PTertacks
CAT BATH Part 2
Jan Jaeger
As promised, my elderly cat Jezebel had her New Year's bath. She did very well, but I suspect this bath will hold her for a while. She smells lovely and I think the warm water, followed by a gentle blow dry, was very soothing for her. I will walk you through giving my cat a bath so you can try this at home on your own pet.

First, two cautions. The first is to be quick about it. Depending on the cat, there may well be limited tolerance for fussing and fine-tuning every step involved in the bathing process. The second is to know when to quit. If your cat starts to get fractious, evidenced by growling, hissing, squirming or trying to swat, you have worn out your welcome. Time to wrap it up before someone gets hurt.

Before starting your bath, have your kitty brushed or combed free of tangles and mats, and be sure to have those nails bluntly snipped. Gather your supplies at your bathing site. You will need:

+ A pet shampoo of your choice, which I like to dilute for ease in rinsing out.

+ Two or three towels.

+ Anon-skid rubber mat for the bottom surface (I used a piece of lightweight rug padding, but rubberized kitchen cabinet liner or a bathtub mat will also work).

+ A hair dryer, if your cat is accustomed to the sound.

+ A plastic pitcher, measuring cup or squirt bottle for holding the diluted shampoo and a container for warm rinse water, if you don't have a sprayer handy.

Have your shampoo and rinse at the ready and in a convenient spot. Rinse kitty with warm water all over, checking to be sure the water temperature stays comfortable. Start at the back of the skull, continue down the legs, under the body, over the back and out to the tail. Now you're ready to apply the

shampoo. You need to be really careful not to get shampoo in be very cautious when working kitty's eyes, so be very cautious when working around the head area. Pour the shampoo all over, working it into the coat with your hands. Don't forget the legs and tail.

I'll digress at this point to explain that some cats, like our shop kitty Mr. Fish, will react strongly to getting wet. "Fishie" hollers and yowls and is generally quite pathetic. After a few attempts to get out of the sink though, he seems to be satisfied if he has something to grab a hold of, and so we encourage him to wrap his paws around the faucet, a much better place to cling than sinking claws into your arm. Also, with some cats, a double team approach is helpful. One person can stabilize the cat with a good hold on the scruff of the neck, while the other wets down and applies the shampoo.

If you are using a flea and tick shampoo, and I might warn here to use only cat-specific products, at this stage most products direct you to leave the shampoo in the coat for several minutes. If a wet cat is not happy, then a cold, wet cat is really miserable. As soon as your kitty is lathered up, wrap him in a towel and hold him for the required time, all the while telling him how good he is.

The next step is the rinse. Rinsing is extremely important. All the soapy residue must be thoroughly rinsed out or your cat could be worse off than with no bath. Rinse, then rinse again. If your cat is particularly dirty, you could apply another soaping, or at this point you could add a conditioner, but for most it's just time to get it over with. Gently squeeze the excess moisture out of the coat with your hands, strip the water out of the legs by running your fingers down them and plop your kitty into a nice dry towel, gently applying pressure on the body to absorb the water.

Switch kitty into another dry towel while starting to fluff through the fur with a small hand towel. Jezebel loves the hair dryer, and will jump up on the counter when I am blow drying my hair just so she can have me give her a blast or two of the warm air. So this part was a piece of cake. A hand-held dryer certainly makes shorter work of getting a wet cat dry, particularly if long hair is involved. Just be sure not to let it get too hot.

Typically, your cat will groom excessively after a bath to help dry their fur, and who hasn't had a giggle at their expense when your cat shakes his legs in an attempt to eliminate the unfamiliar feeling of its wet fur.

Congratulations on a job well done! However, if you know that this whole thing is beyond you, and your cat has no water compatibility, then I have a couple of other suggestions if kitty needs help keeping clean. You can use a wet washcloth, or a treated pet washcloth, to remove outer dirt. Dry shampoos and cleansing mousse products designed for pets work like a charm. Or you can dust a dry cat with cornstarch, fluff it through the fur

and let kitty clean itself normally. I

Jan Jaeger is owner of Geronimo's, Ltd., Nantucket's pet supply and gift shop, and is a member of DWAA and CWA (Dog and Cat Writer's Associations of America). Her pets at home are Junior, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and three cats. At the shop are the cats, Messrs. Fish and Chips, Flower bunny, Willie guinea pig and two budgies. Send e-mail to jan@geronimos.com