Bathing a Birman

Your Birman cat will usually take care of most of his or her daily cleaning needs.  However, from time to time you may need to give them a bath.  Most cats will tolerate being bathed if it is an activity that they have been exposed to as a kitten.  Short, quicky baths and dry outs during kittenhood will pay off down the road when you will want to bath your full grown adult.

The directions and pictures below show how to give a basic pet cat bath.  The goal of this bath is to remove excess oils, dust, debris and hair so that your cats coat looks fresh and clean. 

At some point in the future we may include a section on the type of 'detailing' that is done to prepare a show Birman for the ring, but lets start with the basics first!

A few words before we get started....your Birman will remember any boo boo that you make and the next bath will be harder.  So please be careful about things like water getting water or shampoo in the face and eyes or accidentally spraying them with too cold or hot water.  Go slow and test the water each time you turn it on :)

Assemble what you will need:

        A gentle CAT shampoo: Our favorite is Alpha White by Groomers Edge.  It is available in most pet grooming stores or online. Avoid flea/tick control shampoos and human shampoos.

        A location with a hand held sprayer: Kitchen or laundry room sinks equipped with a faucet sprayer are ideal (and will save your back!).  If you use a tub, you will need to place a plastic crate or step stool inside the tub for the cat to stand on. Although we call it a 'bath' it is, in actuality, more of a 'shower'.

        Cat Claw Clippers: Save your skin and avoid bloodshed by clipping claws BEFORE the bath!

        Large Bath Towel:

        Small Face Cloth:

        Daily Contact Lens Solution: I have found nothing easier to use to remove the 'sleepers' that form in the inner corners of Birman's eyes.  It is sterile and pH balanced so that it doesn't sting if a bit gets wiped onto the inner eyelids and it does a decent job of removing any protein gunk stuck in the short fur around the eyes.   Our preference currently is OPTI-FREE Daily No Rub Express.  Note: if your Birman has reddish stains and running eyes it likely has a bacterial infection that will require drops from the vet - cleaning the eye area alone will not resolve this and it could get much worse without proper attention.)

        Cosmetic Cotton Pads: You can use cotton balls, however the pads fold nicely to get into the corner of the eyes and hold the Contact Lens Solution better without dripping.

        Hydrogen Peroxide: This is especially valuable if you notice that your cat has little black 'pepper' specks on his/her chin when you give it a good scratch.   If he/she has reddening or pimples/pustules it will need to be cleaned with a stronger antibacterial cleanser and likely need a course of oral antibiotics to clear up.

        Soft bristled tooth brush: This is used on the chin to gently clean out any of the aforementioned 'pepper' specks (i.e. blackheads).

        Hand held hair dryer with a low heat setting:

PART I: Getting 'ahead' of the game ;) 

These first three steps involving the head can be done daily, or as needed, if your particular Birman tends to get either eye sleepers or chin black heads.

1.  Disarm the cat - I'm not kidding about doing the claw clip first.  With some cats this is a step that might be best done the day before so that they don't associate it with getting a bath and so that they have time to settle back down if they are particularly aggitated.  See Clipping Nails if you haven't already been doing this on a regular basis.

2.  Clean around the eyes: Soak 4 - 6 cosmetic cotton pads with the OPTI-FRESH Daily No Rub Express solution.  Never use the same pad on both eyes.  I like to use the first one to 'soak' the eye corner and little eyelashes and give a general wipe.  Then I take the next one and fold it into 1/4 so that I have a nice point to get into the nook on inner corner of the eye.  Remember you are just trying to wipe away any accumulated debris on the OUTER lid.  Don't go digging in the eye itself.   Repeat on the other eye with the remaining fresh pads. 

3. Wash the rest of the face with the wash cloth and warm water.  I don't use shampoo on the cats face - it is just too easy to get it in their eyes, and I have yet to find it necessary.  Dip the toothbrush in the hydrogen peroxide and very gently brush the cats chin fur against the grain it grows.  Do this until you cannot see any more black specks.  Soak a cosmetic pad in hydrogen peroxide and apply to the chin, soaking it to the skin. 

That's it for now, let you and the cat take a break.  The head part is done, hopefully with minimal bloodshed and upset.   I don't recommend messing around with the inner ears unless there is a problem - and if there is a foul smell, brown gunk or redness a bath won't fix it - a trip to the vet to look for the cause is in order.  .

PART II: Dry Prep 

 4. Comb out your Birman to remove excess dead hair and ensure that there are no tangles or mats.  

I know, I know...the breeder told you that ALL BIRMANS NEVER tangle or mat, always and forever.  Most Birmans are pretty good at keeping their coats mat free and many bloodlines (i.e. families of Birmans) have wonderful coats that rarely ever even need combing or bathing...but there are a few little darlings out there that perhaps didn't read the 'no matting' chapter of the Birman manual...so I include this step, because of the following fact that is true for ALL cats: 

                    IF YOU WET A TANGLE OR MAT IT WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY!

If you encounter a small snarl or tangle you can try to work it out gently using your comb.  Generally, anything larger than a pea (...the green vegetable...) will likely need to be snipped with a pair of scissors.  The correct (and really only safe way) to do this is to gently work the teeth of your metal comb under the mat so that it lies between the skin (thus protecting it from being cut by the scissors) and the small matted clump.  Ever so gently and carefully clip the hairs on the mat side of the comb to release the clump.  Cat skin is extremely elastic and can be accidentally cut very, very easily when removing mats.  If you are not comfortable with being able to safely remove a mat, or if the cat has large patches of matted to the skin fur, the best advice I can give the average person is to take them to a professional groomer to shear off the mats.  The potential for serious cuts that require veterinary care outweigh the modest cost of having a cat sheared professionally if it has serious matting.  

Again, depending on whether your Birman is used to and enjoys being combed or whether there was a need for minor or major mat work, you may need to take a break, make some tea and give the cat a treat to settle everyone's nerves ;)

PART III: Taking the Plunge

5.  If you are bathing your Birman in the bathtub you will need a hand held shower sprayer and a platform for the cat to stand on.  A plastic carrier crate with a towel on top, a plastic step stool or an upside down Rubbermaid plastic tote will all do well.   Remember that although we call it a bath, it is more like a shower.  

If you are bathing your cat in a laundry sink or kitchen sink you can place the cat directly on the sink floor, but will also need either a hand held sprayer attachment that connects to your faucet, or one of those new pull out sprayer faucets. 

6.  Before you place the cat in the sink/tub gather the shampoo (open it and set it in a reachable area, that is far enough away from the cat to prevent accidental tipping) and place the towel in the area where you will lift the wet cat onto after the bath. 

7.  Place the cat in the sink/tub pointed AWAY from you.  You will likely need to gently restrain them initially by scruffing them when you first turn the water on. 

8. Slowly turn the water on and direct it away from the cat while you adjust the temperature.  Test the temperature on the inside of your wrist, it should be comfortably very warm, but not hot.  The cats body temperature is higher than yours and they will sense human body temperature water as being cold. 

9.  Place the sprayer directly onto the cats fur so as to minimize spray, splash and noise.  You are looking to soak the coat to the skin during this first part.  Also, if your Birman is protesting, doing this first part calmly, quickly and firmly will help to settle them and have them accept the bath.  

10.  Turn off the water.  While still holding the cat reach for your cat shampoo and run a line of the shampoo down the back of the cat.  Place the bottle back and use your free hand to gently massage the shampoo into the fur, starting from behind the ears, working your way around the front of her neck and shoulders then down her back.  Place another squirt of the shampoo into your hand and reach under her belly, the britches (back of the thighs/bum) and then finally just use the residual shampoo to massage into the tail.  

11.  Turn the water on and point the sprayer away from the cat. Adjust the water temperature and place the sprayer directly on her fur.  Start at the neck just behind her head and rinse.  Move to behind the ears, avoiding getting water in the ears (sometimes I will fold the ear down to 'seal' it if I have a lot of soap that is giving me difficulty rinsing out).  Work your way around her neck and down onto the chest.  Continue to run the water down her back and then under her forelegs.  Work your way to her back end.  Continue to rinse, rinse, rinse until there are no more suds coming out of the coat.  When you are convinced you have rinsed all the shampoo out, continue rinsing for at least another 5 minutes.  

12.  Normally this would be the end of a pet bath.  However, if your Birman has had problems with matting or dry static fur you may want to repeat steps 10 and 11 using a very diluted light conditioner.  It is very important to rinse out conditioner extremely well, otherwise it will attract dirt and cause matting.   

WHEN IN DOUBT, RINSE IT OUT!  

You cannot over rinse your Birman.  At the end of a bath there should be absolutely no suds in the sink or coming out of the fur ANYWHERE.  

At some point, I'll write a little bit about a generic show bath and talk about 'floating the coat' and various additional shampoos and techniques that help get a coat in top shape.  

PART IV:  THE HOME STRETCH - DRYING YOUR BIRMAN

13.  I like to gently squeeze the water out of the coat while my Birmans are still in the sink.  I gently run my hand down their back and squeeze along their tail.  Then I run my hand down their legs and gently squeeze the water from their legs and paws.  

14.  Place your Birman on the towel that is ready and within reach.  Wrap them up in the towel, while telling them how brave they have been.  I like to gently towel dry their faces and then hold them for about 10 minutes to 'blot'.  Generally this is a good time for a tea break while we both catch our breath in one of the arm chairs in the family room. 

15. While your Birman is snuggled in her towel, 'blotting' plug in the hair dryer near a counter or table.  While it is well away from the cat turn it onto the lowest, quietest setting.  Allow the cat to become acclimatized to the sound.  I like to prop the hand held dryer up with a rolled towel so that I can use both hands for holding and fluffing the cats fur.  You want to use just the lowest heat setting possible and gently lift the fur with your fingers or a pin brush (never brush through or comb through wet fur).  Ensure that you turn the cat to dry under the belly and legs, as these are the areas where damp fur will tangle if left wet.  

16.  When the cat is dry run the comb through the fur to ensure that there are no snags or tangles that could grow into mats.    She should be feeling and smelling fresh and deserves a treat to end this adventure on a positive note. 

We will try to post pictures of some of these steps soon.