Everyone knows dogs need regular baths – but should you bathe your cat regularly too?
This depends on a few factors.
Has your cat gotten into something toxic or messy? Is your cat infested with fleas? Does your cat have a medical condition that limits his ability to groom and clean himself? Or maybe you have a hairless cat?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the answer is yes. It is necessary for you to bathe your cat. And it’s important to take the time to learn how to properly bathe your cat.
If you answered no to all of these questions, the answer is no. Cat baths are not required. And here’s why…
Don’t Bathe Your Cat?
Cats spend nearly 40% of their waking hours bathing themselves. And they’re not just cleaning themselves the whole time they’re grooming. This grooming helps regulate body temperature, stimulates circulation, and maintains their scent – which is super important for cats. All this licking also stimulates the production of sebum. Sebum is an oily(ish) substance, secreted by glands in the hair follicles, that helps a cat’s coat stay healthy, shiny and helps avoid matting.
Regularly bathing a healthy cat interferes with these important functions – and usually causes an incredible amount of unnecessary stress. This is why we don’t recommend bathing a cat unless it IS absolutely necessary.
We realize many cat parents disagree. People constantly reach out and say they bathe their cat at least every month. “Cats should still get baths sometimes, right? Just like dogs, right?”
We get it. Cats and dogs are often lumped together in the same ‘pet’ category. And this can be confusing unless you realize one important fact: Cats are not small dogs.
Cats are an entirely different species. Let’s do our best to understand them, their specific needs, respect their uniqueness, and care for them as the spectacular, special Beings they are – to help them live their happiest and healthiest Life with us.
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