The Kittens Rath Bathtime

Kittens learn to lick themselves when they are two to four weeks old and adult cats spend up to 50 percent of their awake time grooming themselves. So why should you still give your cat a bath? A bath stimulates the skin and removes excess oil, dander, and shed hair. It also offers an opportunity to teach your cat that being handled even in unexpected ways won't hurt them. Cats will need to be touched by the vet, handled by vet techs, or cared for by house sitters and guests. Making the bath a pleasant experience helps cats "generalize" the event to future similar situations.

Positive experiences with prior baths are especially beneficial if you ever find yourself having to give your cat medicated baths as part of a treatment plan for skin diseases like ringworm or if your cat gets into something particularly nasty.