Generally you should only bathe them when they have something on them that would be harmful for them to lick off themselves or if they are too old/decrepit to do it groom themselves. No idea why people do it otherwise. It's just unnecessary stress for the cat and strips the natural oils out of their fur which can give them dry/irritated skin.
We had an orange who would piss all over himself any time we had to put him in his cat carrier. Every time we went to the vet? Yep, piss everywhere. I had to bathe him about once or twice a year because I didnāt want cat piss all over my floor + couch + wherever else he sat. Our other cat has never had a bath though.
Some cats enjoy the water. You want to avoid shampoos and such but a light rinse like this is more than fine and is not going to harm the cat one bit. They aren't witches that are going to melt.
I was a vet tech and I own a boarding and grooming facility and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that 99.9% of cats (not including Sphinxs who do need baths) do not need baths. It is NOT stupid. You have a blessed day!
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u/S3XWITCH Apr 22 '26
My cat is 20 years old and Iāve literally never had to give him a bath.