Never. Unless your cat is hairless, has been completely doused in dirt or something unsafe for them to lick, or is incapable of cleaning themselves, there's no reason to bathe them.
Only times I've had to bathe my cats: flea bath (which happens less often now with medication), and when a cat jumped into the toilet before it flushed....
Other than that I just leave the self clean feature set to "on".
Three times.
First time was after he became incredibly ill and couldn't clean himself because he was so weak. He hates.it and cried.
Second time, he had really bad diarrhea and so I showered him again.
Third time was the same story as number two.
He hates it EVERYTIME. If he hears the shower and I dare pick him up, he cries for mercy. So...yeah...never bathing him unless.absolutely needed.
I hope I don’t come across as rude, it’s obvious you love your kitty and take care of them but I do believe you’re misinformed. A cat’s hair shouldn’t get greasy unless there’s an issue and they should only be washed as necessary, if they get dirty. For shedding you should be brushing them a few times a week. I’ve fostered and owned many kittens and cats over the years, only ever washed them when they stepped on their poo or something. I was also curious and checked out the Maine Coon subreddit and they’ve had discussions on this topic before and seems to be no different to any other cat
I got 4 cats in my life, a friend of mine currently has two and we never had to wash our cats, their fur never got greasy. Maybe talk to your vet about it...
I've never bathed my cat and not once has her hair been greasy. It's always well cleaned by her, super soft and odorless.
Cats don't have sweat glands anywhere hair is located.
A cat should almost never be washed -- cats are very adept at grooming themselves. The only time it's necessary to bathe them is if they've gotten into something it would be harmful for them to lick off and ingest (tar, gasoline, pesticide, etc.), or if they're sick and have had diarrhea on themselves.
Have you seen what the water looks like after any cat has been washed? It's filthy.
Cats are NOT as clean as all the crazy cat ladies in the comments seem to think. Do you *need* to bathe them, probably not, but they aren't "clean." They walk in kitty litter for goodness sake.
And long hair cats, like OP's, require even extra grooming. Especially when they get dingle berries.
I could rant for ages on how filthy cats actually are. I don't get this myth that they are soooo clean.
Do you have a source for this?
I googled and while I did find one source that said cats should be bathed once every 4 to 6 weeks (and it was the cat food company purina) literally every single other source said to bathe them as needed, for things like if they're matted, if they have fleas, if they're a hairless cat, if they have skin conditions, etc.
I’ve never bathed my cat, NEVER with shampoo, I just wipe her with a towel dipped in plain warm water when her fur gets too dirty. My vet specifically said to never use shampoo as cats may not wait till you thoroughly rinse it off and licking even a bit of residual shampoo can cause gastritis
Cats don't need bathing. They bathe themselves.
Unless a cat has somehow got something in its fur that would be harmful for it to ingest or if it is unable to wash itself (e.g. obesity, arthritis, injury etc.), there is no reason to bathe your cat.
I do have a maine coon and the only moment I washed (parts of) him is when he was stepping in his own poo because he was incredibly clumsy.
He goes outside and he remains as clean as the short haired cat. He needs extra attention with his fur when it gets entangled but that is a separate issue.
Obligatory "you're not supposed to wash your cat" lol.
I wash mine maybe once a month to every few months, it really depends. Mine likes to dig up his litter box like he's looking for gold so we ended up getting him a jumbo covered litter box. So because of that, the dust he kicks up ends up settling on him - into his fur, his ears, his eyes, etc. so he ends up with frequent eye shit, gunk in ears (not mites or infection), and starts to smell weird lol.
so yeah, depends if we can't take the smell or if there's guests coming, etc. but it's not very often.
I don’t wash my cat regularly but she does get a wash sometimes. My cat really doesn’t groom herself and never ever has she got a hairball ( 3,5 years old ) She is an indoor cat and when she starts looking homeless I know it’s time . It’s a 2 person job but after she is shiny smells fresh and super fluffy ..
The only time I had to wash my cat is when she had fleas. She clearly didn't like it but tolerated it (as well as all the combing) bc she knew it would lead to being much more comfortable....nowadays, flea-free, she bites me ahead of time if I even think about bathing or brushing her 🙄
I've washed my cat ounce with the Burts bees shampoo and his dander and shedding was under control for some time. People saying there's no reason are reddit tards
I have a fat BSH and a tiny Persian mix. Had to bathe the fat guy once after 8 years and the water was not even dirty afterwards. The tiny one needs to be bathed sometimes, because she does not clean herself properly. Also her tail is stiff and she manages to dip it into her poop from time to time. Much fun. Well, they both hate to be bathed so I try not to force them through it unless it's necessary.
My oldest I only wash when he stinks like ass (he's prone to get clogged anal glands, and sometimes HE begins to smell more rancid than his own ass (yes he's been to the vet about it and I got instructed to self-ectract)). This happened years between, though.
My two other cats I've needed to bathe once, as both of them shat and pissed themselves during a drive to a necessary stay away.
My boy, who passed about 2 years ago, had to be ass bathed almost weekly. He had long fur, and no matter how much I trimmed his butt, he'd get nuggets so entangled I would gag when I tried to release them.
The cats we have now have just had a bath once. We boarded them when we were in vacation and they smelled like the boarding place, so I gave them baths when we got home.
Cats "bathe" themselves with spit. That's actually not very clean, and it won't remove gooey stuff or stinks. Iur local pet shop says wash your cat once a month.
My cat is 15 years old, not once has she been bathed.
I’ve never had to wash a cat.
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It’s awesome. Mine have just never needed it and I don’t think they would willingly participate.
Never. Unless your cat is hairless, has been completely doused in dirt or something unsafe for them to lick, or is incapable of cleaning themselves, there's no reason to bathe them.
Only times I've had to bathe my cats: flea bath (which happens less often now with medication), and when a cat jumped into the toilet before it flushed.... Other than that I just leave the self clean feature set to "on".
I washed one of my cats one time when she jumped into the toilet before I flushed.
this made me laugh out loud but poor kitty 😭
I have been there. Was not a fun experience for either of us. I now make sure the lid is down asap.
Three times. First time was after he became incredibly ill and couldn't clean himself because he was so weak. He hates.it and cried. Second time, he had really bad diarrhea and so I showered him again. Third time was the same story as number two. He hates it EVERYTIME. If he hears the shower and I dare pick him up, he cries for mercy. So...yeah...never bathing him unless.absolutely needed.
Cats wash themselves...
If you’ve ever seen a cat get professionally groomed you would know they aren’t nearly as clean as you might think.
Not washing doesn’t mean not cleaning or caring for them, but sure some are neglected and those are the ones you’re talking about
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I hope I don’t come across as rude, it’s obvious you love your kitty and take care of them but I do believe you’re misinformed. A cat’s hair shouldn’t get greasy unless there’s an issue and they should only be washed as necessary, if they get dirty. For shedding you should be brushing them a few times a week. I’ve fostered and owned many kittens and cats over the years, only ever washed them when they stepped on their poo or something. I was also curious and checked out the Maine Coon subreddit and they’ve had discussions on this topic before and seems to be no different to any other cat
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I got 4 cats in my life, a friend of mine currently has two and we never had to wash our cats, their fur never got greasy. Maybe talk to your vet about it...
I've never bathed my cat and not once has her hair been greasy. It's always well cleaned by her, super soft and odorless. Cats don't have sweat glands anywhere hair is located.
A cat should almost never be washed -- cats are very adept at grooming themselves. The only time it's necessary to bathe them is if they've gotten into something it would be harmful for them to lick off and ingest (tar, gasoline, pesticide, etc.), or if they're sick and have had diarrhea on themselves.
Have you seen what the water looks like after any cat has been washed? It's filthy. Cats are NOT as clean as all the crazy cat ladies in the comments seem to think. Do you *need* to bathe them, probably not, but they aren't "clean." They walk in kitty litter for goodness sake. And long hair cats, like OP's, require even extra grooming. Especially when they get dingle berries. I could rant for ages on how filthy cats actually are. I don't get this myth that they are soooo clean.
Do you have a source for this? I googled and while I did find one source that said cats should be bathed once every 4 to 6 weeks (and it was the cat food company purina) literally every single other source said to bathe them as needed, for things like if they're matted, if they have fleas, if they're a hairless cat, if they have skin conditions, etc.
I didn't say they need baths. I said they aren't as clean at cat people say.
Who cares though? What’s your point? The topic is should cats be washed, not are cats clean
Never. Cats wash themselves!
I’ve never bathed my cat, NEVER with shampoo, I just wipe her with a towel dipped in plain warm water when her fur gets too dirty. My vet specifically said to never use shampoo as cats may not wait till you thoroughly rinse it off and licking even a bit of residual shampoo can cause gastritis
Not necessary unless they have a flea infestation or have gotten into something stinky.
I’ve never in my life given my cat a bath.
Yeah fuck that I have a cat called fat cat aka meatball. She would fuck me up if I got her anywhere near the bathtub.
Please don't wash your cat
Why do you people argue with the OF "model"? This is clearly bait.  Probably not even her cat.
Cats don't need bathing. They bathe themselves. Unless a cat has somehow got something in its fur that would be harmful for it to ingest or if it is unable to wash itself (e.g. obesity, arthritis, injury etc.), there is no reason to bathe your cat.
Guess you never had a long haired cat.
Lifelong long-haired cat owner here I have NEVER bathed a cat. I trim around their butt area if they get older & have poo issues, but no baths! 🤷♀️
I bathe my cats butts also. And a trim. Some things just get stuck on all that hair.
I do have a maine coon and the only moment I washed (parts of) him is when he was stepping in his own poo because he was incredibly clumsy. He goes outside and he remains as clean as the short haired cat. He needs extra attention with his fur when it gets entangled but that is a separate issue.
Obligatory "you're not supposed to wash your cat" lol. I wash mine maybe once a month to every few months, it really depends. Mine likes to dig up his litter box like he's looking for gold so we ended up getting him a jumbo covered litter box. So because of that, the dust he kicks up ends up settling on him - into his fur, his ears, his eyes, etc. so he ends up with frequent eye shit, gunk in ears (not mites or infection), and starts to smell weird lol. so yeah, depends if we can't take the smell or if there's guests coming, etc. but it's not very often.
I don’t wash my cat regularly but she does get a wash sometimes. My cat really doesn’t groom herself and never ever has she got a hairball ( 3,5 years old ) She is an indoor cat and when she starts looking homeless I know it’s time . It’s a 2 person job but after she is shiny smells fresh and super fluffy ..
The only time I had to wash my cat is when she had fleas. She clearly didn't like it but tolerated it (as well as all the combing) bc she knew it would lead to being much more comfortable....nowadays, flea-free, she bites me ahead of time if I even think about bathing or brushing her 🙄
I've washed my cat ounce with the Burts bees shampoo and his dander and shedding was under control for some time. People saying there's no reason are reddit tards
I have a fat BSH and a tiny Persian mix. Had to bathe the fat guy once after 8 years and the water was not even dirty afterwards. The tiny one needs to be bathed sometimes, because she does not clean herself properly. Also her tail is stiff and she manages to dip it into her poop from time to time. Much fun. Well, they both hate to be bathed so I try not to force them through it unless it's necessary.
My oldest I only wash when he stinks like ass (he's prone to get clogged anal glands, and sometimes HE begins to smell more rancid than his own ass (yes he's been to the vet about it and I got instructed to self-ectract)). This happened years between, though. My two other cats I've needed to bathe once, as both of them shat and pissed themselves during a drive to a necessary stay away. My boy, who passed about 2 years ago, had to be ass bathed almost weekly. He had long fur, and no matter how much I trimmed his butt, he'd get nuggets so entangled I would gag when I tried to release them.
Never, unless his vet instructs me to.
The cats we have now have just had a bath once. We boarded them when we were in vacation and they smelled like the boarding place, so I gave them baths when we got home.
I like to keep my skin on thanks.
r/Purrito
You’re a good mom.
Cats "bathe" themselves with spit. That's actually not very clean, and it won't remove gooey stuff or stinks. Iur local pet shop says wash your cat once a month.
Well, the local pet shop gotta sell them cat shampoos so…
Sounds like your local pet shop just wants to sell their shit. I wouldn't take care advice from a pet shop. Try a vet, who actually studied.