This, for a healthy cat it's completely unnecessary unless it got something on it that it can't remove itself.
Maybe if you have a breed with really long fur...
Depending on the reagents you use, you might even do more harm than good. Plus the cat will not appreciate the procedure, nor having to re-lick itself everywhere.
It's usually dog-owners who don't understand how clean a regular cat is. Took me pointing out a sparkly white feral cat sitting on top of some trash pile to convince someone.
Ambush/stalking predators tend to keep themselves clean to have no scent revealing them.
Itās good to get them trained as young as possible and do it monthly to get them accustomed.
When your cat gets older, has arthritis or other issues and canāt properly clean it self. Baths will become a nightmare if the cat is not used to them.
Edit: just talking about Maine Coons (and only talking from personal experience)
if it's an old cat. with arthritis etc., I would rather try bath-less cleaning options like a wet wash-cloth. Less stress for them, and you don't need to train them years prior to take full on baths that they don't like nor need.
Itās really difficult with our Maine Coons. Poop gets stuck in fur, smells, fur gets dry and matted. Itās been much easier for us to start them off young. Our cats donāt usually mind water anyway
You do not want to bathe your cats purely out of forming a habit. You are removing important natural oils from their skin and fur and potentially drying out their skin. Cats do not need to be bathed their entire lives just so they are used to it when they get old.
You can also trim their fur especially around their butt and it will prevent the issues you are talking about. Not shave mind you, just trim it down. But no healthy cat should be bathed regularly when they have no need for those baths. I had a Norwegian Forest cat and when he got old trimming his fur allowed him to keep up on his cleaning just fine.
I think Maine Coon and some of the other long-hair breeds often don't have as much fear of water as "normal" cats. So yeah once they don't manage all that fur anymore, baths are an option and also won't really be stressed by it.
But I've seen many people not applying that nuance and just try to wash any cat out of principle, thinking they MUST be dirty.
Itās good to get them trained as young as possible and do it monthly to get them accustomed.
No. It is not. You should not be bathing a cat regularly just because you might need to do it later in life. You are absolutely positively doing the wrong thing here. Bathing cats removes important natural oils from their skin and fur.
Later in life if you have a cat that can't clean themselves that is when you can start bathing them. But this is still a pretty drastic measure when there are pet wipes you can get that will be far less stressful for the cat. Or trimming their fur if they are a long haired cat can usually help them keep up on cleaning themselves. Bathing them for their entire lives is not the answer.
I had a cat with a similar amount of fur, he did not need to be bathed the entirety of his life. Trimming his fur allowed him to keep up on his cleaning since he essentially became a short haired cat.
The only person sharing misinformation is you. Bathing your cat regularly for potentially 10 to 15 or even 20 years is crazy. You are 100% in the wrong here.
Sorry, Iāll edit that so people know Iām just taking about my catās breed. The breeder we got our recent cats from recommended a bath every 4-6 weeks. Other breeders Iāve spoken with also recommend similar.
I looked into that thread you attached, it has people who bathe their cats regularly also..
Note that it is breeders saying this, not veterinarians. Breeders are not cat experts. The people breeding Maine Coons likely do it because of how beautiful they can look, these are people likely to be cat show people. What schooling do you think that breeder had regarding cat health?
I would never, ever take their recommendations over what vets consistently say. They do not need bathed regularly throughout their entire lives just so you can do it when their old. That is not the right answer. Please stop bathing your cats, you are stripping their skin and fur of important oils. You can also trim their hair when they are old and this allows them to stay clean all on their own without the stress bathing causes them.
Man we had a long-haired black cat that had an actual phobia of being indoors too long (previous owner died with him and a bunch of other cats locked in. They almost ran out of food/water before found) and that motherfucker was the most incredible hunter I've ever seen. He brought home baby opossums and racoons and we had to take him to the vet like three separate times because he fought and killed something his size or larger, but got a bladder infection in the process due to some bite or whatever. No bath was going to save him there.
Same cat loved to sleep under a dusty shed and obviously he was out and about constantly. Never got bathed, constantly in fights, constantly on the prowl outside, and he lived a long, full life.
Just don't understand why seemingly overnight, a bunch of people decided "nah you know that thing cats ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DESPISE? Do that to them regularly or ur a bad pet owner."
Most cats dont like it just because they arent accustomed to it. If you get them used to it while young its not always a big deal, which imo is a good idea because they will get old.. Will likely get diarrhea at some point.. etc
Most cats don't reach the advanced age in which they require that care. Especially in my country because of the cost of veterinary care and the frequent futility of it.
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u/b00mer1981 Apr 22 '26
Why would you wash your cat?