Cat People?

[fairyrune]

I have the I Can Has Cheezburger feed on my f-list. Every time there's a picture of cat being bathed by humans, or even just a wet cat, someone inevitably says something along the lines of, "Oh noes!11!!11 That poor kitty! What horrible horrible people would torture a cat by giving it a bath

Comments

[synnoveaevael]

i just think it's cause the cats are usually SOOO miserable in water. i mean, imagine if you had to dry off YOUR body with your tongue.

that's a whole lotta time of the day wasted that could be used sleeping!

[fairyrune]

Yeah, but what I'm saying is that these people are calling the pet owners horrible human beings for bathing the cat, when in reality it's probably necessary. Yeah, the cats not happy about it, but he doesn't know why Mommy's making him all wet and scrubbing him.

Would you bathe a cat if you didn't have to?

[synnoveaevael]

heh. i never thought THAT.

no. i've never bathed my cats. although, firenze could use a breath mint. jesus.

[fairyrune]

Obviously, you are not off your rocker.

I think they make those. They make 'em for dogs. My dad ate one once!

[aradapilot]

yes...they are. i love my cat, and i rough around with him and flip him over and do things he probably doesnt enjoy altogether but its just being playful. like an older brother beating on a younger one.

[fairyrune]

True dat, yo.

[ladyjoust]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but bathing a cat is something that most pet owners would avoid unless it was 100% unavoidable, yes? It's not something you do just to see the funny look on the cat's face; you only do it if it's in the kitty's best interest.

Some cats are bathed regularly; I know someone who has allergies, and giving their kitties weekly baths ameliorates the symptoms. In my own experience, I've only bathed kitties for specific reasons: fleas or, more recently, explosive oily poo.

Am I right? Are these people who are bitching about pet owners taking good care of their babies a bit off their rockers?

They really think these owners are only doing this for the comic value? The hell???

[fairyrune]

Yep. There are people out there who automatically assume that any pet owner who gives their cat a bath is evyl.

You're a bad, bad person because you gave Esme a bath!

::snort::

[la_reine_rien]

*SNORT*

[fairyrune]

People are stupid, no?

[la_reine_rien]

*sings* people are strange.. when you're a stranger..

[fairyrune]

Word, yo. Word.

[grigoricennui]

The truth is this is stereotyping. Cats look dreadful when wet and extremely cute causing protective instincts to kick in. Cats, like people, have different personalitites. While many/most cats don't like to be submersed during bathing and avoid swimming, pet cats especially will learn to tolerate it and some even enjoy the experience. Show cats get baths before a show whether they like it or not.

That said, giving a pet a bath is a pain in the ass. A chore cat owners avoid by getting a pet that helps out cleaning itself. For the most part a cat will take very decent care of itself and only rarely needs a bath. While some people are more fastidious about such things Kim and I have only given our cats a bath like twice in their lives, and the first was because we rescued them from a basement full of god knows how many generations of cat crap and they were diseased and stinky.

J.

...And then there's the girl that used handy-wipes to clean her cat weekly. :)