Conference misery::feline_v1

    I would suggest doing it yourself.  Its not very difficult and you can
    save on the expense.
    
    try bathing her in the sink or tub.  Place a mat or towel for them to
    stand on.  Use Dawn for dishes to lather the kitten up.  It really cuts
    through all the grease and grime.  If you think
    she or he will be very upset about getting wet you can always use
    masking tap on her paws so you won't get clawed.  You might want to dip 
    him into a flea bath just in case.  I have seen pictures of dipping your
    kitten into large pot like a spaghetti pot filled withy flea dip.  a
    few dunks and then a rinse.   Try using a cream rinse on them so
    that it would be eaiser to get the tangles out you might need to cut
    the matts out if its a long hair.  Most young kittens at least mine 
    don't seem to mind being bathed. They don't like it but they tollorate
    it. Use a wash cloth to wash their face.  Mine hate water poured in
    there's.  
    
    You might pick up some glycerin at the drug store that workes great with
    a Q-tip for cleaning out ears.
    
    Thats about all the grooming tips I have.  Hopefully your kitty will be
    cooperative.  I would hate to think a 7 week old kitten can overpower
    you but sometimes its like you need 10 pairs of hands and be prepared
    to get wetter then the cat.
    
    good luck
    
    Valerie
            

    This is taken from the Cat Owners Veterinary Handbook on How to Bathe a
    Cat.
    
    Begin by brushing out the coat to remove knots or mats.  Matted hair
    tends to "set" when wet.  This makes it more difficult to brush out. 
    Plug the ears with cotton to keep out water.  Instill ointment into the
    eyes to prevent soap burn.  A drop of mineral oil in each eye works
    well.
    
    The next question is what shampoo to use.  (I would never use dish soap
    on an animal)  Dog shampoos are too alkaline and should not be used
    on cats. It is safe to use a gentle baby shampoo, or a good commercial
    cat shampoo.
    
    Place a rubber mat or a piece of screen on the bottom of a tub or basin
    so the cat can have a non-slippery surface to grip with his claws. 
    Fill the tub with warm soapy (not hot) water to a depth of four inches. 
    Hold the cat gently but firmly by the back of his neck and lower him
    into the basin with his back toward you (so you won't get clawed). Rub
    lather into his fur,keeping it out of his eyes and ears.  Rinse well
    with warm tap water, or use a spray, and remove ALL traces of later. 
    Soap left behind dulls the coat and irritates the skin.  If the coat is
    especially dirty, you may need to give him a second sudsing.
    
    Special creme rinses are sometimes recommended to bring out the coat
    for  show purposes.  If you plan  to use one, use it now- and then
    rinse it out completely.  Do not use vinegar, lemon or bleach rinses. 
    They are either too acidic or too basic and will damage the coat and
    skin.  Alpha_Keri bath oil(1 teaspoon per quart) may be added to the
    final rinse to give luster to the coat.
    
    Now gently dry the coat with towels.  If your cat does not object to
    it, you can dry him with an air comb. A cat's coat will take an hour or
    two to dry.  He should be kept indoors until completely dry to avoid
    chilling.
    
    I hope this helps! You can also find a good shampoo for cats at
    reputable pet supply stores.  Possibly one to even complement the color
    or type of fur your cat has.
    
    Good Luck
    Karen, Stinky, Ruby, Wing (she loves baths!)
    
    

    DO NOT flea dip a 7 week old kitten....flea dips can kill a kitten this
    young.  There are some flea shampoos available from your vet that can
    be used if diluted on a kitten this young, but, DAWN works great also.  
    
    cin
    

additional comments on bathing a kitten:

DO NOT get water into the kitten's ears.  don't POUR or splash water higher
that the neck behind the ears.

Wash a ring around the neck FIRST, forming a barrier of soap that the
fleas don't like...they will not all run to the kitten's face when you
dip the little darling in the bath water.  A good precaution even if
you aren't sure there ARE fleas.

CHECK WITH YOUR VET BEFORE using any kind of flea treatment...it can kill
if not used correctly and kittens are very sensitive to these chemicals.
Your vet can recommend what you can or cannot do as far as flea dipping
or flea treatment.  After six months of age, they are much sturdier and
you can think about using commercial products (EXACTLY as indicated on the
label).  If the kitten has fleas, try using a flea comb and dropping the
fleas directly into a bowl of HOT soapy water.  Pour that down the drain
when you are through.  I find that if I bathe the kitten first, the fleas
are a little water-logged and easier to remove and drop into the HOT water.


Cuddle in a nice warm towel after drying well with another towel...the 
kitten will LIKE this and will become an easy bather once it learns there
are rewards for tolerating the indignities.  I recommend YOU bathe the kitten..
you will be gentle, but firm, not hurried or "too busy" to talk soothingly
to the baby - and it will be a good bonding experience for you both.  It
is an old wives tale that cats don't need baths - they do.  And they
should be started young so they learn to appreciate the feeling of being
clean.  Start now and the monthly bath won't be a trauma later.

    rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, and when you think the
    animal is rinsed, rinse again !!!
    
    Dawn dishwashing liquid is ok - rinse, rinse, rinse.
    
    E.T.

    
    In addition to the other tips given here, I recently read an article
    on cat bathing that said it is easier to rinse the cat if instead of
    just getting the cat wet and then applying shampoo full strength,
    you first get the cat wet, and then apply diluted shampoo and rub it
    in.  You can then spread some full strength shampoo on and soap well.
    
    Apparently, you get a better distribution of soap this way, and it will
    be easier to remove all soap when rinsing.
    
    I believe the same issue of Cat Fancy (a couple of months ago) alos
    also had a letter from a woman whose adult cat died after being bathed
    in some kind of dish soap - not important what kind, the point is that
    cats are sensitive and can have allergies to *anything*.  You might 
    want to test whatever soap or shampoo you plan to use on a small part
    of the cat, rinse well, and observe for a couple of days to see if 
    there is any redness or reaction before you give the full bath.
    
    And yes, do AVOID any kind of flea products on such a young cat.
    Consult your vet.  (A really bad flea infestation can kill a kitten,
    as well -- I don't think is a bad flea year so far, though).
    
    

    I read that article in Cat Fancy.  Very sad.  I felt terribly bad
    for the owner. If it was me, I'd be blaming myself for the rest
    of my life.  I'm very careful with what I bathe the kids in.
    
    Robyn

    Question:
    
    Do any of you out there have a cat who hates the bath but loves
    the blow dryer?
    
    Two of mine like being bathed but freak at the sound of the dryer
    Then on the the other hand, Stitch dislikes the bath but could be
    blow dried until he fried.  Cats - ?????
    
    Giudi

    
    
    	heeheeheee - we went through this last night - BATHS FOR
    	EVERYONE!!! :)  Sara, the kitten, wasn't really bad, once
    	I get her wet, she sortof resigned herself to it, making
    	token grabs for the windowsill, but otherwise....I did them
    	in the kitchen sink, with a rubber mat on the bottom. I also
    	used a shower/hose attachment on the faucet, that way the 
    	water was diffused, I could use all over her, and I didn't 
    	have to fool around with the rinse thingy on the side there
    	(you know what I mean... :P ).
    
    	Squeeky, on the other hand, put up quite a fight. She's two,
    	and it might have been her first bath (haha, right Nancy?).
    	She clawed, she twisted, she HOWLed like she was being murdered - 
    	I wonder what the neighbors thought...??? And since she's
    	pretty big (12 lbs), it was hard to control her and wash her
    	at the same time...so it wouldn't been better if someone had
    	started her when she was a kitten...
    
    	I would do your kitten yourself using a mild shampoo. Most flea
    	powders are safe for kittens (check with the vet), if she has
    	that problem...Good luck.
    

    Giudi,
    
    All of my cats hate to be bathed.  I have only done Kelsey and Murdock
    myself (well, we need 2 sets of hands for Murdock but Kelsey will
    just sit in the sink and cry pitifully but not try to jump out);
    T.K. and Nikki go to the vet for their baths.
    
    Anyway, Kelsey doesn't mind the blow drier too much but Murdock
    *hated* it for a long time.  The first time I tried to blow dry
    him, he freaked out, jumping around the bathroom like a mexican
    bean and raking my hands with his claws in the process.  But, if
    I turned on a portable heat fan and stuck him in front of it he
    loved the warm air... I think it was the loud noise of the blow
    dryer that scared him.  The heat fan is very quiet.  I had to slowly
    get him used to being blow dried by having him sit in the room when
    I dried my hair in the morning (he always did this anyway).  I would
    put the dryer on a low setting and aim it at his back.  It took
    quite a long time, but now he actually enjoys being blow dried after
    his bath, and will roll over and over on the floor, enjoying the
    warm air and combing.
    
    In between baths, I usually just powder their coats with grooming
    powder and brush them out thoroughly.  Kelsey gets a bath about
    every 3 months, and Murdock about once a month if I'm showing him.
    T.K. and Nikki only get a bath when I can afford to send them to
    the vet for one!  They would never let me attempt it myself!!
    
    --Roberta
    

    another 2 cents on bathing:
    
    Take a small dishpan either round or square and fill with 4 or 5
    inches of water - up to the kitten's chest or so.  Then put in
    the dawn - small amount - what this does is cuts the oils in 
    the coat and you don't have to put the dawn right on the cat.
    You can then lather with the regular cat shampoo of your choice
    after you remove them from the dishpan and rinse.  That's what
    I do with Lil and the kittens.  It's a more gentle gradual 
    introduction to the bath - you can use a small plastic or
    paper cup and wet them down - maybe add a bit more shampoo
    and lather them right in the dishpan - then take them out and
    stand them in the sink and rinse, etc. etc.
    
    E.T.

Here's my 2�:

We've just recently discovered that if we use cream rinse first, the cream 
rinse cuts through the oils and allows the shampoo to work better.

When we used to bathe our whole males, we'd have to use two applications of 
straight Dawn to give the shampoo a chance at working.  We'd then follow
this up with a couple shampoo-rinse cycles.  The resulting cat was just 
barely show-shape.

Now, using the cream rinse first, we're not using any Dawn, a whole lot
less shampoo, and getting cleaner cats.

Ray

    Ray, 
    
    I discovered a neat new trick to help deal with stud tail.  Pour
    baby oil over the greasy stud tail (yes, I said baby oil) and then
    rub it down to the skin.  The baby oil dissolves the grease.  Then
    shampoo out the baby oil with the Dawn.  Rinse very well.
    
    Two things about this that are great.  1) the oil dissolves the
    grease, down to the skin. 2) the baby oil moisturizes the tail hair
    without making it oily.  This is important in my breed cause most
    stud tail remedies will dry out the tail hairs to the point were
    they finally just break off.  Can't really show a male that has
    a tail that looks like a brillo pad. :^)
    
    Try it, it works.
    
    jo

    I just bathed my three cats last night! They all behaved quite well.

    Place: bathroom (I find that it discourages them from running away)
    Equipment: (all in place before I ever even bring the cats in the room!
    	bucket of warm water
    	plastic cup
    	shampoo 
    	flea shampoo 
    	faucet attachment (for rinsing underbellies - yes, rinse & rinse again!)
    	lots of towels and a blow dryer
    Modus Operandi:
    When everything's in place, I get a kitty, close the door, and gently
    place the cat in the tub. Then I dip the plastic cup in the bucket
    of warm water and wet around the neck and tale first. Then I use
    shampoo to work up a lather, then I apply the flea shampoo. From
    there I get the whole cat wet (that is everything but their head),
    lather them up, and apply the flea shampoo. I can sit down on the
    bathroom floor and relax while I leave the flea shampoo on for the
    specified time. Then I use the faucet attachment to rinse (and rinse
    again). Then, it's time to dry with towels and blow dry. Ta da!    

    re:.14
    
    you can *relax* while waiting for the flea shampoo to do it's thing....
    what good cats you have!
    
    Michele and Nippa (who'll shake and shake and bing out if I don't keep
    		       ahold of her)

    Gee, I would have never guessed baby oil for stud tail.....but I'll
    definitely be trying it this weekend!!!!!  Thanks for the tip, Jo...
    I'll let you know how it works....Max has nasty stud tail, and I've
    never been able to get it really clean!
    
    cin
    

    re: 12
    
    Hmm, what an interesting idea, Ray.  If I have a real yuko
    cat, I'll have to try that - did out my House of Anju (sp)
    creame rinse!!  Mostly, my girls are pretty easy.
    
    E.

    Shortly after we aquired Calvin & Hobbes we tried bathing them,
    I am/was alergic to cats & recommendations in here suggested bathing
    them every few weeks, However the experience seemed so distressing
    to Hobbes that we just couldn't face putting Calvin through it and
    decided that Hobbes could keep himself clean and never have to worry
    about the bath again. 
    
    A couple of months later Calvin was looking really dirty after a
    couple of days in the garden so I decided to see how he liked the
    bath, he seemed to quite like it so we tried Hobbes again, and even
    though he wasn't really enthusiastic he didn't mind that much.
    They will both be getting regular baths from now on & I suppose the 
    moral of his story is "If at first you dont succeed try again".         
    
    One suggestion in my BVA cat care book for bathing uncooperative
    cats is to make a small sack out of some material with a draw string
    around the neck; you rub some shampoo into the cats fur and place
    the cat in the sack with its head poking out and tighten the draw
    string (not too tight!!!), then soak the sack in water and massage 
    the shampoo through the sack, by the way they have a picture of
    a cat having a bath and it looks soooooo miserable.
    
    <RATHOLE ALERT> 
    
    Does anyone know why/how a kitten that has never been near water in
    its life is automatically afraid of it ?
    
    Martyn, Denies, Calvin & Hobbes
    
    Martyn:                         
    
    

    Its cat bathing time for my crew this weekend!  Hubby loves (?)
    helping me with this.  Flea shampoo, towel/blow dry, and then
    out of the house in the cat carriers to the safety of the car
    while we set off the bombs!!!  All six of us go down to get
    an ice cream, then park in the shade in the driveway, open the
    hatchback, wander around the yard, pester the horse,and entertain
    the cats. And visit the neighbors, work the flower beds,etc.  
    Until the time is up to go back into the house.  Open windows, air
    the place, vacuum, dust etc.  Then back in come the kids for a
    new flea collar.    
    And of course, they won't speak to us for hours, now! :-)
    
    L-, Casey, B.K., Rusty & Pepper

    Oops!  I meant to put this in my last note....on using baby
    oil-use mineral oil instead.  Its the same thing, only no
    perfumes/additives which can cause an allergic reaction.
    I use it on my horse's tail when he starts rubbing it because
    of dry skin.
    
    It's cheaper, too! :-)
    
    L-

    Cin, I tried the baby oil trick, as per Jo's recommendation, and
    it really worked on Murdock's tail, which has a tendency toward
    oiliness.  Just be sure, as Jo warned me, not to let Max lick
    his tail or the oil will coat his tongue and wreck his coat when
    he starts grooming himself after the bath.  Karen always came over
    and held Murdock for me while I worked in the baby oil.  Two shampoos
    in Dawn and then regular shampoo all over really made him look
    beautiful.
    
    
    --Roberta
    

    As I told Roberta, I learned the hard way not to just let the cat
    go while the baby oil is doing it's thing.  They will lick themselves
    and coat their tongues with the stuff.  This happened to me with
    Kalliste.  I had just applied the baby oil when the phone rang,
    so I let him down while I chatted for a few minutes.  Then, I went
    and gave him his bath, blow dryed him and he looked wonderful.
    
    A half hour later I went in the check on him and he looked like
    he had just climbed out of rubbish bin!!  He was all greased down,
    and looked just horrendous.  Luckily I wasn't showing him, it was
    just a routine bath. :^)
    
    I get to bath everyone this weekend...any volunteers to help out??
    This weekend is nothing, I only have about 12 cats right now, plus
    the five new poo-heads (they are almost to that stage).  The poo-heads
    won't be bathed, just gone over with a flea comb and some spray.
    
    Oh, speaking of flea stuff, I found some great new things to use
    in the battle against the buggers.  One is a product called DeFlea.
    It is safe for pregnant or nursing cats, as well as newborn kittens.
    I have been using it for a few months now and think it is wonderful.
    It comes in spray form, or in a concentrate that you can mix *into*
    whichever shampoo you are using.  I mixed it in with my House of
    Anju Blue Shampoo and used it this weekend.  Works great.
    
    Also, you know that company called Fleabusters?  I found out what
    that white powder is that they spray all over your house.  It is
    none other than 20 Mule Team Borax!!  That stuff kills fleas and
    is safe to use in the house.  Ken and I have been sprinkling it
    on the carpet when we vacuum and it works.  Of course, you can always
    have Fleabusters do it for you....for $300!!!
    
    Jo

    Jo, where do you live exactly? I'm in Cupertino. I'll come down
    and help you bathe the 12 cats. It's never been a big deal with
    me. It always seems to be quite easy. With you having 12+ cats,
    I could see how you wouldn't exactly look forward to it, however.
    Give me a call. My home phone is (408) 996-9558. Hope to hear from
    you this weekend. See you! -Theresa

    Theresa,
    
    I didn't see your generous offer until today, but never fear, we
    decided to not bathe until next weekend.  I spent the weekend spreading
    Borax all over my house, and decided to give that a chance to start
    working before starting on the cats.  But, next weekend for sure,
    I have to bathe them.  
    
    I have a bunch of international visitors coming the week after to
    see my Birmans, and everything has to be in tip top shape.  One
    of the visitors is a judge and Birman breeder in West Germany, the
    other a judge and Birman breeder in Denmark.  I had better get my
    act together this week and get the cats bathed, nails trimmed, house
    cleaned. 
    
    I may just take you up on your offer to help!!  Ask Kim Apodaca,
    don't offer unless you mean it, eh Kim??
    
    Jo

    Jo, 
    
    Did you already bathe them? I'm just now catching up on my notesfile
    reading. This weekend is July 7th and 8th. Let me know if you still
    need help (either day). Send VAXmail (WR1FOR::bromarth) or ALL-IN-1
    mail (Theresa Bromar @wro).
    
    See you!