How, and how often do you bathe your Pet?

by ohiocowboy 16 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  ohiocowboy

  Do you have a set schedule to bathe your pet? Does it just get the hose outside, or a nice home spa treatment?

  I bathe my dog about once a month or so. She is an inside Dog, so it takes a while for her to get really "Ripe". Besides, I love her Doggy smell as long as there is not a green cloud emanating from her.

  She loves getting a bath. The only part of the routine she hates is getting her nails clipped. After that, she gets a good ear cleaning-although she gets those periodically anyways, and then gets the bath. I take her into the shower with me, and I have the detachable shower head so it can reach her. She gets a good rinse, then lather, then rinse, repeat. I make it enjoyable for her by massaging her as I work the suds up. The best part for her is the rinse, as she gets the shower massage setting. I switch back and forth between different settings with nice warm water, and she loves it all over her body. The rinse itself takes close to 20 min. or so. When done she knows to stay in the shower til I dry off, then when I get her towel out, she knows it is OK to jump out of the tub to get dried. She always wants to play afterwards-well, after getting a cookie anyways.

  I see lots of people just get out the hose with cold water in the yard to clean their Dogs. Not that there is anything wrong with that-LOL, but I like to make my Dog feel the best she can possibly feel. And I feel good from all the Kisses and tail wags I get afterwards.
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  noni1974

  I don't. My cats are self wash.
• 

  ohiocowboy

  I guess I should have said except for cats-lol

  For any brave enough though, her are instructions for bathing a cat.-This is only a joke!

  Cat Bathing As A Martial Art

  1. Know that although the kitty cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, we recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
  2. Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. We recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
  3. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)
  4. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have now begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
  5. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)
  6. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.
  7. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.

     In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.

     You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least now he smells a lot better.
• 

  Hope4Others

  Use to bath the dog once a month he was a big brute and it was tough, finally had to take him out to a dog wash at

  the truck center. Leave the mess there.. worked for me.

  Now I have cats, but one is fascinated with the bath tub...and wants me to put the water on so it dribbles down and she

  swats at it.

  

  Not mine but the idea....

  h4o
• 

  Hortensia

  Also a cat will howl pitifully as if you have just ripped it from its mother's arms while climbing up the wall with its hind feet and shredding your arms with its front feet. I have another tip, too. Never wear the same thing twice. Whatever you are wearing while you give the cat a bath will always be hated by the cat. Whenever you wear it the cat will hide until you change your clothes because it doesn't want another bath.
• 

  ohiocowboy

  Hope,

  I just looked online at Dog washes, and checked out how they operate. That is a great idea, especially for people on the go. I would have never thought there was a coin operated Doggy wash! Whoever invented that is undoubtably very rich now, and living in the lap of luxury!
• 

  wha happened?

  as often as we bath ourselves. Once a week whether we need it or not
• 

  ohiocowboy

  Hortensia,

  That description sounds like it would make a funny cartoon! It makes sense about the clothes too. Cats are very smart!
• 

  Hope4Others

  I would have never thought there was a coin operated Doggy wash!

  It is surprising how cheap it was for me like 3.00 or something, they even had blow dryers to

  they are rather neat.

  hope4others
• 

  ohiocowboy

  Wha happened

  as often as we bath ourselves. Once a week whether we need it or not

  Does your Dog lead you to the bathtub???-lol-just kidding