Cat Shampoo?

[Glühbirne]

Would it hurt my cat if I washed him with human shampoo ? I know that they have special pink bottles that say "feline shampoo" at Walmart, but I'm wondering if it's really worth it or if it's just another way to get people to spend money.

[arcoiris]

Should be fine, Glu. It won't have flea killers in it, that's all. Best of luck washing the kittehs! You'll need it.

http://www.innocentenglish.com/funny-pics/lolcats/cat-hates-to-take-a-bath.jpg

[jsierra1982]

we washed our dog with human shampoo...he was fine. i guess a cat would be too, though i've never washed my cat. oh and my SIL in mexico washed her cat with powdered laundry detergent and she was fine too.
Edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj113IEg0Bg&feature=related

[M&M]

Gluh, you can always wash them in dish soap too. I think it was ajax we used sometimes at the humane society. It works good for fleas too.

[Marie]

i heard dawn is good for fleas too.

[arcoiris]

Lye soap kills fleas. That's what the old folks used to clean everything, floors, dishes, cats, dogs, husbands...

I get it from a guy down the road that makes it, but I haven't washed the cat with it. I've washed Mr Arco with it...

[jeannie]

I would wash my cat with regular shampoo because it just smells better than cat shampoo and it made her hair really soft and fluffy.

[Auntlily]

CAll me stoopid...but how do you get a cat in the water without it scratching the rats out of you.

BTW, theres a cute kitty by our apartments and it seems like he/she doesn't belong to anyone and he/she wants to be friends with Bonnie. I'm contemplating giving her a bath and putting a collar on her and making her a family member. Hubby is like "no way!" But who cares, I'm the one who does his laundry, so he better watch it!

[monki12]

i vote for dawn. Ive used it on monki before he started going to the groomer. just dont use alot, cuz it will be a pain to wash it out!!

ARcoris i love your pics!!! reminds me why i rather pay than give monki a bath!!!

[jsierra1982]

that's why i don't wash my cat. i figure her licking herself is good enough...i can't imagine trying to put all 14 pounds of her into a bathtub and still keeping my skin intact.

edit: cats look really, really funny when they're wet.

[M&M]

CAll me stoopid...but how do you get a cat in the water without it scratching the rats out of you.

BTW, theres a cute kitty by our apartments and it seems like he/she doesn't belong to anyone and he/she wants to be friends with Bonnie. I'm contemplating giving her a bath and putting a collar on her and making her a family member. Hubby is like "no way!" But who cares, I'm the one who does his laundry, so he better watch it!

With a kitten, hold them by the back of their neck. It will help them relax and not freak out so much.

Also if you keep the kitten, make sure you get it's shots and get it wormed.

[jeannie]

CAll me stoopid...but how do you get a cat in the water without it scratching the rats out of you.

BTW, theres a cute kitty by our apartments and it seems like he/she doesn't belong to anyone and he/she wants to be friends with Bonnie. I'm contemplating giving her a bath and putting a collar on her and making her a family member. Hubby is like "no way!" But who cares, I'm the one who does his laundry, so he better watch it!

I use to cut my cats nails for showers and so that she would not scratch up the sofas.
I bought cat nail clippers from pet store. I wrap up that cat in towel. Put baby oil on nails and under a lamp. pick up paw and push on the underside of the pad, so nail will come out. I'm able to see her nails. there is pick color inside the nail, call the "quick"do not cut that, It will bleed and hurt. cut halfway between the "quick" and tip of sharp nail.
If it's too hard to see or do just cutting the point will be better. once in the bath grabbing her by her neck like her mama use to hold her will make her calm.

[Marie]

I hold them down. I have one cat that gets increasingly hard to do anything with but you have to be firm and make sure that you don't let go because that tells them "oh ok, i scratch she lets go.

I hold them by the scruff of the neck and hold them down. For this particular cat, I towel him when I do his nails and talk to him softly making sure I tell how good he is. I haven't given him a bath in a while but last time, I had to hold him down, shampoo and because he wouldn't hold still, I had to put him under the faucet for a very fast rinse and then towel him dry.

[Glühbirne]

He licks himself, but he doesn't do a very good job of it. He's always want to jump up on my lap and he's so filthy he leaves dust and dirt all over me. It's annoying in the morning.

His favorite thing to do is lay in on the damp ground in the middle of the strawberry patch when Mr. G is out there watering.........and sometimes when he's playful and I let him out, he runs out into the yard and starts rolling around in the dirt.

I don't have the heart to force him to stay in the house all the time, but I want to wash the dirt off of him. I have bathed him once before and he didn't scratch me. He just cowered down and acted very unhappy and I realized he's not nearly as fat as I thought he was hehe.

[Marie]

I have a cat that just resigns himself to whatever I do. The first time it freaked me out because he was dead weight and I thought "oh my gosh, he's so traumatized" but he's just taking it like a man :D

My other cat and I get into it all the time. He's so smart and I know he understands me. He's like a prodigal son. He knows when something is up and will hide and run away. He comes to me when I call him but not when something is up. He starts hissing at me and even tried to scratch me. And normally, I'm fine with that, cause they are just doing what they do but when it's him, it pisses me off because I raised him. He used to sleep on me when he was a kitten and was my baby and he knows better. I didn't raise him that way ;) lol

[Glühbirne]

Mine will pretty much do what I want but he gets into fights with Mr. G. Mr. G will tell him, "Get off of my bed" and he knows what he's saying and he'll just look up and make a really low hissy kind of meow and start wagging his tail.

I guess I'll bathe him tonight with human soap, then.

[jsierra1982]

my cat is big enough that i can straddle her kneeling on the floor and hold her down... that works pretty well for pill taking, nail cutting, etc. when i had a foster kitten that was much smaller, that did NOT work.