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Most cat owners will have to bathe their cats at least a few times over the course of the animal's lifetime. Regular bathing helps to cut down on allergens that accumulate on the cat's coat and bathing helps the cat to shed his coat. Washing the cat with a specially formulated flea bath will help rid the cat's coat of fleas and ticks. Aside from these reasons, your pet may get into grease, oil, fish fertilizer or dirt and will not want, nor be able to clean itself. The thought of bathing a cat may instill fear in you, but you need not turn into a human scratching post if you carefully follow the following instruction.
Before you start, you must invest in a shower hose with a screw on showerhead. You cannot properly rinse a cat, nor can you make the cat feel relaxed and secure without it. The idea is not to bathe the cat but to give it a shower. Make sure the bathtub or basin has a non-slip mat on the bottom. Keep your towels and shampoo at the ready. When you are ready, place your cat into the dry bathtub. Hold the cat by the scruff of the neck only and keep him pointed away from you at all times.
With one hand (or with a helper) turn on the tap very lightly at first, and adjust the water temperature to lukewarm. Starting at the neck and working down the body towards the tail, apply the stream of water. If the cat is somewhat relaxed you can increase the water pressure as you work down the body. You are going to leave the head for last. Once the cat is completely wet, you can turn off the water. Now, you want to apply a ring of shampoo around the neck. If you are bathing for flea control, the ring of flea shampoo will stop the fleas on the back from scurrying to the head. Working as quickly as possible, apply a generous amount of shampoo all over the cat's body and lather well. Turn the water back on and now you will wet the cat's head. When you shampoo the head, don't get any closer to the eyes then directly in front of the base of the ears. Rinse the whole cat down, making sure to get all the soap out of the coat. Gently but firmly run your hand down the cat's body to squeeze out extra water. Gently lift your cat out of the tub and towel dry him well. If you have a long coated cat, you should comb his coat out after you have towel dried him. Offer you cat a warm, dry spot to continue drying naturally. If you remember to always hold the cat by the scruff of the neck and point the cat away from you, you will avoid scratches and have a good experience bathing your cat.
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