Cleaning a cat

[lovetoscrap]

My elderly cat with kidney disease is hanging on and somewhat stable--we are giving her fluids at home.

But she is not really grooming herself. She is getting stinky and has some unclean areas of her fur. She is pretty ornery and doesn't like to be held or petted much. I wouldn't dream of trying to give her a bath, but am wondering about using a damp washcloth or maybe some babywipes to wipe her down. Any reasons why this would or wouldn't be a good idea? Any other suggestions?

 

[Frankiesmom]

when I first glimpsed the title- I read- how to clean a rat!

So, sorry about your kitty.

 

[All American]

Oh, your poor kitty.

I would try using a wet cloth at least. Cats are more OCD than I am about cleanliness, and I can't imagine being dirty is helping its mood. If anything, you could ask your vet.

 

[Imzadi]

My vet said it was fine to wipe down the cat with a moistened paper towel. Be careful about using baby wipes as some have ingredients that would be dangerous for the cat to ingest, if she does start licking or grooming herself again.

 

[funnygarcia]

There are puppy wipes on the market.

Or there are waterless soaps for cats. Foam type that you rub on, let dry and then brush the fur.

I'm sure kitty would feel much better with a bit of spiffing up.

 

[Uncle Remus]

My elderly cat with kidney disease is hanging on and somewhat stable--we are giving her fluids at home.

But she is not really grooming herself. She is getting stinky and has some unclean areas of her fur. She is pretty ornery and doesn't like to be held or petted much. I wouldn't dream of trying to give her a bath, but am wondering about using a damp washcloth or maybe some babywipes to wipe her down. Any reasons why this would or wouldn't be a good idea? Any other suggestions?

I've been in your position a number of times, this is a good suggestion:

There are puppy wipes on the market.

Or there are waterless soaps for cats. Foam type that you rub on, let dry and then brush the fur.

I'm sure kitty would feel much better with a bit of spiffing up.

And good luck with your furbaby, my heart goes out to you.

 

[DizBelle]

There are cat wipes out there too. The come in a container like baby wipes. Check your PetSmart or PetCo.

I hope for the best for your kitty.

 

[DizBelle]

BTW - how old is your cat?

 

[luvmy3]

I use special cat cleaning wipes for my one of my cats. She is large and can't clean certain areas easily. I tried the dry shampoo but didn't have any luck because she does not liked to be brushed and I needed to make sure to brush her thoroughly. I don't think you can leave the powder on them so if your kitty won't tolerate being brushed you may not want to get that stuff. The wipes are easy because you can be quick about it, before they start to get annoyed. You can get them at Petco.

 

[babytrees]

Our kitty can't reach down "there" to clean herself...she actually loves having her tushy wiped with a wam wet cloth. She hates the cleaning wipes but loves just plain water rub down.

When I start scratching her back her hiney goes in the air hoping for a cleaning. Of course, I just now tried cleaning it and she hissed at me.

Have treats on hand and wash the wash cloths in hot water.

My girls are teenagers, I never thought I'd be wiping butt again.

 

[lovetoscrap]

There are cat wipes out there too. The come in a container like baby wipes. Check your PetSmart or PetCo.

I hope for the best for your kitty.

I had no idea they made something for this! I will check out the pet store.

BTW - how old is your cat?

17. We almost lost her this summer when we finally got the diagnois of the kidney disease. We got her stable for a few months but she is going downhill again with some muscle loss. We are giving her subq fluids at home and just trying to keep her stable and comfortable and loved. We know that the inevitable is coming at some point.

My girls are teenagers, I never thought I'd be wiping butt again.

LOL!


Mine will absolutley hate being cleaned--she doesn't really like to be touched much, but I think it is best for her overall health to make sure she is clean. She is still licking her paws and doing a little cleaning, but i think the muscle wasting is making it hard for her to get all over. Plus just not feeling great.

I will check into those cat wipes and just try to get the icky spots as often as I can. Part of keeping her comfortable means I don't want to make her angry and miserable and afraid of me. The fluids are bad enough!

 

[Imzadi]

Our kitty can't reach down "there" to clean herself...she actually loves having her tushy wiped with a wam wet cloth. She hates the cleaning wipes but loves just plain water rub down.

When I start scratching her back her hiney goes in the air hoping for a cleaning. Of course, I just now tried cleaning it and she hissed at me.

I was wondering how one gets in and out of there quickly without losing a hand in the process.

 

[DizBelle]

I had no idea they made something for this! I will check out the pet store.



17. We almost lost her this summer when we finally got the diagnois of the kidney disease. We got her stable for a few months but she is going downhill again with some muscle loss. We are giving her subq fluids at home and just trying to keep her stable and comfortable and loved. We know that the inevitable is coming at some point.



LOL!


Mine will absolutley hate being cleaned--she doesn't really like to be touched much, but I think it is best for her overall health to make sure she is clean. She is still licking her paws and doing a little cleaning, but i think the muscle wasting is making it hard for her to get all over. Plus just not feeling great.

I will check into those cat wipes and just try to get the icky spots as often as I can. Part of keeping her comfortable means I don't want to make her angry and miserable and afraid of me. The fluids are bad enough!

17 years is a VERY good run for a cat.

I know what it's like with geriatric cats.....

We have one 17 year old that is remarkably healthy. And another will-be-17-in-March cat that is diabetic and takes insulin shots twice daily and is doing pretty well.

In 2007 we lost two cats. One was 14 and had kidney failure. We did the sub-q fluids as well but it just wasn't working for him. Another was 12 (or so) and she had stomach cancer.

We have 4 others in the house that are all healthy. Two are in the 13-14 year old range. One is 5 and one will be 1 year old in April. The two youngest we didn't "obtain" until 2008 after we lost the two mentioned above. We didn't intend to get two more cats but fate had a different plan for us.

 

[lovetoscrap]

17 years is a VERY good run for a cat.

I know what it's like with geriatric cats.....

We have one 17 year old that is remarkably healthy. And another will-be-17-in-March cat that is diabetic and takes insulin shots twice daily and is doing pretty well.

In 2007 we lost two cats. One was 14 and had kidney failure. We did the sub-q fluids as well but it just wasn't working for him. Another was 12 (or so) and she had stomach cancer.

We have 4 others in the house that are all healthy. Two are in the 13-14 year old range. One is 5 and one will be 1 year old in April. The two youngest we didn't "obtain" until 2008 after we lost the two mentioned above. We didn't intend to get two more cats but fate had a different plan for us.

Yeah, we know that we have had more time with her than most get. She was 100% perfectly healthy until all the sudden she got sick this summer and we found out about the kidneys. Since then she has just not been well. We aren't sure how long the subq fluids will help.

We did get 2 kittens in Jan. I was joking with DH that the kittens would probably love to groom her! They love to groom each other and us and I am sure they would groom her, but she hates them and won't let them near her.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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