Bath Time!

At the end of January we discovered that Foster Cat Smokey Joe had developed a hairless patch underneath his chin. A couple of days later a second patch appeared on his right shoulder. Each had a red scab in the center. Smokey Joe went to the vet, who did a fungal culture test and administered an antibiotic shot. He came home with a container of medicated wipes to be used twice a day. The scabs quickly healed up, but the bald patches remained. If anything, they were growing larger.

Because the issue continued to get worse the cat made yet another trip to the vet. His skin was scraped for mites or other creepy-crawlies. When the doctor called me to discuss the visit she asked if I thought we would be able to give Smokey Joe a bath with a medicated shampoo (or at a minimum washing the bare skin spots). I told her we would try.

I mulled over the procedure for bathing the cat and decided that it would probably work well in the shower stall. I might get wet in the enclosed space, but the cat wouldn't be able to escape. I assembled my equipment...old clothes for me, a bucket of warm water and a cup to pour it, a rag, a towel, and the bottle of shampoo.

I positioned myself inside the shower. Hubby Tony lured the cat into the bathroom with some treats, then picked him up, put him in, and closed the shower door. Smokey Joe was a real trooper. He let me wet his fur, apply shampoo, and rub it over his body. He wasn't too thrilled about following the directions about waiting ten minutes before removing the lather, and then annoyed that the removal took so long. When I tried to thoroughly dry his body Smokey Joe indicated he would prefer just to escape thankyouverymuch.

Our directions are to repeat the procedure weekly until further notice.

Five years ago: Just Me