“I just adopted a one-month-old kitten, I should give her a thorough bath.” “My cat is sick. I need to wash her for better hygiene.” Sometimes, we intend to provide better care to our feline friends. However, we may end up doing more harm than good. While there are some exceptional cases in which you need to wash your cat, there are also circumstances where you need to avoid bathing your kitty. With that in mind, should you bathe your one-month-old fur baby? Or can you wash your ill cat? Let’s check out the following six conditions under which you should keep your fur baby away from the bathtub.
When shouldn’t you wash your cat?
They Are Under 6 Months Old
Do you need to wash a cat, which is young? Veterinarians advise not to bathe your cat before it is at least six months old. At this stage, a kitten’s active immune system is immature and has not fully developed yet. A cat’s immune system is its defense against bacteria, viruses, and infections, and bathing a kitten can clean out their coat of bacteria, which weakens the defense effectiveness of their immune system. In this case, a kitten is more vulnerable to diseases and illnesses. Bathing them can also disturb the development of their immune system and microbiota.
Vaccinations for your cat are normally scheduled between their first and fourth months of age. A kitten needs to remain healthy to receive a shot, and baths can cause health problems and immense stress on your fur baby. Besides, a cat has weaker immunity after receiving their shots. You don’t want to risk bringing an illness to your beloved fur friend.
Given the size of your kitty, accidents may occur during a bath if you are not careful enough. For instance, accidentally drowning them or them falling off the bathtub can not only cause physical pain but also psychological trauma that lasts for their lifetime.
Adopted baby cats can be very tense when they first arrive in a new environment. In this case, they might be easily traumatized if you bathe them. Thus, always be more cautious with fragile kits.
They Are Pregnant or Have Just Given Birth
Although bathing itself doesn’t hurt a pregnant cat, it is not advisable to wash a mother-to-be cat. A bath can cause her a lot of stress, which can psychologically harm her and her babies. Besides, if she hates baths, she will fight tooth and nail and injure herself and the kittens in the process. In addition, the chemicals contained in shampoos may not be safe for your sensitive pregnant cat.
After having babies, your queen cat may experience more anxiety than usual. A bath can easily irritate her and trigger emotional trauma, as a mommy cat’s immune system is weakened after she’s given birth. Thus, a bath can cause her fragile body to fall ill. It might also lead to a uterine infection. Moreover, her sickness can affect breastfeeding. Finally, kittens can identify their mothers’ individual smell, and a bath or shampoo can wash off the mother’s identity scent, disrupting their newborns’ lives.
