Water Time

Cats and Water

Yep, That's Me in the Tub

The widely accepted thought that cat's have an aversion to water is only partially true. OK, most of us don't like full body immersion. On the other hand, we love to watch the flow and play with the drops. So, here I am playing with water in the tub. 

But, and that's a big one, unlike the Turkish Van, I'm not fond of getting my entire body wet. Turkish Vans love to swim. I'll leave them to it. 

Some cats like to take a shower. Here's David Amerland's Nike drying out in the sun after her morning shower. 

What about a cat bath?

Yeck! and No! is my response. That's when I exhibit an extra portion of Maxitude. Normally cats stay clean with natural grooming. But sometimes your cat gets into something awful. And then, I hate to say it, it's time for a bath. 

Animal Planet has some cat-friendly advice about the dreaded bathing.

Place him in an empty tub or sink, speak reassuringly, and run a washcloth wet with room-temperature water over his fur -- just enough to get him damp. If he's calm enough, start filling the bath or use a tumbler or pitcher of warm water -- never hot -- and slowly pour this over his fur. You can also try a hose attached to the faucet to saturate his coat. Working from head to tail, apply a small amount of diluted feline shampoo and work up the suds, cleaning the cat's fur and skin. Be sure to rinse more than once to prevent shampoo residue from irritating his skin, or getting into his mouth when he tries to lick himself dry. Dry him with a clean, fluffy towel, praising him for braving bath time. 

http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/healthy-pets/do-cats-really-hate-water/



My advice is stay clean and avoid human induced baths!

Head bumps!

Max

Clean is Cool

Clean is Cool

A third of cats' time spent awake is usually spent cleaning themselves.

Check out those scrubbers! They are backward facing barbs that help catch loose hairs. They are also especially good for cleaning meat off bones. 

So, after a cat has eaten his prey, he uses that tongue to remove all traces. That's so other prey won't have a clue that he's around. 

On hot days, cats groom to create extra evaporation from their tongue. Hey, we're pretty adaptable, aren't we?

For all you humans, gooming may be a sign that your cat is stressed or anxious. It's a displacement behavior. So, as a discerning human, make sure you notice if your cat is grooming a lot. If he is very stressed he can even create a bald patch from excessive grooming.

When cats hang out together, like in a multi-cat home, they create a group scent by grooming each other to create their own cat gang scent. Kind of like a perfume of us! Not only does this grooming create a group scent it strengthens bonding in the group.

Hey, speaking of groups, don't forget to join the Max Gang to get more head bumps and other signs of bonding. You'll get up to the minute, first notice, news about Tails From The Park.

Max