SHAMPOO OUR CATS

May has flown by & we are facing the last of the first half of the year.
Last month our cats got their spring baths & we used a great old standard shampoo that conditions the skin while killing any crawly critters that took up winter-camp on our sweet cats.

If you suspect that your pet does have a flea infestation examine the animal closely by separating the hair on the animals back or groin area.  You want to be able to view the skin of the animal as well as possible and it will always be easier to detect fleas on those pets that have a lighter skin tone.  During your search you might actually be able to see a flea scurrying by, but more likely you will see the evidence that the flea has left behind.  Flea dirt (or feces) will appear as small, black pebbles in the fur and on the skin. 
We know that some geographic areas have fewer occurrences of fleas than others. [lucky them] 

The next step is to consider the shampoo that will do the best job getting rid of the fleas on your pet.   There are a ton of PET-shampoos to choose from, just remember that shampoos for people are not a good choice because of the harsh chemicals in them.  I like to dilute 1/3 Ivory liquid dish soap to 1/3 Dawn dish soap & 1/3 water.

Instructions

Things You Will Need:

• Dawn [I mix w/Ivory] dish washing liquid
• Mustard-type bottle with a small squirt end
• Small washcloth
• Warm water
• double sink
• Towels –Several
• Nail clippers

• Step 1:

Put the mixture of diluted dish soap into the squirt bottle.

Fill one side of double sink with warm water. Adjust the temperature as though you were bathing a baby. Place a towel or cloth in the bottom of the sink for kittie's footing security.

Now go get the cat/kitten:

REMEMBER to always talk to your cat/kitten in a calm voice to assure them that this is OK procedure.

FIRST THING YOU DO IS CLIP THE CAT/KITTEN’S NAILS~!

Before you wet down your pet, here's a handy trick to ensure that you are successful in getting all of those pesky fleas.  As soon as you wet the animal down, those fleas are going to run for higher and dryer ground; this means they will move to the head area.  So in order to prevent the fleas from escaping to the head [take a mustard-type squeeze bottle with the small point end, filled with the shampoo] you first squirt a thick layer of the shampoo all around the head & neck area; as close to the top of the head & underneath the chin area as you can get.  [Don't get in eyes, nose or mouth]

Gently immerse the kitten in the warm water sink up to its neck. Do not put its head underwater.  Make sure all fur is completely wet.

Step 2:

 I then place the cat/kitten into the empty side to apply shampoo to the body for at least 5 min of lathering. If you don’t have a double sink, place them on a towel on the counter to lather them down.  You can wash the cat/kitten’s face with a wet wash cloth [no shampoo].

Massage it into the fur everywhere, all the way down to the skin. Do not get the dish soap in the kitten's eyes. If you are thorough, the soap will kill most of the fleas. Spend some time building up a thick, soapy barrier that will kill the fleas that attempt to pass through it.  Fleas are very difficult to kill and it is better for your pet if you can handle the problem with one good bath rather than several of them, so be sure to leave the shampoo on for at least 5 minutes or more while continuing to massage the soap deep into the animal's fur. 

• Step 3:

Put the kitten back in the sink with warm water to remove a lot of the lather, drain the soapy water, then rinse the fur with warm water spray. [I like the spray head to rinse]  It is IMPORTANT that you RINSE, RINSE, & RINSE AGAIN.....if you don’t get all the soap out off the skin it will irritate the skin.

 Step 4:

Place the kitten on a clean, dry towel and gently dry it off.   The kitten needs to be kept warm, so make sure it is kept covered by the towel as much as possible. Change to a dry towel when the most of the moisture is in the first towel.

If these are very small kittens:
Towel dry the kitten. Wrap a towel around a heating pad set to the lowest setting and place it into a cardboard box. Place the kitten in the box to keep it warm. While you bathe its littermates & mom.

• Step 5:  Once the kitten is dry:

Using a flea comb, search through the kitten's fur to catch any remaining fleas. Pick them out of the comb with tweezers or fingernails. Drop the fleas into the cup of hot soapy water; this will kill them instantly.

• If the kitten is still with its mother, the mother cat has to be treated too, as do all the kittens in the litter.