Thread: So Walking and Bathing MC's?

So in my reading up of MC's I have read that they love water. And that you can actually bath them, which is a new one on me as I would NOT want to bath some of the cats I have fostered lol.

So I have a large bathroom sink I can start bathing the 2 kittens I am going to get and then I assume when they are big enough they can go in the bath but if anyone else bathes their MC's all advice would be welcome? For instance do you just let them have a paddle while you wash their coats or do you kind of tie them to the taps so they don't cause havoc, as I have no clue having never bathed a cat before lol

Now I am going to be keeping my 2 MC's as indoor cats as I don't want them stolen etc. I will be building them a cattery to run around in and so they can get some fresh air. But I have seen and heard people talk about walking their cats with a harness. And I would love to do this and any advice again is welcome in how to approach doing this. I was thinking when their settle in after about a month I start leaving the harness around so they can get used to the smell etc. Then I will put it on them when they are around the house so they get used to wearing it and when they seem happy with it take them outside on a leash.

But having never walked a cat either I am not sure if this is the best way!!

Maxwell gets in the shower with me & plays with the shampoo bottle. If you make it a fun game they tend to enjoy it more. When he(or madame Darcie-lu) need a good fur clean I fill the bath about 6" with warm water & I play with them in the water whilst washing them at the same time. Darce likes to drink the water whilst Welly throws it all over the bathroom. Its all good fun. We tried walking both of them on the harness. Darcie kept lying down & didn't like it, but Welly plods along quite nicely( he does like rolling it round himself)

I take Ginger in the back yard with a harness and a leash, although I do no think I would ever say I "walk" her. She love to lay in the grass and chase bugs. As far as the bathing goes, she tolerates it, but I can not say she actually enjoys getting a bath. She gives me the "Look" for about two hours afterwords or until her fur dries whichever comes first. I bathe her at least once a month, I like how she smells and a good brushing makes her so soft to cuddle.

It took my fiancee and I to bathe Leo, we got the water warm, put him in the tub, then put a stopper in the drain and let it start filling up a few inches. Got his coat nice and wet, applied shampoo, rinsed, dried with a towel, then introduced him to the hair dryer. He wasn't happy about the bath, but he didn't bite or use claws, basically 1 of us held him gently while the other bathed him, we switched back and forth depending on who was in the optimal position. We'll keep giving him monthly baths if needed and hopefully over time he will just accept them.

We put a harness on him so that we could open the door and see what he would do since he insists on going to the door most anytime someone is near or coming through the door. If he were to dash we wanted him on the leash. He's not used to the harness, he lays down and rolls over hoping it will disappear. We hope that putting the harness on him for a little while daily will get him used to that as well.

Neevie doesn't like to bathe, but she doesn't struggle wildly like my Charlotte (RIP) used to. I guess if I got her used to it she'd come to enjoy it, but I havne't really seen the use of it...
I also have tried to get her used to the leash but so far without success - again, she doesn't struggle but she just stays there and doesn't move.

Thanks for the advice guys its all greatly appreciated. So would you say a bath once a month is enough? I can do one once a week when they are young to get them used to it if you think that might help and when and hopefully if they don't mind it switch to monthly washes.

I'll go nice and slow on the walking front I think and see if they take to it. If they don't its not a big deal it would have just been nice as they get to go outside and play instead of being in the house or cattery.