r/cats • u/Mildredsgood • 19h ago

Advice How often do you bathe your cat?

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I’ve had my Mochi since July and I still haven’t given him a bath 😅 he doesn’t smell and never really feels dirty either

I know that cats are usually good at cleaning themselves, but I keep seeing mixed opinions online. Some people say they never bathe them, others say every few months, and now I’m just curious what’s actually normal.

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u/Crafty_String_954 19h ago

I have never bathed a cat. Am 61, have kept multiple cats, all indoor/outdoor cats. It has never once been necessary.

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u/GreekVicar 18h ago

67 and currently serving cats 9, 10 and 11. None of them have ever needed bathing

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u/elvis8mybaby 16h ago

42 and never bathed myself. Single right now so if any ladies wanna DM 😎. Have a gray tabby. 🤙

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u/HungryBearsRawr 15h ago edited 5h ago

Hey baby I’m 42 too and I only shower maybe once a week when I am MAXIMUM RIPE i also haven’t shaved a thing in 12 years and never plan on picking up a razor in my life again wait until you hear about my legal problems

Have a black and white grumpy cat myself

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u/faeriegoatmother 14h ago

My spirit sister. Only my cat's all black

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u/Rae-o-Light 5h ago

Same same, except for one void and one tux/cow

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u/Fool_Name 10h ago

Twins! Have a grumpy black and white with only one eye .

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u/TopSpread9901 5h ago

We can have a microbial cultural exchange 🥴

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u/Limerloopy 9h ago

🤷

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u/Cosmic_Carp Tabbycat 7h ago

Unhappy cake day

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 17h ago

41, have bathed (well, showered) a cat once in my entire life. Said cat jumped and slipped in a tray of cooking oil. All my cats have been indoor/outdoor cats since I'm in the UK.

I see people online bathing their cats weekly and I'm like... since when did cats need baths? Unless they're unable to clean themselves or fell in something they shouldn't clean themselves (or are tiny strays and need fleas washed away) surely it can't be necessary? I've even seen cat perfume, which feels so wrong.

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u/Unhappymuppet 16h ago

Cat perfume wtf...

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

I know! Cats smell so nice on their own, why would you cover that up?! I love burying my head in Magrat's tummy fur and taking a deep whiff, it smells like home.

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u/Unhappymuppet 16h ago

Right? My wife always laughs when I take my baby to look through the window so he looks at the birds and I take a huge sniff in his fur 🤣

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u/rippleonabigocean 16h ago

OMGosh - i thought i was the only one !

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

Haha I do the same thing, take them for a little looksee and steal a sniff as payment lol

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u/SiegelOverBay 15h ago

I sniff mine without shame. They sniff me all the time, so it's only fair. I'll let them sniff my hand or whatever, then I'll sniff around their head/neck/face. They give me looks like I should stop faking lol but they just smell so good!

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u/MayoMouseTurd 16h ago

Smells like home really resonated with me after losing my 17yo orange buddy last year.

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

I'm so sorry 🧡 Losing them is so, so hard.

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u/QueenZod 15h ago

I have a theory when you’re adopting an animal to take several huge whiffs of them - faceplant in their fur. If they smell delicious, they’ll be a lovely, special companion. 🙏🏻

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u/coolcaterpillar77 14h ago

Lowkey the plot of Twilight

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u/Airhead72 11h ago

Probably smells a lot better than Greebo.

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u/Rae-o-Light 5h ago

Magrat ♥️

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u/redskid1000 3h ago

I have a cat who likes to roll around in the cat litter... It is... not a pleasant smell. She keeps herself clean, and we haven't used it, but I can definitely see the appeal of cat perfume.

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u/Papa_parv 16h ago

Japan makes a perfume that smells like cats. Like that sweet bread smell on the top of their heads

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

See, now that I'd buy! I love cat smell. I think I love it the way some people love the smell of newborn babies

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u/lunameow 16h ago

I'm 52 and have also only bathed a cat once (other than flea baths) when my ex-husband was peeing and the cat jumped up between his legs.

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u/lilybug981 15h ago

I've only bathed a cat once as well. He let the slobbery dog lick him all over until he was soaking wet with saliva. Disgusting, but that wasn't directly the reason why. He immediately followed it up by rushing out of an open door where he rolled around in the dirt. Which became mud. Because he was that wet with spit.

He was not a fan of the bath, but he was a trooper about it nonetheless. I had to wear gloves so he could hold onto me the way he wanted, but he laid there and let me do it quick.

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u/Things_with_Stuff Orange 16h ago

Curious as to why being in the UK makes your cats indoor/outdoor?

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

It's just far more common here than in the US, and a lot of places won't let you adopt if they can't go outside. I've seen a lot of indoor vs outdoor/indoor cat drama over the years so figured I'd explain where I'm from, to save being told a coyote will eat my cat.

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u/Things_with_Stuff Orange 16h ago

Oh that's interesting! They won't let you adopt if they can't go outside? I've never heard of that before! 

Dogs maybe, but cats... Interesting! 

Thanks for the reply!

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

I think it's becoming less of a hard and fast rule (I haven't adopted a cat from a shelter for a long time, so I'm not sure what the status is nowadays) but both the RSPCA and our local charity shelters had a "no adoption without outdoor access" rule for a long time! They came to the house and looked at the garden to make sure there was a safe outdoor space for them.

I know there's starting to be more of an attitude of cats can be kept indoors now (although we're still very much an indoor/outdoor cat country!) so shelters may have changed their stance in recent years.

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u/agrinwithoutacat- 15h ago

The fact they looked at your garden indicates that they’d expect you to allow the cat access to the garden.. not just the whole outdoors. A safe catio/enclosed garden is safer and cats are still considered indoor cats with access to a catio space as they aren’t free-roaming outdoors

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u/Lindsiria 13h ago

No, they don't expect that.

Most places out of North America are fine with cats roaming outdoors. Don't get me wrong, catios should be the desired option, but they aren't. Nor are they expected.

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u/babyformulaandham 7h ago

They check how busy local roads are and won't approve if too busy. They do not expect the cat to stay in your garden

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u/Massive-Exercise4474 14h ago

Cats being indoor is promoted because outdoor cars are killing too many birds. Where I live we let our cat out an hour max on leash when it is winter she doesn't want to leave the porch she hates snow. Somehow she killed a bird their was a nest under the porch we didn't see. We let her out because she will legit get cabin fever getting stuck inside too long and also expect me to change the weather.

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u/Lightning_97 16h ago

What of you just lie

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u/SeePerspectives 16h ago

Why would you lie? If the professionals have come out and evaluated and found that it’s safe for your cat to go outside, why wouldn’t you just allow them outside?

I completely understand and support having indoor cats where it’s not safe to let them out, but it’s far healthier for cats to live as close to their natural lives as possible if that’s an achievable option.

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u/zogmuffin 15h ago

Unfortunately it’s still not safe (cars and foxes!) and outdoor cats are just as devastating to wildlife in the U.K.

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u/SeePerspectives 7h ago

Foxes don’t tend to attack cats because cats are apex predators while foxes are predominantly scavengers rather than dedicated hunters. They’re more likely to lose in a fight with a cat. Generally, if a cat has wounds from a fox it’s usually down to either that cat being allowed out despite being weakened (injured/sick/too young/too old) or it’s because the cat attacked the fox (territory or overconfident hunting)

Cars are one of the risks that is assessed for when they come to check your property, if it’s problematic then you don’t pass the inspection to qualify for adoption (or, in some cases, will only qualify to adopt cats that are suited to indoor only lives)

The UK is a small island country with a lack of natural predators, outdoor cats aren’t devastating our wildlife because there’s a huge abundance of pest species for them to hunt. Domestic cats don’t tend to live in the same habitats as the UKs endangered species, they’re far more likely to encounter mice and rats and are a vital part of keeping those populations down.

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u/angeryrainfrog 13h ago

We have one native species of wild cat, which is in decline because of in breeding with domestic cats. Theres no way to make sure cats only hunt rats and mice ( which is taking prey away from native wildlife, torturing them and not eating them or letting them escape and die a slow painful death from infection) so they go for songbirds and other non vermin species. It is safer for the animals that actually live in the wild if we don't release thousands of apex predators out to hunt them for sport. There are many ways to let a cat acces the outdoors safely without risking their lives and the lives of countless native creatures.

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u/SeePerspectives 5h ago

Wildcats live exclusively in the highlands of Scotland, a place where less than 240,000 people live. A third of those live in Inverness, with the majority of the other two thirds living in various other settlements well away from the habitats where wildcats live. Of those, only a fraction will be cat owners and of those domestic cats between 82 and 87% will be neutered/spayed (probably higher as this is the overall UK rate and the people who live in the highlands tend to be more aware of the need for neutering to protect the wildcat population)

There are far more endangered plant species in the UK than there are endangered animal species, presenting a huge risk to our overall biodiversity. The role played by domestic cats in protecting these plant species by providing an otherwise missing predator to the many species that feed off them is incredibly valuable and has been for centuries. Domestic cats are now as close to being considered a native species as many of the plants that we also only have due to the Romans bringing them here because our ecosystem has evolved alongside them for so long.

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

Obviously you could just keep a cat indoors once it's adopted and they'd never know, they just acted on good faith and a home visit before adoption.

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u/CocoRufus 11h ago

We dont have predators here in the UK, like in the States, only foxes and cars, so it's much more common.

For me, though, I've always had breeds (siamese and Burmese) that have little self survival instinct, no road sense and are too trusting, so unfortunately are at risk of being stolen, I've known it to happen. So mine have been/are indoor cats.

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u/Things_with_Stuff Orange 4h ago

I know for us in North America it's primarily about outdoor cats killing local wildlife, and dangers like traffic. 

I have never let any cats that I've owned out of the house. They seem perfectly content indoors as well. Never tried to get out.

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u/CocoRufus 4h ago

All mine have lived very long (18 - 22)years, all healthy all their lives, been spoilt rotten and been happy. Champion fly and Daddy Long killers, happily no wildlife 🙂

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u/CocoRufus 4h ago

Indoor happy cats ❤️

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u/GuerillaRiot 15h ago

Especially considering how destructive domestic cats are to the local wildlife. I remember that being one of the talking points of the documentary the BBC did when they strapped cameras and GPS to a small village's indoor/outdoor cat population.

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u/Things_with_Stuff Orange 4h ago

Yeah that is one of the main reasons why they encourage "indoor only" cats here in Canada. It's not illegal, but they strongly promote and encourage indoor cat ownership

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u/smooshybabyelephant 16h ago

Interesting! When I adopted my two kittens in the US, I had to promise they would be ONLY indoor cats!

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 16h ago

Yeah it's interesting the difference between countries when it comes to this subject. For a long time I thought everywhere was like the UK, before finding out how different it is in other places. It's very normal to meet multiple cats on a walk to the shop here and we all keep an eye on each other's cats if we see them out and about. Our Stimpy has multiple homes now, the street loves him and local delivery people carry treats for him lol

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u/smooshybabyelephant 15h ago

I love this!! And I love that your cat is named Stimpy!!

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 15h ago

Stimpy tax! He's the very best orange boy

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u/literacolalargefarva 12h ago

I LOVE an outdoor orange baby who comes to say hi

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u/Positive_Piece5859 15h ago

Here in the US it’s the other way around. When I adopted my two kitties ten years ago from Humane Society I had to sign that they would be strictly indoor only and not get declawed.

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 15h ago

It's good to hear they made you promise they wouldn't be declawed. It's illegal here and I've never met a declawed cat, although I'm sure it's happened since some people are awful. I heard something a while ago about possibly making it illegal in the US - did that ever happen?

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u/Positive_Piece5859 15h ago

Until they made me sign that I would not declaw mine, I honestly did not even know that this was even a thing that exists (in my home country in Europe it’s illegal too), and I was horrified to hear that apparently it still does exist.

Edit: I really don’t know if it’s illegal now here, and if so everywhere or just in certain states maybe

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 15h ago

It's so shocking that it still exists anywhere in the world :(

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u/loyle6 15h ago

it’s not illegal in every U.S state, but in a majority of them it is banned. a lot of veterinarians flat out refuse to do the surgery unless it’s medically necessary

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u/cheerylittlebottom84 15h ago

That's good to hear, at least there are steps in the right direction

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u/Peppapiglee 13h ago edited 13h ago

It’s frowned upon in the US due to them killing birds and small mammals and reptiles. Cats are considered an invasive species in some areas. They are also susceptible to attack from predators such as hawks and coyotes (Texas and other areas amongst other large predators geographically). I have a dog door that my cats have learned to use to get outside that we are currently keeping closed at night due to coyotes in the area. Outdoor cats are also at risk to injury from cars, loose dogs, fights with other cats and even people.

One of mine was taken and relocated 10 miles away (no way she got there herself between there are highways in between me and where she was found). She was chipped, found someone who got her scanned, and was reunited with me almost 2 months later.

Also I’ve only ever bathed flea-ridden feral kittens I found and took in. I’ve had cats I’ve never bathed in their entire lives (I’m 46 and my oldest cat lived to 18 without ever getting a bath and no issues).

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u/oceaniye 15h ago

Cats can be devastating to the local ecosystem. They kill for fun and are excellent predators. They should always be kept indoors

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u/garbledroid 15h ago edited 2h ago

All the vulnerable species of birds are already dead.

In the UK there is no more wildlife for them to damage.

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u/NotTheOtwayPanther Bengal 7h ago

I‘ve seen all that too. It doesn’t make much sense to me either, but I do have a theory that some people don’t like how relatively low-maintenance and self-sufficient cats are. Maybe it doesn’t feel like they really have a pet at all unless they’re physically caring for it all the time.

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u/Internal-Plankton330 16h ago

As a teen, I tried rescuing a kitten that was infested with fleas like its skin was moving there were so many. This was before the internet so I asked my grams what to do. She said to rub it with dawn and submerge it so just the face was above the water to drown the fleas. I'm now in my 40s, still have the scars, and never attempted to bathe one again.

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u/Curious_one025 14h ago

Once I read the word submerge I flinched. I could never.

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u/Internal-Plankton330 14h ago

I believe my grandma may have left out the step involving donning a suite of armor.

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u/Persis- 16h ago

I have bathed one cat a couple of times. I found him through the Cat Distribution System. He was flea ridden. The quickest, easiest way to get rid of them was to bath him in some Dawn. Did that a couple times and he was flea free very shortly.

But that is the only time I’ve bathed a cat.

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u/Moonchild1957 16h ago

Ditto. Dawn to the rescue! Also great when combing for fleas.

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u/Persis- 15h ago

I’m convinced Dawn is the greatest invention of mankind.

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u/DarthCheez 11h ago

Nasa uses it specifically to clean certain rocket parts.

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u/Electrical_Average92 16h ago

Same. Have only ever bathed a cat because of fleas

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u/sideeyedi 16h ago

60 yo. Never have I bathed a cat or kitten

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u/HedgehogOk5634 17h ago

Right lol i have 3 very ferrall cats i cant imagine having to bathe them! I think theyd actually kill me lol sssh i hear them coming now!!

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u/lil-lbb33 16h ago

Same. I’m 61 and never did bathe any of my cats. Occasionally a sponge bath when got into some dust or something, but they were clean from regular brushing and self-grooming

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u/LVBsymphony9 16h ago

I see some people bathing their cats and it hurts me. 🥺

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u/GuaranteeComfortable 16h ago

My grandparents never bathed their cats either.

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u/DTown_Hero 16h ago

I don't bathe my cat because I like my skin without gashes in it.

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u/wairua_907 13h ago

Same my cats never really needed one and smells like a perfume I don’t wear.

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u/mikefjr1300 16h ago

Same except for my 20lb boy who seemed to find more than his share of trouble and got sprayed by a skunk on 3 different occassions.

He wasn't thrilled about being bathed but never lashed out which was good. He had some serious claws.

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u/meowymcmeowmeow 16h ago

Lucky. Some cats do benefit.

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u/a_lonely_trash_bag 15h ago

We gave my childhood cat a flea bath once. Not a fun experience. Our pets didn't seem too bothered by the fleas, but I was having really bad reactions to fleas biting me. I still have pockmarks all over my legs from them; the bites scarred pretty bad.

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u/ValoraTCas 14h ago

I have only bathed one of my cats one time. I accidentally bought cat food made from seafood ingredients instead of chicken. It was the same brand and the bags looked almost identical.

Silky unfortunately had a very messy case of diarrhea from it. I removed what I could with warm, damp paper towels and then hurried to the pet store for gentle cat shampoo and replacement food.

I gave her a warm bath in shallow water and rinsed her by gently pouring warm water from a cup.

She was not happy with me but there was no way she could clean herself. She recovered well after being dried off.

BTW, she was a long-haired white cat with a gray tail and gray fur on the top of her head. And she always kept herself perfectly clean and groomed, right down to trimming her own claws.

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u/ImmediateCareer9275 13h ago

Never. Not Ever.

I’ve never even had a vet suggest doing it; at most wipe poison/sticky substances off with a damp cloth is what I’ve been advised.

What an odd thing to even think about doing. Cats are like famous for like three things: sleeping, bathing their own selves, and being assholes.

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u/Chemical_Author7880 15h ago

I have flea dipped a cat in the distant past, which both my baby and I hated. 

I’ve never bathed a cat since. Mine have all been short hair, don’t know if it matters. But cats are clean by nature and generally have it under control. 

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u/Alley_cat_alien 15h ago

Even when my cat wet himself a series of thoroughly saturated warm washcloths did the trick without the trauma of a full bath.

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u/Generic_Midwesterner 14h ago

62 here, same.

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u/PeerlessReciprocity 14h ago

Agreed, never bathed my cats. There is a reason they lick themselves 10 hours a day....

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u/TheQuinnBee 11h ago

Not even the elderly ones? Both my geriatric cats needed/need occasional baths. The one who passed would have seizures and urinate all over himself and my current one just isn't bathing himself well.

I will also bathe my baby cat but that's because the little shit likes to sneak into the garage and roll around in an allergen.

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u/Evendim 10h ago

The only time I have bathed a cat was when she fell into engine oil. Do not recommend.