Pics by Peep

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I gave my cat a bath. There she was, poor dear, minding her own business on the balcony – and she got pooped on by a pigeon 😦 I hadn’t bathed her yet this summer so it was the impetus I needed to go ahead and do it.

What surprised me was how many people commented on how brave I was to give her a bath. To be honest, she doesn’t mind water – in fact, she has been known to push open the shower door and join me, sitting just at the edge of the spray and she loves to drink from and play with the water running from the tap. On top of that, I have been bathing her since she was a kitten and she is now a regal nine years old. She isn’t crazy about the shampoo, but I make sure I have a firm grip on her and get on to the rinsing in a hurry.

I made a list of the steps on how to bathe a cat in my comments, then I thought it would be fun to show how to do it in my blog. Sadly, I couldn’t find all of the bits and pieces I needed so that is how this ended up as a “How Not To” post, instead.

1. Do NOT immerse your cat in a full tub of water.
2. Do NOT try to hold the cat in your lap while bathing her.
3. Do NOT bathe your cat naked. Holding a cat against your naked body while bathing her is a sure-fire way to end up with claws embedded in sensitive bits.
4. Do NOT leave the door open while bathing your cat. There is nothing worse than trying to coax an angry, slippery kitty out from under the bed as she transforms Dust Bunnies into Mud Bunnies in her fur.

Now, I’ll give you some tips on the best way to bathe a cat – expanded from my previous list:

1. Brush your cat and trim her nails (you can skip the manicure if it has been done recently or she is covered in bird poo).
2. Close the door to the room where you are bathing her.
3. Put her in the tub (a bathtub or laundry sink work well). *rubber ducky is optional
4. Hold her with one hand (this part is VERY important!)
5. Use a handheld shower attachment with the nozzle pressed against the fur/skin to wet her down. Test the temperature of the water against your wrist, as you would test a baby’s bottle.
6. VERY carefully pour shampoo on her and lather her up (this is when she gets frisky and holding on is tricky!) *Helpful edit, thanks to my sis, Maddie. Pre-mix your shampoo with water (1 part shampoo, 5 parts water) before applying, or lather shampoo in your hands before applying for health/dermatological reasons. I recommend the pre-mix method for cats unless you want to be chasing a frothy kitty all around your bathroom when you let go to lather!
7. Use the shower head to rinse.
8. Repeat if you dare.
9. Wrap her in a fluffy towel – or two (her own, because you’ll NEVER get her fur out of these towels!) and cuddle until as much excess water as possible is soaked up. Your shirt will take some of the extra.
10. Put her down and watch her shake & roll and flick her feet to try to get the water off.
11. Make sure she has access to a sunny, warm spot for drying when it is warm. If you have to bathe her when it is cold, you’ll need to use a hair dryer. This is an adventure in itself and you’re on your own!
12. Brush her as she starts to dry to separate the fur and speed drying. This is the point when all is forgiven 🙂

Be sure to speak softly and soothingly to her during the entire process. Even if she does manage to sink her razor-sharp claws in your arm, just grit your teeth and whisper curse words in a calming tone to her.

And there you have it. How to and NOT to bathe a cat, in a few easy steps.

I want to thank Stormy for posing for this picture. He didn’t scratch me once and not a single four-letter word was uttered!

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Necklace: Cae :: Promise :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Earrings & Ring: Cae :: Promise :: Earrings & Rings by Caelan Hancroft
Hair: “LoQ Hair” Bacardi – Cherry Red by Gia Pawpad (available at The Dressing Room Fusion)
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Bare Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations<a – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Tub: flowey. hipster princess bathtub / gloom by Flo Memel
Rubber ducky: Swan Cloud Creations Little Bambino Rubber Duck by staicy Halsey (Marketplace)
Sink & accessories: !! Follow US !! Everyday bathroom (RARE gacha item) by Laurent83 Waco
Towels: ~The Dreamer Creations~ Part of Massage table set by Anthony Gartner
Laundry basket: LISP – Dolly Days Basket – Blue by Lainy Voom
Photos above sink: LISP – Mesh – Charlotte Home Pics by Lainy Voom
Picture frame above tub: LISP Lilac Frame by Pandora Popstar
KittyCat: KittyCats – Stormy by KittyCats Resident (Gift from KittyCats/Firestorm Viewer for 3rd Anniversary – No longer available)

Pose by the tub