We only bathed ours when he rolled in a puddle of oil. He managed to get his claws into a stainless steel sink top.
So basically no, cats generally do not need bathing.

That's good to know Owd. He came to me with a tick infestation. I gave him a bath the first day which didn't phase him, this was the followup bath to make sure I got them all. He's still hiding under the sofa. I'm glad this won't be a regular thing. Hopefully tomorrow morning he'll come out for breakfast.

My guys tolerated it as long as I was rubbing the lather in. Since you are supposed to give it 5 minutes to work, I just kept massaging it in the whole time and they didn't fight back too much. They were only under the water spray long enough to get them wet and to rinse. Then a good rub with a warm towel and talking to them the whole time. You only really need to bathe them until they are old enough to tolerate the anti-flea products, around 3 months if you get the kitten safe types.

Thanks Wyl - very helpful. He's still too small for a collar but hell be getting one eventually.

Not at all necessary unless he gets in a mess and is unable to clean himself properly. Did the bath get rid of the ticks? You are advised to twist them off using a special tick removal tool. What you mustn't do is try to pull them off as there is then a danger of leaving the head in situ with a consequent danger of disease. Good thing the little fella has found someone to care for him!

Thanks for your imput Sue. I used a flea, tick & lice kitten shampoo. It also removes all grease & dirt and leaves him fresh & clean with a touch of lavender. He's fine now and back to his happy self, but not itching anymore.

That's good!

What have you named your new addition yo the family? Pleased to see he survived his first bath and is on the road to good health.

You should not bath a cat, it destroys the natural oils in their fur.

Cats clean themselves constantly. I hope you don't feel the need to do it again.

That's all very helpful. Thanks everyone

How come he is with you at 4 weeks old Bathgate Was he abandoned by his Mum? I'm glad that he has found such a caring home with you. You can buy special milk for young kittens which you feed up to about 10weeks. When he is 3 months you can use the ordinary anti flea products. I have bathed a cat once( he came in covered with engine oil)& I think he realised something had to be done. However, he was older & trusted me so it was not too traumatic for him.

Thank you Feverfew. I'm not sure what happened to Mom and the rest. I'm guessing the raccoons got them. They immediately kill cats and will even take on a dog. I opened up my back door one morning and found him shivering curled up in a ball in a corner. He was all alone and covered in ticks. Yes, I found the special milk you mentioned called 'cat milk'. He's been going through it like nobody's business and eventually started eating on his own. He's very smart. So he's been getting stronger and looking really beautiful and playing with me and his toys and he's so well behaved - always uses his litter box and sleeps in his own bed. I'll take him to the vet for a check up soon. He's going to be mainly a house cat (raccoons) so fleas won't be an issue with him.

I felt the bath was essential because he was filthy and covered with bugs, and a 2nd bath. His mom must have been a feral. He's fine now and follows me everywhere with kitty kisses in store. My other cat has passed on so his timing was on point! lol Thanks so much for your advice.

Paul, I can't add anymore!!! Just to say, once again, I'm so pleased this little gorgeous guy found you! He's a lovely blessing!

Thanks Kate. He certainly is. I don't know where he came from but I couldn't ask for a better little friend. He's happy and full of energy, but not clingy or mischievous.

I had no idea that raccoons killed cats etc. I didn't think they were that big. I must read up about them. Anyway I'm glad we don't have them over here. Do they live in house lofts & chew through wires, or is that some other critter? It must have been meant to be that this kitty came to replace your old cat. Has he got a name yet?

Barhgate, That's a really heartwarming story.

Raccoons can be quite vicious and are bigger than the average cat. Cats too often instigate the fight esp a mom with kittens. They are no match. Raccoons can be a real problem if they get into your house and do incredible damage. They pillage my vegetable garden over night. Metal garbage cans only! I don't know where they go during the day, but they live in family clans so it's usually 2 or 3 raccoons attacking 1 cat. His name is Whiskers, not my choice. Thanks Merlin. I really wasn't looking for another cat, but here he is! I'm glad he found me.

Be careful with a collar, Bathgate. I put one on one of my cats and she hated it. Eventually she got her paw under it and then was stuck. She was quite traumatised for a while. So was I as I got clawed!

Thank you for the warning. I did buy him a collar with a bell, but his tiny head slipped right out. He's way too young for a collar, but should he ever have one? maybe not.

I had a close call the other day with one of his toys - one of those bobbing toys on a string that you hold on a rod to make it bob up and down. I came downstairs early one morning and found him splayed out on his back on the living room floor with the string wound tightly around his neck. He couldn't yell because he couldn't breathe. The toys are usually filled with catnip so they can't resist playing with it. He's fine, but now he goes to bed in a separate room with the door closed.

As long as he’s microchipped a collar isn’t really necessary and can be downright dangerous especially if it gets caught on a branch or wire. Your lovely kitten seems to be accident prone! I’d love another cat but we live too close to a busy road and I wouldn’t risk it. Of course if one came knocking at the door........

Good luck with him. What’s his name?

We've been going back and forth with names for him. I like Felix (from the cartoon 'Felix the Cat'. You can see it on YouTube). He's extremely curious about discovering his new world so he gets into everything including the grocery bags before I can unpack them.

By the Way, Bathgate, how do you pronounce bathe in the US? Over here we say baythe, as in sunbathing, but otherwise we say bath (barth).

Felix is a good name. Go for it.

LOL we say bathe as a verb - bay th. I had to bathe my cat twice he was so dirty.

bath is the noun. My cat needs a bath or two.

It could be confusing.