Kitty Mamas!

[*~*Cori*~*]

I have a *few* questions!
1* Do you bath your kitty?? I want to clean her because she has been in a cage most her life probably and she has a few fleas... I have a flea collar on her for the moment, so I could ask advice here. I am terrified of washing a cat! I tried that and got clawed to bits one time If you do bathe... what is some good advice... tips??
2* What acessiories do you have for you kitty? Right now she has a kitty pyramid bed (she doesn't sleep in it ) and a few toys. Josh said if we bought her a round bed like she was sleeping in at PetsMart she may sleep in one then. I said fat chance since she has a big house all comfy to snooze in.
3* Do you give wet and dry food? I always did both with my other kittys and had no issues. I bought her dry food and then the tender pieces in gravy. I am planning on just giving it 1 time a day because I want her to eat her dry food... I am sure crunching it helps her teeth.
4* Any other advice?? I have had kitties in the past but I don't know I just feel more responsible now like she is actually my baby and part of our family. And I want the best for her!!
THANKS GIRLS!!!

[harrisonsdream]

they have this pet clothes. they are like baby wipes but to give your pet a bath in between washings. ours have a couple twist ties they like to play with and a brush. my boy cat has a special blanket

[CoffeeGirl]

we wash ours in the tub with a little water in the tub so she doesn't get too scared-just talk with her the entire time to reassure her

[Trey]

We give our cats bathes, but that's just cause we have a little one walking around on the floor. It is scary, and I usually get scratched! It's must easier if you tag team it.. I wear gloves now, and we only do it about every 3-4 months. Just get a tear free shampoo so it doesn't irritate their eyes, and also make sure to wash it off really well. Any residue can cause irritation. But, if he is an indoor cat, bathes really aren't necessary.

We feed our guys wet and dry food. Doc said that was best.

A flea collar probably won't rid her of all the fleas. I would get a treatment like Advantage or whatever they are called. That stuff REALLY works and our house was entirely flea free in about 48 hours or so...

You can find cat toys at the dollar store, and we also have a few scratching posts to keep the claws sharp (we cut their nails too).

Our guys each have their own beds too... one sleeps on the desk with all the papers (), one has a little round bed like Josh was talking about, and the other sleeps on the couch. So I guess it's up to the individual cat as far as that goes.

Good luck!

[*~*Cori*~*]

Thanks Girls!!!
She loves this 1 toy Josh got her. Its these soft strings on a stick and when you flick it for them it makes bird noises!
She is an inside only kitty too! Later on if we have issues we may declaw her but we are playing it by ear for now. She loves to make biscuits but hasn't torn anything up. I think I might try those wipes and wash her with those and if I see anymore fleas that the 2 I got off her I may have to break down and give her a flea bath...

[~Jess~]

I've never bathed my cats. They are indoor cats and they seem to do a good job cleaning themselves. I agree I would get some flea medication to get rid of her fleas the collar wont do much killing. My cats love these little mice you can get a walmart. The come in a pack of like 5 or 6 they are diffrent colors like on is white and green, white and pink and so on. As for bed they sleep where ever they want. Good luck!

[*~*Cori*~*]

That's the other toy we got her! I don't know what DH did with them though...

[SapphireHeather]

We clip our cats nails first, then we fill the tub with enough water to come up to their bellies, then we kneel in the tub with the cat (we do one at a time lol) and bathe it. My husband holds the cat while I scrub and rinse her. HTH

edited to add: If your cat has fleas, I suggest you use Ortho Home Defense insect killer on your carpet. They make one that is safe for pets and children and it smells like oranges. Also, I've found that flea collars don't help. The fleas just move to the cat's hind end and stay away from the face. Buy some Advantage or other flea treatment that goes on the skin. It will make the fleas go away faster.

[Jennie]

I've tried to give my cats baths and it didn't work out too well. They freaked out and I got clawed. They like playing in water, as long as they aren't in it. Does that make sense?
With toys, I buy them balls with bells in them and these dangling things. They like playing with anything that is hanging down. Like feathers on a string. THey like balled up paper just as much! We bought them a bed when we first got them..they never slept in it! They decided to use it as a litter box instead..
With food, I give them dry food most of the time. They get wet food once a week. I don't want to give them wet food a whole lot simply because they'll stop eating their dry food.

[MichelleB]

Hek no we don't bathe ours. They don't have claws but they would probably kill us in our sleep I gave them a bath ONCE when they were itty bitty because I came home from work and found them covered in black soot in the fire place. But they were harmless then. Cats do a good job of cleaning themselves. The only time they need a real bath is if they get fleas really bad. Otherwise they make kitty wipes you can buy at the store to wipe them down if you want. If you really want to give her a bath I suggest you have someone else do it

As far as food goes, we have ours regular dry kitten food, and a little bit of wet food once in a while for a treat. Too much of it can give them the runs. They still get a can of wet food once in a while if they're nice