How to wash a cat if he is afraid of water and scratches?

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

The glands of the animal produce a natural lubricant, which also has a good effect on the appearance of the coat. For this reason, there is no need to bathe the cat - only in rare cases does the owner resort to water procedures. Unlike dogs, cats absolutely do not like them.

Most cats do not tolerate water. 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 bathing turns into. Every owner thinks what 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 noise of the water, the change of scenery, the strange, in his opinion, behavior of the owner. Cats are not afraid of washing themselves, but of immersion in water. The clarity of the liquid is one of the main problems. The cat does not see the real boundaries of the water, which causes him to panic.

The pet also scratches and bites due to the fact that it cannot perform the desired body movements. He is constrained, limited in actions, the owner does not allow him to get out, which only increases the animal's panic. If there is no support next to him, into which he can grab his claws, and everything slides under his feet, then the cat begins to panic.

Those owners who want to wash the cat with the least stress for her should do avoid showering. The water must be drawn even before the cat is planned to be brought into the bathroom, and it is only necessary to water it 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 play techniques. From time to time, the cat's back can be moistened with water, and then gently wiped with a soft-touch cloth. You need to take some water into the basin, throw in the kitten's favorite toy - he will watch with interest its movement.

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. You should not start right away with immersion in water - let the baby observe it, get used to the feeling of wet fur. But this should not be abused either - cats cannot be washed often, so there is no need to focus their attention on this.

You need to bathe the animal if:

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

You need to do the following trick: even with a small kitten, you should turn on the water from time to time. If from an early age he will not be afraid of the noise of the water, then the subsequent bathing will not become for him a collision with such aggression.

Do not feed your cat before bathing - the last meal should be 6 hours before the scheduled procedure. If the cat has just entered the bathroom, and he starts to panic, then you need to keep calm yourself. It is worth letting him get used to, getting comfortable, talking to him affectionately.

You can put a small silicone mat on the bottom of the tub. Previously, it was replaced by a regular towel, but it does not have the stability that silicone gives. As soon as the cat feels the non-slip surface under its paws, it will calm down.

In addition, some supplies are required to bathe your cat.

• 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. You do not need to wash your cat with human-grade shampoo, as this will ruin his coat. This will be especially noticeable if such procedures are carried out systematically. You can find the right product at the pet store. There are several types of shampoos that differ according to the type of pet's coat.
• Two basins... It is more convenient to wash the cat in a basin. One is needed for the soapy part of the water procedure, the other for rinsing. If the owner washes in the bathroom, then the water will have to be drained, which can also scare the pet.
• Ladle or mug. It is worth remembering that you need to rinse the cat only with the help of this device, without using a shower.
• Hydrogen peroxide, adhesive plaster. It is necessary to keep medicines ready. If the cat does not control itself and begins to scratch, the wounds must be treated immediately.

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

When everything is prepared, the owner is morally inclined to swim, you can proceed to the procedure itself. Shouting, scolding, hitting an animal is unacceptable... The owner should have an affectionate tone, a calm state, the absence of sudden movements.

In order to properly wash a cat, you need to adhere to some recommendations, which will be discussed below.

• A firm grip does not contradict gentle handling. You need to take the animal with both hands from above and below, be sure to hold its paws - this way it will not physically be able to scratch. Then you need to slowly lower the cat into the water.
• If the cat begins to scream, scratch, break out, the owner should not panic. You need to continue to talk to him affectionately, to calm him down. If the animal feels that they are not going to offend him, then it comes to its senses faster.
• Gently watering the cat from the bucket, you need to wet his fur. Water and shampoo should not get into his ears, eyes and nose, otherwise swimming will result in inflammation. It is not recommended to wet the kitten's muzzle.
• The foam that forms after shampooing should be gradually washed off. Do not allow the cat to touch her tongue.
• Do not delay the procedure.
• You don't need to wipe the cat - it's better to just wrap it in a towel and take it to a warm room. The towel absorbs moisture and keeps you warm. It is categorically impossible to let the cat out after the bath into a cold room - the pet can get sick.
• There is no need to touch the cat after such stress - it is better to let him come to his senses. In a warm place, it will dry itself. There were cases when the cat, after bathing, refused the usual food: apparently, he decided that every time before a meal he would be bathed.

Some owners think that bathing the cat is necessary often, and the procedure itself is fun. They take pictures of the pet, shoot on video, connect to the bathing of children who, 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 had already appeared in the house, then clearly not for this.

The most common mistake is to bring the animal into the bathtub, open the tap and submerge 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 the ears of the animal with cotton wool before bathing - you should not do this, as the pet will be even more frightened.

Other common mistakes are listed below.

• The use of products not intended for washing animals... No need to lather your pet with baby soap, scented gel or branded shampoo for women's hair. There is a pet store, special products, and there can be no alternative. Someone thinks that if there is a dog shampoo in the house, the cat will not get anything from it - 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 lather a little shampoo in your hands and only then apply it to the already damp fur.
• Use of sedatives... As strange as it may sound, people come up with such ideas. The host must stop at least the side effects of the drugs.

There are also such owners who aim to pacify the cat. They believe that if the first time he kicked and bit, then it is imperative to bring up a persistent pet from him, hardened in water procedures. Firstly, cats are not bathed unnecessarily, and secondly, this can only aggravate the relationship, because cats can harbor resentment.

There is another, less used way of bathing your cat.It passes through a special mesh bag. The device itself is like a bag seated on a cat's neck. It can be purchased at a pet store.

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

In some cases, you can dry the 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.

Don't be discouraged if the first try doesn't work. The cat might be in a bad mood, or the owner himself might not have been fully prepared for bathing.

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