Bathing A Cat

When I went downstairs this morning to greet Josy and give her her morning hug, I discovered that her fur was covered with some kind of oil.  I smelled of motor oil.


Josy is restricted to the kitchen and family room area of the house at night, with access to the garage and the out of doors through her cat door.  We've often thought it would be interesting to have a cat-cam to see what cats on the prowl do at night.  Who knows what she got into.


I had not intended to ever subject Josy to a bath, but now it was needed.  I went on line to see if human shampoo could safely be used.  I found a very good answer from a pet groomer with good tips on bathing a cat.  I Googled "human shampoo for a cat" and came up with all kinds of information.  I do love technology.  And the answer was yes, mild human shampoo can be used.


There are no photos of the actual bath. because it took both of us to keep her in the sink.  I survived unharmed.  Tom got one scratch.  Josy was NOT happy.

 She tried her hiding her head trick that she uses at the vet.

 After drying her off a bit, we let her go to 'lick herself dry'.  I know, it doesn't seem to make sense, but that's what the "expert" said to do.


Shortly after that Josy sought refuge in her hide-away in the closet, and has not moved since.  I hope she doesn't hold a grudge for long.

Now if we can only figure out what to do about her "fur mowing".  On line I learned enough to know that's what a cat licking it's hair off is called.  I also know there are many possible answers, from fleas (no) to parasites (ugh) to food allergies (she is so finicky now!) to mental illness.


The easiest path is to see if she responds to steroidal treatment and perhaps do a food allergy test.  She's already had one steroid shot, but we didn't really monitor closely for results.  I guess I'll be making another trip to the vet soon, and that is not how I like to spend my money.


Josy is a complicated cat.