Siamese cats, like most cats are very clean creatures. There are times when they may need to be bathed. Even the most conscientious of owners may find fleas from time to time or perhaps your Siamese finds a way to explore under an oily car.
While Siamese are curious and love to be around humans, like many cats, they tend to dislike water. Some Siamese are very curious and don't mind getting a bit wet, but this is an unusual cat. Even Siamese who like water, tend to have very different ideas about water if they think they are going to be dunked in it.
It wise to take precautions to protection oneself first. This means dressing appropriately. While many owners jump in the shower with their dog and bathe both themselves and the dog, this is not a safe idea for a cat owner. Wear a heavy long sleeved shirt and pants. Keep your feet covered as well. While gloves would be a great idea, it's also important to be flexible enough to move quickly and dexterously while bathing your cat.
Have a place that's comfortable for you to bathe your Siamese. While the bathtub is handy, consider whether you can lean over the tub for time it takes to lather the cat and rinse. If using a sink, consider how high the faucet reaches. The ideal place is a large kitchen sink that includes a sprayer nozzle. However, many kitchens do not have doors and it's important to be able to confine your Siamese should they (or perhaps when they) get loose.
It's easiest to bathe a Siamese if you have assistance. Even the most gentle-tempered Siamese is likely to fight a bath. Consider the person the cat is closest to and who can handle the cat best. This person should be the cat handler. The other person should lather the cat with the shampoo and do any rinsing.
After you've found the place to bathe your Siamese, it's helpful to have a little water in the basin you are using. Bring your cat in the room and close the door. Dunk the cat as quickly as possible and then lather up the shampoo. Be careful of the cat's face. Getting water (or worse, shampoo) in their face will terrify them and you'll have a really frightened and angry cat on your hands! Follow the directions on the shampoo label. Some flea products require setting for a few minutes.
If your Siamese had a particular area that got dirty while they were investigating, concentrate on this area with the water and shampoo. Remember that if you are trying to do a deep cleaning, this can be uncomfortable for your cat. Be patient with your Siamese. They're confident that whatever they got into will eventually come off, and they don't care if that place is your expensive sofa.
After soaping the Siamese, rinse the cat off. If you have no sprayer available to rinse the cat, have the other person pour cups of water of the back of the cat (or the area that is dirty). Make sure you avoid getting water directly in their face. A bit might drip down from the head if you are washing around the ears, but do your best to keep it from being directed at the face. Wash all the shampoo off thoroughly, usually going through and rinsing twice.
Have heavy towels ready to wrap your Siamese in after the bath. Pat them dry with the towels as much as you can. If you have a nice space heater in the bathroom area, this can be a good place to leave the cat while you help brush them out. Blow dryers may be a great idea for dogs, but many Siamese dislike the sound. However you dry them off, be sure to get them fairly dry before you let them run around again. You don't want your Siamese to get chilled. Siamese, like many cats, can be very prone to colds.
Once dry, consider that you've successfully bathed your Siamese. It probably didn't go as easily as described here. Siamese can be very stubborn and few cats enjoy the bathing experience. If your Siamese is far too stressed or you had to abort the attempt, many veterinarians who specialize in cats will bathe a cat for an owner for a fee. Often at the veterinary clinic, they will give your Siamese a tranquilizer to calm them during the process. This may be the easiest way to get your cat cleaned if all else fails.
Bonnie Koenig lives with her three cats. She and her Siamese, Cheysuli, maintain their website My Siamese
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