Shampoo
The trick to bathing a cat successfully, is starting with the correct tools! Your shampoo choice is the first tool to really asses. There are really 3 main categories for treatments for the bath.
In our cat exclusive salon we pre treat if needed, then use a degreasing shampoo (repeat if needed), and end on a finishing shampoo.
Pre-Bath Treatments
Goal:
Targets excessively greasy spots in the coat, encapsulating debris in oil based treatments that can wash away during the bath.
Clarifying & degreasing shampoo
Goal:
Targets mild to moderate grease and grim build up from skin surface and coat. Most cats will use this first.
Finishing Shampoo
Goal:
Offers coat conditioning to protect coat from future damage, & locks in moisture to help skin health.
Now of course not all coats need the same exact thing, and many cats have other needs like anti fungal shampoo or treating a dull coat or maybe the owner wants something fun and creative. Because these are still bathing options, we'll include them. However, most cats on a routine bathing schedule wouldn't get these every bath.
Anti-fungal / Seborrheic dermatitis shampoos
Goal:
These anti septic/antifungal shampoos aid in calming skin by treating fungal and yeast issues, along with some treatment of bacterial issues on the skin.
Optical Coat Enhancer Shampoos
Goal:
These shampoos tend to tone color one way or another to help give the coat a more rich/deep coat color without harsh chemicals.
Creative Color Shampoos
Goal:
Brings creative color to the coat in gentle cat safe formulas. Not a match for every cat and certainly not a match for every owner. But these are the safe options if you desired to use them.
**Pre-Bath Treatments**
Degreasers
These treatment options are used treat excess grease just moment prior to the bath and are used for heavy duty oily cats that are excessively greasy and or spot treatments in areas that are troublesome in the coat. This is ideal for those tough places like the base of tails and rumps. This is an effective treatment for tail gland hyperplasia (stud tail) and aids in seborrheic dermatitis.
Product form: Cream
Application: Dry coat
Wait time: 3-5 minutes
Rinse ease: Very easy
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Additional Notes:
Only comes in small containers and limited purchasing options.
Product form: Cream
Application: Dry coat
Wait time: 30 minutes
Rinse ease: Easy
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Additional Notes:
Strong floral scent that some users may not like and limited purchasing options.
Unavailable currently
Product form: Liquid
Application: Dry coat
Wait time: 0 minutes
Rinse ease: Easy
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Additional Notes:
Higher cost and and limited purchasing options.
Product form: Thick cream
Application: Dry coat
Wait time: 5-7 minutes
Rinse ease: moderately difficult
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Additional Notes:
Takes several rinses and post use shampoo scrubs to effectively remove. Widely available.
Clarifying & Degreasing Shampoos:
These shampoos are used to clean, strip away extra grease and remove grim from the coat.
Best value
Product form:
Bar Concentrate
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Additional Notes:
Great for degreasing but takes a bit of a learning curve to know how to use it well. Otherwise, often leaves residue in coat.
Best value
Alternative scent
Pro level
Product form:
Liquid
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Additional Notes:
Great for degreasing but takes a bit of a learning curve to know how to use it well. Otherwise, often leaves residue in coat.
Finishing Shampoos
These shampoos are used to treat the texture of the coat, moisture of the skin and aid in restoring.
Unavailable currently
Specialty Shampoos
Anti-fungal / Seborrheic dermatitis shampoos
These shampoos are used to treat just moment prior to the bath and are used for heavy duty oily cats that are excessively greasy. This is also what you would use for stud tail and chin acne.
Unavailable currently
Optical Coat Enhancers
These shampoos are used to treat just moment prior to the bath and are used for heavy duty oily cats that are excessively greasy. This is also what you would use for stud tail and chin acne.
Unavailable currently
Creative Color Shampoos
These shampoos are used to treat just moment prior to the bath and are used for heavy duty oily cats that are excessively greasy. This is also what you would use for stud tail and chin acne.
Unavailable currently
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