Lamey The Cable Guy wrote:
Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.


That somehow they "lick" themselves clean. Well contrary to this
popular belief, cats do NOT have some enzyme in their saliva that
resembles Tide (with or without bleach).

What makes you think your cat needs Tide?


Cats, like their nemesis, the dog, do get dirty and have a variety of
odors, from smelling like the outhouse where you camped last year to
the same odor as your dog's breath.


Sorry, but my cat doesn't stink.


(Remember, your dog will try to
eat anything.)

So will my cat - I keep her away from things she shouldn't eat - and I
keep things she shouldn't eat away from her.

What do dogs have to do with my cat?


Now we all know that cats HATE water.

Actually, mine doesn't hate water.

Almost every morning, she jumps in the bathtub, often before I turn the
shower on. She doesn't want to get soaking wet, but she loves to sit in
it after it's done - she does get quite wet - but not soaking wet.

On the one occasion that I did have to bathe her (due to an excretory
problem when she was young and recently rescued from the streets, she
didn't seem to mind at all).

And we know that
giving the cat a sedative to ease this process of a bath is out of the
question.

I prefer to take the sedatives myself.


So, the best approach is both sneaky and direct. Remember now, this is
not the dumb dog who can be led to tub with lies and a trail of
Kibbles and Bits.


You've never bathed a dog, have you?

After reading the rest of your post, I must admit I made the mistake of
taking you seriously.

"barking pumpkin" wrote in message
. ..
Lamey The Cable Guy wrote:
Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.

Actually, it is a good idea to bathe cats, at least short-hair varieties.

But most people don't do it right. I fill a double sink with warm water,
before I bring the cat in. The sound of running water spooks them.

Then I put a small towel or rubber mat in the bottom; cats need to feel
like they can get traction, or they freak out.

That somehow they "lick" themselves clean. Well contrary to this
popular belief, cats do NOT have some enzyme in their saliva that
resembles Tide (with or without bleach).

What makes you think your cat needs Tide?

You're right; Tide or other harsh detergents are hard on their skin.
Some pet shampoos are all right, but better yet is Oxyfresh Cleansing
Gele or Oxyfresh Pet Deodorizer. If you buy it at
http://www.acfacats.com/oxyfresh.htm you also benefit an association
that genuinely cares about cats. The Oxyfresh products are safe for
birds and cats; some household clearning products can kill them.

But cats DO, in fact, have an enzyme in their saliva that irritates or
causes allergic reactions for many people. It isn't like Tide, but it
is there. A couple of breeds have very little of it in their saliva,
and one (Siberian, a short hair cat) has none.

Cats, like their nemesis, the dog, do get dirty and have a variety of
odors, from smelling like the outhouse where you camped last year to
the same odor as your dog's breath.


Sorry, but my cat doesn't stink.


(Remember, your dog will try to
eat anything.)

So will my cat - I keep her away from things she shouldn't eat - and I
keep things she shouldn't eat away from her.

What do dogs have to do with my cat?


Now we all know that cats HATE water.

Actually, mine doesn't hate water.

Almost every morning, she jumps in the bathtub, often before I turn the
shower on. She doesn't want to get soaking wet, but she loves to sit in
it after it's done - she does get quite wet - but not soaking wet.

On the one occasion that I did have to bathe her (due to an excretory
problem when she was young and recently rescued from the streets, she
didn't seem to mind at all).

And we know that
giving the cat a sedative to ease this process of a bath is out of the
question.
....

card xii

"barking pumpkin" wrote in message
. ..
Lamey The Cable Guy wrote:
Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.


So am I. My oldest, Romeo, had to be put down in March at age 19. In all
of his years he never had a bath. And his fur was always clean and soft.
Er, neither did Kimmy, age 16, and my Winston (sitting at my feet as I
type), age 17.

To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.

Joan

Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.


So am I. My oldest, Romeo, had to be put down in March at age 19. In all
of his years he never had a bath. And his fur was always clean and soft.
Er, neither did Kimmy, age 16, and my Winston (sitting at my feet as I
type), age 17.

To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.



I will never forget when I first got into cats and really knew nothing
about them and I tryed to give our deceased Moses a bath!! Worse
experience of my life!! I was lucky to get out of it with my life!!

Up until then I had no idea that cats did not like water!! A hard
learned lesson I will never forget!!



My furbabies

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

In article , Joan in GB-W
wrote:

"barking pumpkin" wrote in message
...
Lamey The Cable Guy wrote:
Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.


So am I. My oldest, Romeo, had to be put down in March at age 19. In all
of his years he never had a bath. And his fur was always clean and soft.
Er, neither did Kimmy, age 16, and my Winston (sitting at my feet as I
type), age 17.

To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.

There are some parts of its body that a cat never washes, either
directly with its tongue or indirectly with a licked paw. They never
touch large areas of their back, nor their chin/throat, nor some other
parts. Probably at least 50% of the animal is never self-cleaned simply
because those parts are difficult to reach.. Human help is occasionally
needed.

"Joan in GB-W" wrote in message
...
To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.

Joan


Hehe, how about wet concrete??

Roland, it seems, had attempted to take a shortcut home across the
freshly-laid cement foundations of a new house. Who could blame him? It was
raining so he could have been forgiven for thinking he was about to run
across a solid object. He evidently went in over his head. First we knew was
when he arrived back at the house and jumped onto the kitchen worktop to
demand some attention. Had we not bathed him, our pet would have been
immortalised as a rather neat concrete statue that, we think, would have
looked good by the entrance to the driveway.

He knew he had to have a bath, he hated it but just sat there in the water
with a very unhappy look on his face while we showered him down. Apart from
such situations, although there are others, if the need arises to bath a cat
then there's something wrong.

"MDJ" wrote in message
...

"Joan in GB-W" wrote in message
...
To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.

Joan


Hehe, how about wet concrete??

Roland, it seems, had attempted to take a shortcut home across the
freshly-laid cement foundations of a new house. Who could blame him? It
was
raining so he could have been forgiven for thinking he was about to run
across a solid object. He evidently went in over his head. First we knew
was
when he arrived back at the house and jumped onto the kitchen worktop to
demand some attention. Had we not bathed him, our pet would have been
immortalised as a rather neat concrete statue that, we think, would have
looked good by the entrance to the driveway.

He knew he had to have a bath, he hated it but just sat there in the water
with a very unhappy look on his face while we showered him down. Apart
from
such situations, although there are others, if the need arises to bath a
cat
then there's something wrong.


Yes, I think you could consider that serious soiling!

Joan

On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 23:56:19 GMT, The Polish-Kraut
wrote:


Some people have the misconception that cats never have to be bathed.

Well, unless they have a serious mess, I guess I'm under that
misconception too.


So am I. My oldest, Romeo, had to be put down in March at age 19. In all
of his years he never had a bath. And his fur was always clean and soft.
Er, neither did Kimmy, age 16, and my Winston (sitting at my feet as I
type), age 17.

To the best of my knowledge, cats aren't people, and do not have to be
washed, unless some serious soiling takes place.



I will never forget when I first got into cats and really knew nothing
about them and I tryed to give our deceased Moses a bath!! Worse
experience of my life!! I was lucky to get out of it with my life!!

Up until then I had no idea that cats did not like water!! A hard
learned lesson I will never forget!!



My furbabies

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

I think washing is overrated; dogs, cats, people, whatever. There is
a difference between need to wash and aesthetic washing.

I have never washed my dogs. At most I will clean a "dirty" spot. I
used to shower myself daily, now once a week. I live with just my 2
dogs and my fish, so no nose is offended. My dogs like my smell just
fine and no person has complained.

Why put yourself and your cats through the stress?


dick