Choosing the Right Shampoo for Your Cat: A Guide to Safe and Gentle Bathing

Cat Shampoos Used on My Ragdoll Cats

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked how often I bathe my cats and what I use to bathe them with, I would be a rich woman.   I do not bathe my cats unless they are sick.  I am not an expert, certainly, but rather a firm believer that cats weren’t meant to be bathed.  There are many human things are do to animals that aren’t natural to what an animal is.  Such as bathing cats.  I do, believe, there are exceptions to that rule.

For an Old Oily Cat

When Rags was an old man (16 years old) and going through chemo and thereafter, he stopped taking care of his coat – stopped grooming himself.  So it was suggested I bathe him with Hylyt Shampoo.  It helped keep his coat looking good and not so oily.  You can see the video below of my mom bathing him – and as long as we rinsed it all off, he never seemed to mind.

For Young Cats with the Runs

I have had to bathe Charlie and Trigg a few times – it was years ago when we were on dry food and having episodes of diarrhea on a regular basis.  They were not as compliant as Rags was (see video below) about getting bathed.  So my solution was to take them into the shower with me and bath them there.  When I did so, I used Pet Naturals of Vermont Soothe.

I think waterless shampoos for cats and dogs are just rude. If I were a cat and I licked my entire body, I would not appreciate you putting a substance all over my body for me to lick off.   I mean think of anything you have ever had to lick that was disgusting to you – you quickly go to wash out your mouth to get rid of the taste.  A cat isn’t able to do that – so they have to lick it all off while dealing with the taste.  Not to mention, of course, I am doubtful the waterless shampoos are good for them to ingest.

Here is a video of my mom washing Rags when he was 19 years old. He had just gone for a swim in my parents’ chlorinated pool, so I wanted to make sure he was washed off after that.

This seems to be a good video of showing how you can bathe a cat that isn’t as compliant as Rags was. And as she suggests, do not get your cat’s head wet and don’t leave any shampoo in the coat.

Do you bathe your cat?  Why or why not?  What products do you use?