I don't believe in bathing cats. Not unless they really, really need it.
When Rufus came in today from his morning saunter, he hesitated before jumping up on my lap. "Poor little thing," I thought, "he's probably wet." I reached down to check and his underside was indeed wet. It was more than wet: it was thick with mud; he was covered in black sludge on his sides, belly and tail.
I tried rubbing it off with the cat towel but there was just too much. Rufus was grooming himself and then vomiting up the black ooze. "That can't be good for him," I thought, so it was bath time.
I'm so glad we have a downstairs loo. You can shut the door and even a very wet and angry cat can't escape. There was hissing, there was struggling, there was climbing up my shoulders and over my back. In the end he was mostly clean and most of the cat shampoo was rinsed off.
And I'm now up and showered early and the downstairs handbasin is squeaky clean. So it's not all bad, is it?
20 COMMENTS:
Oh my, poor Rufus. That doesn't sound like a good way to start the day for either of you!
sylvia, he wasn't very happy at all! He's just about dried off now, three hours later. It's a good job we've got underfloor heating, he can just find a warm spot to sit on!
I wonder how Rufus got so muddy in the first place?
I bathed my daughter in the kitchen sink for years, till it got to be too tight a fit. She took it better than a cat, no doubt.
There's a much faster way to clean a cat if you have a downstairs loo - as long as they're too big to fit down the hole.
Simply deposit the cat in the bowl, close the lid and sit on it (for reasons that will become obvious) and pull the chain.
When the hissing and gurgling stops, open the door and *then* stand up to allow the soggy cat to take their sogginess elsewhere... they'll be quite pleased to leave you in peace for a while.
>;-)
Lexi, there's a stream near here and I wonder if the streambed is muddy. It looked like well-rotted leaf mould all over him.
Unless your daughter hissed, spat and tried to claw you, she probably took it better than Rufus did.
Richard, thank you for your helpful suggestion. I'll bear it in mind next time I want to get in touch with the RSPCA.
Wow. What an ordeal for you both. Can you not teach him to fall into a vat of milk when he's out?
On another note, may I come lie on your floor next time I'm wet? It sounds divine :)
MotherRe, now that's a good idea! All I need to work out is how to train him to do anything!
Our floor is lovely. You can come and lie on it anytime!
I'm wondering how your back and shoulders were looking once Rufus had his way with you?
Phoenix, wet basically! I'd wiped a lot of the loose mud off before we started, and he didn't actually claw me, he mostly just struggled and hissed. I did need clean pyjamas and a clean fleecy though!
Oh you poor thing. I hope your day ends with a cup of tea by the fireside!
Richard, your suggestion is hilarious.
That first line cracked me up. We all must have our beliefs.
Awwwww poor Rufus!! Awwwww!!! Well done you for bathing him!! Bless his sweet little furry heart! LOL!
Charlie came home once with that awful black oil all over him and it took all my strength to wash him and that horrid stuff off - I didn't have cat shampoo - but very diluted washing up liquid worked fine.
I had a nervous breakdown for a week because the whole washing the cat in the bathtub was just so traumatic! Next time I'm calling in the vets! LOL!
Take care and WELL DONE you and sweet Rufus! Not a good start but a great ending!:-)
Awww! Take care
x
Stacy - I've not written comedy in a long while, but I'm sure there's a stand-up routine in there somewhere trying to get out... trouble is I haven't got the nerve to perform it these days...
Thanks, stacy. In fact it was a long day but it went on to be much better than it had started out!
Travis, it was a firmly held belief. If only it were true!
Kitty, it was a bit of an ordeal for both of us and he spent the rest of the day sleeping. He's out again today though so fingers crossed that he doesn't find the same mud patch!
I do not envy you the task of bathing a cat.
Dogs always seem much more eager to slosh around in the water.
BB, I didn't envy myself either! Dogs do seem to take to it better.
Aww... poor thing. My Sher hates taking baths and I do not believe in bathing cats either- the two times in the past two years when I deemed that it may be necessary, I just booked him with a groomer.
Kudos to you doing it yourself...
Reenie, I looked at your cat's blog and he is a gorgeous creature! I only bathed him because it was an emergency - I couldn't let him groom all the muck of himself when it was making him sick!
Geoff's l'il sis, Moonie, once jumped into the bath with me.
Chasing her round the house to dry her off was like trying to catch a demonspawn chamois leather.
Whirl, I hope she didn't have her claws out when she landed on you!
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