How Many Times Should You Bathe a Cat Within a Month?

Cats are clean creatures and they keep themselves clean by licking their fur. Even if you don't bathe your healthy cats during their lifetime, they won't smell. Does that mean you don't have to bathe your cat? I don't think so.

If your cat made a gleeful stroll outside your house, they often go home dirty; and wiping the dirt off with a wet towel just won't do. Hence, you need to bathe your cat. But how often should you bathe your cat? How many times within a month?

How often I bathe my cat

As for me, I bathe my cat once a week, specifically during a Saturday or a Sunday when I don't have work. So that would be 4x a month.

This frequency might be a bit too much for others, since other cat people I know only bathe their cats once or twice a month.

You see, I'm keeping a domestic shorthaired cat. And he loves to go outdoors. All that outdoor plays make my cat's fur all dusty and dirty within a few days. What's more, his feline friends always give him a share of their fleas. So I could not really make my cat skip his bathing schedule.

My cat is like this when he takes a bath

Factors to consider when bathing your cat

Not because I bathe my cat once a week, you should too. There are a lot of factors to consider before you decide on the frequency of your cat's bathing time. According to Banfield.com, the frequency depends on:

• coat length and type (Cats with long fur often need frequent bathing.)
• cat's grooming behavior (Some cats lick themselves clean too often, while some are not.)
• activity level (Is your cat an indoor cat or an outdoor cat? Or both?)
• environment (Do you live in the rural or urban area?)
• overall health (Is your cat healthy or sick?)