How to wash a cat if it is afraid of water and scratched?

Cats wash themselves, daily licking their fur. These are clean animals that do not trust outsiders to take care of themselves. On the tongue of the animal there are many hard inclined villi, which allows you to carefully lick the coat.

The animal’s glands produce a natural lubricant that also affects the appearance of the coat. For this reason, bathing a cat is not necessary - only in rare cases does the owner resort to water procedures. Unlike dogs, cats strongly dislike them.

Most cats do not tolerate water on the spirit. Because of this, any bathing leads to the fact that both: the owner and the cat are nervous. Scratched hands, a bathtub flooded with water, a stressful situation - this is what swimming turns into. Each owner thinks that he is doing wrong.

You need to understand that the fear of water is inherent in cats from birth. The animal is afraid of the sound of water, a change of scenery, strange, in his opinion, the behavior of the owner. Cats are afraid not of washing themselves, but of immersion in water. Transparency fluid is one of the main problems. The cat does not see the real boundaries of the water, which causes him panic.

Another pet is scratched and bites due to the fact that it can not perform the desired gestures. He is constrained, limited in actions, the owner does not allow him to get out, which only increases the panic of the animal. If there is no support next to him, in which he can cling to his claws, and under his feet everything slips, then the cat begins to panic.

Those owners who want to wash the cat with the least stress for it should do avoid the soul. Water must be drawn before the cat is planned to be taken to the bathroom, and it needs to be watered only from the bucket. But compliance with these conditions does not guarantee that everything will go smoothly.

For the first time, a kitten is usually washed at the age of 3-4 months. It is easier to attract kids to water procedures using different game techniques. The back of the cat can be moistened with water from time to time, and then gently wipe with a pleasant to the touch cloth. You need to draw a little water into the basin, throw the kitten’s favorite toy there - he will watch her movement with interest.

You should not start accustoming to water immediately after the animal has appeared in the house - you need to give it at least 3 weeks to get used to it. Do not start right away with immersion in water - let the baby observe it, get used to the feeling of wet hair. But this should not be abused - cats can’t be washed often, therefore their attention should not be focused on this.

It is necessary to bathe an animal if:

• it is very dirty (something happened to him out of the ordinary);
• on it there are warlocks and fallen wool;
• there are allergic and other diseases, in this case bathing is the recommendation of a veterinarian;
• before any event, such as an exhibition.

The following trick needs to be done: even with a small kitten, water should be turned on from time to time. If from an early age he will not be afraid of the sound of water, then subsequent bathing will not become for him a collision with such aggression.

Do not feed the cat before bathing - the last meal should occur 6 hours before the intended procedure. If the cat just entered the bathroom, and he begins to panic, then you need to keep calm yourself. It is worth letting him get used to, get used to, gently talk to him.

At the bottom of the bath, you can put a small silicone mat. Previously, it was replaced by an ordinary towel, but it does not have the stability that gives silicone. As soon as the cat feels a non-slip coating under its paws, it will calm down.

In addition, bathing a cat will require some accessories.

• Dry towels. They need to wrap the cat after bathing. Be sure to lay a wide towel on the floor - this is in case the pet does not make a puddle when jumping out of the bathroom.
• Special shampoo. No need to wash your cat with shampoo intended for people, as this will ruin his coat. This will be especially noticeable if such procedures are carried out systematically. A suitable product can be purchased at the pet store. There are several types of shampoos that vary in type of pet hair.
• Two basins. It’s more convenient to wash a cat in a basin. One is for the soapy part of the water treatment, the other is for rinsing. If the owner washes in the bathroom, then the water will have to be drained, which can also scare the pet.
• Bucket or mug. It is worth remembering that it is only necessary to rinse the cat with this device, without using a shower.
• Hydrogen peroxide, adhesive plaster. Keep medicines ready. If the cat does not cope with itself and begins to scratch, wounds need to be treated immediately.

Finally, you need to think about your readiness. The owner should have things with a long sleeve, it is better to wear clothes with protection for the throat (for example, golf or turtleneck, sweater) - this will save him from scratches. It is more convenient to bathe the cat together: one person holds, the second - lathers.

When everything is ready, the owner is morally tuned to swimming, you can proceed to the procedure itself. Screaming, scolding, beating an animal is unacceptable. The owner should have a gentle tone, a calm state, the absence of sudden movements.

To properly wash the cat, you need to adhere to some recommendations, which will be discussed below.

• A firm grip does not contradict gentle handling. It is necessary to take the animal with both hands above and below, be sure to hold its paws - so it physically will not be able to scratch. Then you need to slowly lower the cat into the water.
• If the cat began to scream, scratch, break out, the owner should not panic. It is necessary to continue to speak affectionately with him, to reassure. If the animal feels that they are not going to offend it, then it quickly comes to its senses.
• Gently watering the cat from the bucket, you need to wet his hair. Water and shampoo should not get into his ears, eyes and nose, otherwise bathing will result in inflammation. It is not recommended to wet a kitten’s face.
• The foam that forms after soaping with shampoo should be washed off gradually. The cat should not be allowed to touch her tongue.
• Do not delay the procedure.
• You do not need to wipe the cat - it is better to just wrap it with a towel and take it out to a warm room. The towel absorbs moisture and warms. It is strictly forbidden to release a cat after a bath in a cold room - the pet may get sick.
• No need to touch the cat after such stress - it is better to let him recover. In a warm place, it dries itself. There were cases when a cat after bathing refused the usual food: apparently, he decided that he would be bathed before a meal.

Some owners believe that you need to bathe a cat often, and the procedure itself is fun. They take pictures of the pet, shoot it on video, and connect children who, even due to their age, do not realize the cruelty of such behavior. This is all unacceptable.

What is fun, cute, funny for children is humiliating for a cat. If he already appeared in the house, then obviously not for this.

The most common mistake is to bring the animal into the bathtub, open the tap with it and immerse it under the stream of water. This will scare anyone, even the bravest cat. Likewise with the shower: do not turn it on, as cats are afraid of this device. Some breeders plug their ears with cotton wool before bathing - this is not worth doing, as the pet will be scared even more.

The following are other common errors.

• Use of products not intended for washing animals. No need to lather the pet with baby soap, scented gel or branded shampoo for women's hair. There is a pet shop, special tools, and there can be no alternative. Someone believes that if there is a dog shampoo in the house, nothing will come of the cat from him - but this is also unacceptable. Surprisingly, some owners wash their pets with dishwashing detergent. They are unlikely to conduct the same experiments on themselves.
• Shampoo is poured directly onto the coat.. It is not right. First you need to foam a little shampoo in your hands and only then apply it to already damp hair.
• The use of sedatives. How strange it would not sound, but people think of such a thing. The host should stop at least the side effects of the drugs.

There are also owners who set out to pacify the cat. They believe that if for the first time he kicked and bit, then it is necessary to raise from him a persistent pet, seasoned in water procedures. Firstly, cats are not bathed unnecessarily, and secondly, this can only aggravate relations, because cats can harbor resentment.

There is another, less used way of bathing a cat. It passes using a special mesh bag.The fixture itself is like a bag securing on a cat's neck. It can be purchased at the pet store.

The bag is made of thick polyester, and it does not allow the pet to "rage": he will not be able to escape, scratch, bite. But soaping and washing the animal mesh does not interfere. And the cat is calm, and the owner.

In some cases, you can dry a cat with a hairdryer after bathing, but only if the animal is not afraid of the noise of an electrical appliance. The owners almost always brush the cat after the bath.

Do not despair if the first attempt failed. The cat could have the wrong mood, or the owner himself, maybe, was not completely ready for swimming.

How to wash a cat is clearly shown in the video below.