How to get a kitten used to water and the bath?
Kittens often panic, scream, and swipe at running water or shower curtains when introduced to baths. Because owners want to travel with them safely in the future, they need a way to desensitize their cats to water without causing severe distress.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1laying down a dishtowel so he has something to grab onto
- 2using wet wipes instead of baths
- 3setting up treat games with water using little boats in a bowl
- 4running the tub in another room so it is not too loud
- 5Keeping the bathroom door closed
- 6Ignoring the behavior or laughing it off
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“So does mine he screams and slaps the shower curtain 😩”source ↗
“I return to ask how best to desensitize him to the bathtub and water?”source ↗
“I want to desensitize him so that he doesn't panic when he encounters a body of water because I like to travel and plan to take him with me when I do travel.”source ↗
“One of my cats does the same anytime water is running anywhere in the house. Screams at anyone that is near it...”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 6Why does my cat go limp in a harness?
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