Cats Before And After Bath

These pictures are truly heartbreaking. You can see a silent scream for help in every single one of these photos. The other thing you will notice: the look of betrayal. Those eyes are saying: “I trusted you… Now I’ll have to murder you in your sleep, human.”

Cat before and after bath.

So why do cats hate water so much? There are three main reasons:
1. Behaviorally cats are generally less tolerant of change and new experiences than, say, the dog. A cat that has never been exposed to water probably won’t like the feeling of having their body drenched in it. A cat that has regularly been exposed to water as kitten may be more accepting of it.

Cat before and after bath.

2. Cats are also very fastidious creatures. They spend a lot of time grooming themselves and likely aren’t big fans of having anything that doesn’t smell “normal” on their fur. Wet fur is extremely uncomfortable for a cat and often takes a long time to dry. Wet fur is also heavier than dry and thus makes a cat less nimble and easier for predators to catch. In their eyes, you’re creating more work for them by bathing them.

Cat before and after bath.

3. There are likely biological reasons as well. Even though many cats love the taste of fish, they are not ocean or river dwelling creatures historically. Because the species evolved in dry climates and had little exposure to rivers or lakes, water (except for drinking) is an element they are unfamiliar with and thus avoid. They have never learned to swim because there was no evolutionary need for it. This behavior, or lack thereof, has stuck around in our modern day cats.

Cat before and after bath.

The good news is that bathing is rarely needed for cats. If your cat does need to be bathed for medical reasons, or if they became overly dirty for some reason, here are some tips to make it a little less stressful: fill the tub first, the sound and splashing of running water will make things worse. Line the tub with a folded towel (which will of course become wet) so they feel like they have something to grip onto. A slippery tub floor will also cause more stress for the cat. Use a container to carefully pour water over, versus using a faucet. Lastly, be really careful around the face and eyes!

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

Cat before and after bath.

11 thoughts on “Cats Before And After Bath”

  1. I had a Persian cat once and they just can’t groom themselves properly. You brush them every day but after a while the fur gets so sticky it will knot anyway. The only thing that helps are regular baths. Luckily they get used to it after a while. I’d never get a Persian cat ever again. It’s just unnatural and they always suffer if not constantly groomed. The knots are painful .

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  2. i wash them with the hose when i catch one in the trap. It stops them returning and crapping in the veggie garden

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  3. If I tried this, I would probably lose too much blood..and the cat would still be dirty and there would be an incredible mess to clean up!

  4. Lets just be thankful that after all the BS we put them through, they still use a litterbox, and love us.

  5. There are also cats that simply can’t reach the areas that need to be cleaned. I have two cats – one with a full tail and one with no tail at all (born that way). Unfortunately, we learned that one way cats use their tails is to push their bums into position when trying to clean themselves. Since he has no tail, poor Rumpus just rolls sort of rolls around when he tries to groom, so when he starts looking rough, he gets his bum dunked in a sink of soapy water.

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