Expert: Tomay - 2/28/2006

Question
Hi, My cat just had kittens a few days ago. She stills has the residue and smell on her from when she had her kittens and i wanted to give her a bath. Is it safe to give her a bath being that she is nursing her 3 kittens or should i wait for how long?

Answer
Hello LaPanza,
So I suppose this makes you a grandparent now!  It would probably be best to wait for a bit before bathing mama kitty, as this tends to lower the body temperature.  It will also clean away the smell that the kittens gravitate to nurse.  Just take a wet,warm...very warm..wash cloth and clean her up as best you can.  Birthing kittens along with milk production can take alot out of a mama cat, so bathing her at this point may also expose her to chill.  I would wait as long as you can before giving her a full bath.
Hope this is helpful,
Thank you for your inquiry,
Tomay