Shampooing Your Cat?

[desi]

Lately I've been doing my best to financially support the medical industry. Today being no different, I received rows of pin pricks along both arms.

If you could see my welt-swollen arms right now (portions feel as in fever 9 hours after), you'd understand that it'd be easier to post what I'm not allergic to...

Cats are listed on the allergic side of the list. And not wanting to give them up (his first suggestion), I asked my doctor what I could do.

Shampoo the cats he said. Once a week.

Hah! I still have scars from that time when I pointed my cat in the direction of a vacuum cleaner and just thought about the possibilities.

There seem to be a few products you can wipe on without going through the pain of bathing a cat. But will they do the trick? Has anyone here used them? Does anyone have any realistic suggestions?

This weekend I'll be buying air cleaners, mite killers and the lot... included with be whatever I can source for the cats...

[JimmyTheMook]

Drugging them first works wonders.

[JOATMON]

1. Put both lids up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the loud noises, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse".

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the here and the front door.

7. Standing behind as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The cat will rocket out out, streak through the room and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,

The Dog

No seriously.... there are HEAPS of sites on the web on how to do this. No 1 make it as calm as possible, use a net laundry bag and thick gloves.

[eek]

Oh poor you!

Is there really no way you can reduce your allergy another way?? (sorry if that is a really boring question as im sure you have thought of this already). THis is something i found on google: http://cats.about.com/od/allergiesandcats/...lergictocat.htm maybe can help??

"number 8: Clean your cat.

Some people wash their cats to reduce the amount of cat allergen that is released from their cat into the air, but research seems to be conflicting about its effectiveness. Allerpet, a well-known brand of liquid that reduces cat allergen in the air, can be applied to your cats' coat and is available from your local veterinarian. Alternatively, you can get a micro fiber cloth and just damp rub down the cats' coats to rid it of visible dander. The majority of cats would prefer this to the highly dreaded bath. "

_____

As for your question, I used to have the 'pleasure' of occasionally washing my grandmothers Persian Cat as she had trouble keeping her long fur clean. She was a pretty docile cat though and voiced her displeasure purely through throat growling. I always made sure i had everything set up before hand, and made sure the water was at a comfortable temperature for her. I would gently but firmly hold her/put some weight down on her body or paws with one hand and wash with the other (if your cat is a wriggler then it may need to be a two-person job and one using a towel around the cat to hold it..but seems a little cruel if not a medical emergency). I always made sure the room temperature was warm also and have a hair dryer close. After she had been washed and rinsed and towel dried, i would use the hairdryer (fairly silent model) on a low setting to partly dry her off as i didnt want her to get a chill (however in Thailand that probably isnt too much of an issue!).

_____

Good luck.

[Calico]

"We will not bath your cat," I read in the literature from a Hong Kong cat boarder. I found this quite interesting -- ahem! -- I found this quite hilarious because it sounded like the voice of experience to me. You know, they tried to wash a cat or ten and got their eyes clawed out and decided no money was enough. I do love cats. They don't put up with no BS from nobody. My own lovely little cat, from the Hong Kong SPCA, is the most no-BS animal I ever have met or ever will meet. That's why I took her.

[JOATMON]

I tend to agree with eek, the first thing your cat does after a bath is lick itself dry, the saliva is what you are alergic too, when dry becomes airbourne. The better way to control these issues is a regular brushing (outside) a regular cleaning routine for the house and antihystamines.

If you have to bathe them. If your cat is young its easy to start them off but if they are an older cat, they are going to hate you, for an hour or so. Originally I started to take my older cats into the shower with me everyday, getting them used to the noise, water and splashing etc. do not bathe them, until they are completely relaxed with the process, then accidently wet them a bit more every time, it takes months of patience.

[mikethevigoman]

1. Put both lids up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the loud noises, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse".

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the here and the front door.

7. Standing behind as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The cat will rocket out out, streak through the room and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,

The Dog

No seriously.... there are HEAPS of sites on the web on how to do this. No 1 make it as calm as possible, use a net laundry bag and thick gloves.

I LOVED THAT !

[zzdocxx]

Ditto, seen it before but still great!

[bina]

get a hairless sphinx cat...

if they are kittens u can get them used to it (i have a friend w/allergy to cats and she has all her cats used to being bathed);

she takes an allergy pill loratadine daily with good results...

no other suggestions...

[mgjackson69]

Bathing a cat is not so hard really...but if you are not willing to take a scratch or two, or possibly even a bite, then do not even try.

It does help to get them accustomed to it when young. They still do not like it, but will tolerate it a bit better.

They really do not need much bathing, as they will clean themselves pretty well if they are healthy and happy. It is a good way to "jump-start" a cat that is being lazy about grooming, though.

I have never heard the theory that "the saliva is what you are allergic to"...that is interesting.

[desi]

Oh poor you!

Is there really no way you can reduce your allergy another way?? (sorry if that is a really boring question as im sure you have thought of this already). THis is something i found on google: http://cats.about.com/od/allergiesandcats/...lergictocat.htm maybe can help??

"number 8: Clean your cat.

Some people wash their cats to reduce the amount of cat allergen that is released from their cat into the air, but research seems to be conflicting about its effectiveness. Allerpet, a well-known brand of liquid that reduces cat allergen in the air, can be applied to your cats' coat and is available from your local veterinarian. Alternatively, you can get a micro fiber cloth and just damp rub down the cats' coats to rid it of visible dander. The majority of cats would prefer this to the highly dreaded bath. "

That's the one I was wondering about, the liquid where I don't have to bath the cats. Yes, I have TWO cats! So the potential of being maimed weekly is very real.

Does anyone know where this can be bought in BK? I'll be headed to Paragon as I know it has an extensive pet supply.

1. No more cats sleeping on the bed - my cats have never slept on my bed (a sacred place for the man). For the past several months I've locked them out of my bedroom totally (their nails are rough on the duvet).
   

1. Keep them out of the bedroom altogether - see above
   

1. Wash all bedding in 140-degree hot water at least twice monthly - I'll have to check out my washer to see if it'll even do this.
   

1. Use HEPA air filters in rooms where your cats frequent - I'll be checking this weekend for filters for both the bedroom and the living room. The doc didn't say HEPA, and who knows if that brand can even be found in BK.
   

1. Vacuum up cat allergen with a high grade HEPA vacuum cleaner twice weekly. Use the hand tools on the vacuum. - Use hand tools on floor and walls? Twice a week? Boggles the mind. I'll just be finishing up one round and it'll be time to start another :-D
   

1. Use a vapor steam cleaner to clean your home - I read somewhere that there is a product I can spray on all fabric furniture and carpets (fingers crossed I can find it!)
   

1. Wash your hands immediately after petting your cat and do not rub your eyes - I've been doing this for years, since I was a little girl. The days I forget is a day of mozzies roaming around under my lashes.
   

1. Clean your cat. Alternatively, you can get a micro fiber cloth and just damp rub down the cats' coats to rid it of visible dander. The majority of cats would prefer this to the highly dreaded bath - I'm going to prefer this too!
   

1. Confine your cats to one area of the house - right now they've only been locked out of the back end of the house. Their kitty litter is in the spare bedroom and I really don't want to bring it into the hall. While I don't notice them scuffling around the kitty litter if they are in the hall, guests do
   

I was thinking of having a special kitty litter cabinet built for the hall (that'd keep them out of all rooms except for the living room and kitchen). You can see samples at the article Where Rich Cats Poop.

During the nights, the cats live in a four level cage I had modified to sit outside on the patio (attached). I decided to go this route as cats are nocturnal and need more excitement (especially Shorthairs) than can be found locked in a condo all night long. From the safety of their Baan Meow, they growl and swish tails at birds, chit chats, bats and squirrels. Just like they should.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[desi]

JimmyTheMook and JOATMAN. You two are too much! LOL!

The man had two suggestions.

1) Shave the cats

2) Apply tongue condoms

Sigh...

[desi]

get a hairless sphinx cat...

if they are kittens u can get them used to it (i have a friend w/allergy to cats and she has all her cats used to being bathed);

she takes an allergy pill loratadine daily with good results...

no other suggestions...

He has me on a nose spray and the usual light blue atomizer I used during and for years after the Big Haze. But I'll ask him about loratadine for sure.

[monty]

Guess I have a cat which was cross bred with a golden retriever

By a carelessly left open bath room door and a playful accident while she was a 6 week old kitten, she now has no problems jumping under a running shower and trying to catch all those silly water drops

Might also have something to do with her being hand nursed as her mum got killed while she was about 10 days old!

I do have 3 other cats who adopted her without problems and taught her pretty much all the rest of "proper" feline behavior, like insisting to sleep on my keyboard when I'm on my PC and such things

Hilarious when the 3 other feline family members are watching her doing this shower routine, probably wondering if there is such a thing as a feline psychiatric hospital...

[Beacher]

I used to clean my cat.

The cat loved it, but I hated getting that fur all over my tongue. hehehe

[JOATMON]

Bathing a cat is not so hard really...but if you are not willing to take a scratch or two, or possibly even a bite, then do not even try.

It does help to get them accustomed to it when young. They still do not like it, but will tolerate it a bit better.

They really do not need much bathing, as they will clean themselves pretty well if they are healthy and happy. It is a good way to "jump-start" a cat that is being lazy about grooming, though.

I have never heard the theory that "the saliva is what you are allergic to"...that is interesting.

some clarification

Why are some people allergic to cats' fur?

It's not the cat's fur that causes allergies. It's a protein (FEL D1) in the cat's saliva. When a cat grooms itself, it deposits this protein on its fur (and the protein then may be transferred to upholstery and carpets). Some cats have less (or more) of this protein. There is no way to predict which cat in a litter, if any, will be less allergenic, though females seem to be the lesser allergenic. Bathing a cat to reduce the amount of protein in the cat's fur has traditionally been recommended, but research may be tending to negate that conclusion. Instead, wiping down the cat using a damp microfiber cloth to remove visible dander may be more effective. I've also been told that a product called Allerpet, rubbed into the cat's fur, can help reduce the dander.

[bina]

dont air conditon, but keep windows open. i am terribly allergic to cats (but work as a vet assistant) and have three best freinds who have cats so anon and i when we visit get asthma attacks and plain allergy attacks, they have a 'cat-less' room for us to sleep in, and all windows are open so there is more air circulation rather then recirculated cat air.

cats that lick less cause less problems. also, some people get used to their own cats' proteins, while other, new cats can cause serious reactions. once met an immunologist who owns a cat and suffers from other cats (anphlactic reaction even).

my allergies have improved since i work daily with cats, but dont touch my face, and wear a lab coat over my clothes. also, i am not playing with them, just treating them. on days with bad regular allergies, cat allergies are exacerbated obviously.

tongue condom?!!! ))

forgot to add, that my best friend, a doctor, terribly allergic to cats (asmathic and cats are a big no no on her allergy list) but refuses to give up on having them in her house, uses loratadine (or derivatives) with very good results as do her kids...

Edited August 20, 2008 by bina

[bigmove]

I have 2 cats now and both loves bathing. My persian is 5 years old when we got her hates it at first but what I do is I put her in a pail so she can stand and hold on to the edge while I shampoo her and rinse with warm water. I think cat like warm water for a bath. My other cat the same just 3 months now. But what my persian cat hates is the blow dry I have to ask my husband to hold her for me so I can dry her quickly as possible.

[aussiecollin]

1. Put both lids up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the loud noises, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush three or four times. This provides a "power-wash" and rinse".

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the here and the front door.

7. Standing behind as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The cat will rocket out out, streak through the room and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,

The Dog

That is the funniest post I have ever read.....

No seriously.... there are HEAPS of sites on the web on how to do this. No 1 make it as calm as possible, use a net laundry bag and thick gloves.

[desi]

I have 2 cats now and both loves bathing. My persian is 5 years old when we got her hates it at first but what I do is I put her in a pail so she can stand and hold on to the edge while I shampoo her and rinse with warm water. I think cat like warm water for a bath. My other cat the same just 3 months now. But what my persian cat hates is the blow dry I have to ask my husband to hold her for me so I can dry her quickly as possible.

When I renovated, I tore the tub out of one bathroom and put in a walk in shower. My cats like to sit and watch at the waters edge, so I'm wondering if I can get them used to getting wet. One cat at a time...

I'm totally not sure about the blow drying (claw time has gotta be worse than the wet time). Is it really necessary?