Cat Bath Training by Michael Harris, PhD

I was reading an article on cat training so I thought I’d offer a different point of view.

The article starts out with this statement…”The most effective cat training is best done early”, and I completely agree. It was after the first sentence that they began to lose me.

It has been my experience that most of the “sage’ advice on what animals, especially cats, are supposed to do will be correct if that is the way you treat them, as objects or as something other than family.

My story begins with a very small cat about 5 weeks old. I found the little bugger hanging around the apartment complex. It was obvious he was too young to be away from Mom. Neither mom nor any of the others were anywhere to be found. So I took him in and took him to the veterinarian for a “once-over” and probably some kitten shots. The Vet said that he was about 5 weeks old. If I bottle-fed him, he would be fine and to bring back in a few weeks to worm him, give shots, etc.

The Vet also said that I had a problem. The kitten was loaded with fleas and too young to use any other flea killer/prevention methods currently available. So I was to bathe this little guy morning and night in warm water and mild dish soap (I forget the brand) and to comb the flea eggs out of his fur with a flea comb.
So with a set of bathing instructions and a cavalier spirit, we (the cat and I) set off on our adventure. I had always heard the cats “hate” water and blah- blah, but this was not the case. I filled the kitchen sink with about a couple inches of water and in he goes. I was expecting to need several stitches and I guessed that I would have to invest heavily into Band-Aids. It seems that the soapy water along with the combing relieved the pain this little guy must have been experiencing, dare I say, pleasurable for him. Or at least it seemed that way to me. He never complained, whined, scratched or bit; he just sat there with a kitten smile on his face.

After several days of baths, I noticed whenever I ran water in the sink and if I look toward the doorway of the kitchen, my little kitten buddy would be sitting there waiting for his turn in the sink.

Fast forward to present day, I have this giant gray cat that loves water. He climbs into the shower or bath with you. Other than watching the water temperature because I don’t’ want him to get overheated, I just have to warn any house guests that they may be visited by the “furry bath fairy’ so either keep the door closed or move over.

I wondering what other myths that we can dispel about animals? It seems to me that if our intentions are good and are consistent, we can teach animals to do just about anything or to cope with any environment or change.

Hey, I wonder if this works for humans as well.