Nothing is more adorable than watching your kitty take a bath- licking their paws and contorting into cute positions. However sometimes your cat needs help with the cleaning process and that is not an easy task!

In general, most cats are scared to death of water and would never imagine using it for anything besides drinking- and why would they use shampoo? That is just silliness!

Mo after a bath

Kitty gets scared because her animal instincts kick in and create a fear of drowning.  Here are a few suggestions on how to make the water based bath more kitty friendly.

1. Kitty will be more scared if she can hear the water running. Have a separate sink or bucket filled with room temperature or warmer water that you can use without running your faucet

2. A heavy or hard stream of water is another scary idea to a cat. I recommend filling a cup with your reserve water and slowly pouring it on her. Don’t ever just dump water on your cat.

3. If you have someone that can help, you can try to hold her and bring her legs into her body; Feeling supported, she will be more comfortable. Their natural reaction is to extend all limbs and nails and scream. Let them know you are there for them with love and support.

4. The most sensitive parts on your kitty are her paws and face. Try to keep these areas as dry as possible by putting the focus of your bathing on her back and fur. If you leave the drain open, water will not accumulate and surround her paws which would put her into panic mode. Never submerge your cat in water and never let her nose get wet as that’s how she breathes!

5. If your cat is set in her ways and wont let you near her with water then I would recommend getting a wet washcloth and petting your cat with it until her fur is wet enough. This should provide sufficient bathing without overwhelming your cat.