Photo Credit: Guðmunda Jónsdóttir via Flickr
My younger cat, Manna, came into my life when she was only 3 1/2 weeks old. It turned out that this tiny ball of fluff had fleas. However, due to her age, flea treatments could not be used on her. The veterinarian suggested that I give her gentle baths with a tiny bit of baby shampoo to try and manage the fleas until she was old enough for treatments. I did everything I could to make the baths as comfortable as I could, but Manna was far from impressed. Those tiny claws left me looking like I’d emerged from a horror movie. This experience made me wonder, why do cats hate water?
Exceptions to the Rule
Photo Credit: Devin Prewett via Flickr
The truth is that not all cats hate water. There are several examples of cats that actually love water! In the wild, tigers and jaguars take regular dips in lakes and rivers. Domestic breeds such as the Bengal and the Turkish Van love to swim too! The Turkish Van used to be known in Turkey for swimming out to incoming boats.
Many domesticated cats are fascinated by water. A cat may not enjoy being submerged in water, but watching it in motion is another story. Cats often play with water that is dripping from a faucet. It isn’t unusual for cats to interact with their owners while the owner is taking a bath or shower. My cats love to watch me bathe! Cats can even be coaxed into drinking more water by using a water fountain.
Why do cats hate water? A Few Theories.
Cat behaviorists have several theories that attempt to explain why cats hate water, but no one really knows for sure. It appears to be a cognitive/behavioral issue since there are not any medical reasons why a cat can not get wet. Most theories about why cats hate water come down to 3 basic reasons:
- Most domestic cats are not used to water.
A cats aversion to water may have started with their ancestors. The wild cats of the African desert experience very little water in their life time. This coupled with the idea that domesticated cats live indoors and away from the elements could explain that cats are just not used to getting wet. It is outside their comfort zone. - Domestic cats do not have a need to get wet.
Cats are very good at keeping themselves clean without getting in the bathtub. They spend a large portion of their waking hours grooming themselves. Also, cats can find plentiful prey on land, so there isn’t a reason to dive into the water for food. Cats do drink water, but that does not require any drenching of the fur. - Being wet is simply inconvenient for cats.
Cats are obsessed with their fur being groomed in a particular fashion. Water messes up all of that hard work! When a cat’s fur gets drenched, it can take a long time to dry thoroughly because of the different layers. It’s possible that wet fur is uncomfortable.
Making Bath Time Easier
Photo Credit: Bill & Vicki T via Flickr
A cat will not necessarily ever need to be bathed. They do a great job grooming themselves! However, there may some circumstances that will require you to bathe your cat. Just like in Manna’s case, cats can have medical conditions for which baths are recommended. If your cat is unable to groom him/herself, they will need your help! Cats should also be bathed if they have gotten a substance on their fur that could harm them if they licked it off. Here are a few tips for making bath time easier:
- Begin bathing your cat when he/she is young.
- Teach your cat that the sink/bathtub is a friendly place. Interact with toys or treats in the area without water until the cat is comfortable with the area.
- Use a wet washcloth to wipe down the cat. This can help the cat get used to the feeling of being wet. Sometimes a wet washcloth wipe down will be all your cat needs!
- Place something on the bottom of the sink/bathtub that the cat can sink it’s claws into for stabilization. Something as simple as a towel could work.
- Keep bath time positive. Offer the cat tons of praise for putting up with the process.
- Use small amounts of feline shampoo and work from the tail to the head.
- Make it quick! Don’t take any more time than you have to when bathing your cat.
What experiences have you had with bathing cats?
Sources and Digging Deeper
Do Cats Really Hate Water? – Animal Planet
Why does my cat…hate to take baths? – VetStreet
I only had to bathe a kitten I found once with baby shampoo because she was too young for flea products. It was awful because the fleas made everythiing bloody, it looked like we were killing the poor kitten.
Awww poor kitty. Sometimes flea products can be really gross. It’s good that you were willing to help the kitten get over it’s fleas though.
bathe ?? !!! whatz a bathe !!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 frank lee we loves R waterz for fishin ~~~~
heerz two a happee easturr ~~~~~ dino eggz onlee ~~~~burd free kinda week oh end ♥♥♥
It sounds like you guys are good at keeping yourselves clean. That’s a good thing 🙂
This is really interesting. We never really thought about why, we just know that vertical water– or horizontal water, for that matter — is no fun to be in.
So true! My kitties are not fans of water either. They will sit and stare at me while I’m in the tub or shower though. Sometimes they yell at me for it. MOL
I don’t HATE being bathed, but I have to say it’s not one of my favorite pastimes either! But I need a bath and groom every time I compete in a cat show. I tolerate it, but much prefer the blow dry!
It isn’t easy being as beautiful as you are Summer. It’s cool that you tolerate the blow dryer! My kitties run away whenever I turn on the blow dryer.
What is a bath ? Purrs
I’m glad that you guys don’t have to take baths! I bet you are pretty good at keeping yourselves clean 🙂
My cat was a Turkish Van – the only breed that loves water. He didn’t like it so much that he wanted to swim in it, but he sure didn’t mind some water.
That’s really cool. At least he kind of liked water. That’s a lot better than most cats 🙂
Now if I had to give either of my cats a bath, I would request help from my favorite cat blogger. 🙂
Hopefully your cats won’t be needing a bath any time soon 🙂 You can always just wipe them down with a washcloth if something gets on them that they shouldn’t lick off. That is a lot easier. Special bathing wipes are available too!
I don’t believe that I ever bathed any of my cats. If I did, it is possible that it was so horrid that I have blocked it from my memory! LOL!
I don’t bathe my cats either. They do a really good job of cleaning themselves. I only find it necessary to clean them at all when they get something on themselves that they shouldn’t lick off. Usually I just wipe the substance off with a wash cloth rather than a bath. Even when I bathed Manna as a little kitten I came out of there looking like I’d been visited by Freddy Kruger. MOL
I bet the hating water thing has been vanity for all of my cats. They were definitely cats that liked their fur to be just so. They would often get bent out of shape if you pet them and messed it up. Ha, ha.
Great advice. We bath all our cats 3-4 times a year and have been doing it since they were kittens. They don’t love it, but they tolerate it without too much fuss.
Starting when they are young is the key, I think. It’s great that your cats can tolerate their baths well. 🙂
This is all great advice, and I enjoy the cat behaviorist theories. Great article.
Thank you so much! I love reading what cat behaviorists have to say too 🙂
We use to have a cat that would get into the shower with us and put his face directly into the stream of water and would sit in there forever if we let her. She was a Calico and she did have some interesting quirks.
I have had a number of orphaned kittens that needed regular baths while they were learning how to eat and pee without getting it all over themselves.. those kittens went on to adore playing in water.
The first reason is probably the biggest. It’s the same with humans, if you don’t get them used to something like the swimming pool, they are going to fear any water that doesn’t come out of a tap. The unknown can be very scary.