by the scruff and turn the water on but i do so FAR away and them move closer slowley... then slowly wash them down..... ONE of my cats is TERRIFIED of water.. so i just sponge him down rather then hyrobath.. I find with a combo of bak to me and scruf holding i get minaimal scratches.. IF you are able to get another person to help there is a way to hold a cat that basically impoilizes then hard to discribe but works wonders I will get pics next time i do a cat wash....... LOL... i do end up with a few war woonds...

hmmm,i just booked a cat for Wed arvo...now you've got me thinking

Depends.... I do whichever depending on the rules/equitment of the job. Some places don't have bathing beauty/hydro so you do by hand. Some everything must be wash by bathing beauty.

I have used the hydrobath. The first time, under advice I put the cat into one of those mesh laundry bags. Mind you, big holes everywhere. Not into suffocating little puss. It is supposed to calm them so they dont thrash around and if they do, they cannot jump out. Anyhoo, I took the cat out of the bag so to speak as it appeared very relaxed and enjoyed the bath. Maybe strange cat. I have done another this way and have had no problems to date. Good luck!

Yes, its the very best way to bath them, BUT in a cat cage, I have drilled some holes in the plastic bottom so the water can run out, also make sure that it is closed tight put a dog lead clip on the lid(the cat will push the lid open with its head) the hydrobath will get heaps a loose coat out. good luck

ok... i have been grooming cats for 5 years and very rarely get a scartch adn i do them unsedated.

The way i bath a cat is by hydro bath or hand washing (depends on the cat) hydrobaths are loud.

I harness them in a cat harness. (had to use dog harnesses for maine coons lol)

and use bath restraints.

they always want to run away from the water

DO NOT put your hand near their face lol learnt the hard way at first
\let them hold on to the bath if they want

you can properly wash and rinse this way.

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying the DVD seried for www.nationalcatgroomers.com i cant let you know the details from this but there are many great secrets in it

they have the Kryptonite for cats DVD and have great secrets for horrible cats or first time cats.

any questions let me know

Lexie
www.happysgrooming.com

I actually already have Danelles DVD's too

When I worked at the vet the cats were put into a cat crate with wire top...Holes drilled in bottom to drain water....and hydrobathed... Same as Star Dreaming. No escapes and no injuries. They were left a little while to calm after rinsing before getting them out.

This is how we restrain cats for bathing.

Clip nails !!!!!

Use the hydrobath, always make the bathing water hotter for cats than dogs...the heat seems to calm them a bit.

I use my small dog insert, they like to dig their nails in & the shade cloth is a much better option than me lol

Check chain & loop tied down east west

Start bath with hose into drain hole to reduce noise..keep hands well clear at this stage..they will jump but can not get away when double tied in ...when safe scruff cat & apply water...you will find the cat will settle real quick (the hot bath water helps) & go floppy so you can let go & roll them around to get to everywhere.



If the owner stays to watch (they can see all my salon from the waiting area) I always pre warn them about how the cat will react at 1st & tell them to ignore it & dont make any noise themselves which will stir the cat back up.

2nd time around the cats are as easy to bath as dogs...quick easy money ...and the parents never want to do it themselves :-)

I only have a prima and it never has degreasing shampoo in it so I hand wash on a raised grate with a yoga mat on top so they can dig their claws in.

I do something similar but i have a cat harness that works great and means they can flip out as much as they want without hurting/choking themselves. A while back someone posted how to make cat harness out of a slip lead. I just got mine from pet edge.


Looks like this

you can turn a reg leash into a harness/leash if you know how ...

There's nothing wrong with bathing your cat as long as you don't do it too often. What too often is, I can't say, you'll have to talk to your vet. And don't use people-shampoo, as it might be too harsh for the cat's skin. (But I read somewhere that baby shampoo is ok -?)

Some people will yell "animal cruelty" about anything and everything, even if it would be harmful to the animal to do anything different. I wouldn't pay any attention to it.

No baby shampoo. Cats are greaseballs. No conditioner either. I would bathe a cat every 4 to 6 weeks.

Merl, you said in another thread that your cat was skunked. I'm assuming this happened outside, but your cat also has nails growing into it's pads. Usually, outdoor cats wear their nails down, being outside.

So, either your cat got out that once and got skunked or, something is wrong that it is not wearing down it's nails...I would take that cat to the vet. If you cut nails that are growing into the pad, they may get infected. (They may already be infected.) You don't want that.

And, jonnas right you need a degreasing shampoo, not baby shampoo.

(I didn't wanna say that)
If it's an old cat it should be regularly vetted.

My's never greasy or have "sud tail"...
I do wonder what's really going on with your cat Mer31....
Baby shampoos are for Babies.
Human shampoos are for humans.
Dog Only shampoos are for dogs.
Cat Only shampoos are for cats.
Pet shampoo (label for both cats are dogs are for both.)

Always the exception to the rule Shirl! Poor diet and health issues can make greasiness more obvious.(obviously:lol: )

lots of maintenance/keep up and doing everything right do wonders...

yup. It's very hard to convince people their cat should be on a schedule tho.