Bathing Cats

Today’s Daily Pet Care Tip from Practical Pet Care (archived link missing) says:

When bathing your cat, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the rinse water, to wash away strong odors and cut soap film.

Who bathes their cat? Years ago I read that bathing your cat(s) helps cut down on household allergens. So like an idiot, I tried it. Guess what? It worked! My allergies weren’t nearly as bad.

I only had Basil and Hopper then, and it was an all day affair. First of all, you’re supposed to do this in a kitchen that has a double sink. Yeah, right. I lived in a studio at the time. I was lucky to have a kitchen at all. And then, you’re supposed to have one of those sink attachments that you can use like a shower head. Whatever.

Dressed in my bathing suit, I actually got into the tub with them because it was the only way to accomplish the task. I took one of the cats, shut the door so they couldn’t escape, and held them under the faucet. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a cat’s fur wet all the way down to the skin so you can actually shampoo them? While making sure the head and face don’t get wet at all?

Since that was already traumatizing, I decided not to traumatize them further by placing them in the carrier and using a blow dryer to dry their fur. This is the part that took so long: it took the rest of the day for them to dry, no matter how much I towel dried them. They would lick and lick and lick their fur, so by nighttime they were coughing up hairballs.

Here’s my pet care tip when it comes to bathing your cat: don’t do it. Take some allergy meds instead.