Before you start the bath please trim their nails and clean out their ears. Also never bath a cat that has any mats. Always thoroughly comb the kitty out first. Now we are ready for a triple bath. Yes, I mean 3 baths!!!

Here is a list of what you will need to have near when you start the bath.

1. Goop – A tub of hand Goop that is used to clean grease off of your hands. Don’t worry it is perfectly safe for your pets. It is actually safer than Dawn dishsoap, if you can believe that.
2. Orvus Paste - This comes in a large container that weighs about 2-3 pounds. It can be purchased at a farm supply store or maybe at a tack shop. It is a product that is made by Proctor-Gamble and was originally formulated to bathe show sheep. Many people use it to bathe show cattle, horses and sheep.
3. Toothbrush – A soft one is good. You will be using this to clean the face and around the eyes.
4. Tearless Cat Shampoo – Make sure that any shampoo you use is safe for cats. Cats are very sensitive to organophosphates.
5. Color Enhancing Shampoo – This will be for the final bath. I don’t always use a color shampoo. I personally like Mycodex Pearlescent. It works great and leaves them smelling nice.
6. Metal Comb – This will get all the way down to the skin when combing the kitty out before the bath.
7. Slicker Brush – Preferably a soft metal slicker.
8. Towel

Now we are ready to begin.

With the kitty still dry start working in the Goop and try to get in all the way down to the skin. I start at the base of the tail and work my way forward. I do not put Goop on the top of the head or the ears. I do the front, under the neck, down all 4 legs, all of the tail and all 4 feet. If you are doing a whole male he may tend to get stud tail. Just work extra amounts into the tail. If he is really greasy his tail should look wet when you are finished Gooping it, even though you have not added any water. I use anywhere from a 1/3 of a tub to a whole tub on each adult cat.

Next you will start adding Orvus and try to work this up into a lather. You may need to add some water to get a lather worked up. Again do this all over the body except the head and ears. When you have enough Orvus on the kitty he will be wet thoroughly and have a lather all over. Now you will take the slicker brush and totally comb this through the coat. Get under the chin and on top of the head even though you didn’t put the Goop and Orvus there. This will take out all the dead greasy hair. Use caution and don’t get this in their eyes. Now rinse. Rinsing is very important in the grooming process. A fellow breed once told me that when you think the kitty is rinsed the best you can, do it for 5 more minutes.

Now we are ready for the second bath. This time we are just going to use a small amount of Orvus. This will get the remaining Goop out of the coat. It won’t take as much Orvus as it did when you were mixing it in with the Goop. If the kitty is extra greasy or dirty you can use the slicker again and comb the Orvus through. Now rinse, rinse, rinse!!!!!

Now we are going to do the final bath. At this point I use a tiny amount of tearless shampoo and put it on the toothbrush. Cover the nose and ears and wet down the face. Now apply the shampoo that is on the toothbrush to the face and chin. I like the toothbrush because it gets in those creases down the sides of the nose. I think they enjoy this nose rubbing. Now apply whatever shampoo you have chosen to the rest of the kitty. If it is a color enhancing shampoo you will probably need to leave it on the kitty for 5-10 minutes for maximum effectiveness. Read the shampoo label for instructions. Now for the final rinse, rinse, rinse. If you have done the bath correctly you will feel a squeaky clean kitty. Now just towel dry, then blow dry and you are finished. It is not good to let a kitty air dry. It is very likely they could get a cold or an upper respiratory infection from being left wet.

You are welcome to print this information and try to bath your kitty this way. Remember that if you are a nervous wreck you will make your kitty nervous also. They can feel it in your hands when you are bathing them. You need to exude confidence through your hands and you will see a calming affect in your kitty.

Most professional groomers do not groom cats in this manner. They bathe them the same as they would a dog and it does not return very effective results.

Pam of Ivy Cats Cattery has a video available if you prefer to watch and learn. Her web address is

www.ivycat.org

Make sure you tell her Faithful Felines sent you.

www.faithfulfelines.com

HAPPY BATHING!!!!!