While indoor cats don’t get as dirty as outdoor cat’s, it is still very important to keep them clean.
If you want to keep your indoor cat clean, you’ll need to maintain their fur by keeping it clean and brushing it. You also need to maintain and keep clean the eyes, nose, and even on occasion their bottoms. Below I go through the areas of keeping your indoor cat clean.
Cats are naturally clean animals. They always groom themselves so it’s not too difficult to keep an indoor cat clean. However, sometimes they need help. And if you have a long furred cat they will often need that extra bit of attention and care to keep their fur in tip-top condition and keep it clean. While it is important keeping your cat clean is more than just simply the fur that is a major task.
Brush Your Cat to Help Keep Its Fur Clean
It’s important to brush your cat regularly even if it’s got short fur. If your cat has long fur brushing it also helps to help your cat keep its own fur clean.
Brushing removes loose fur, any debris the cat might have picked up and helps to prevent mats.
Different types of cats need different amounts of brushing. This depends on their fur type. You don’t want to over brush your cat because that can damage its fur. However, as a rough guide the longer the cat’s fur the more brushing it will need.
Also, it’s a good idea to increase brushing during molting season.
Cut or Trim Long Cat Fur To Avoid Bum Poop
One of the major things that can make your indoor cat dirty is poop. If you have a long for a cat poop sticking to their fur can be a regular problem.
There are a couple of ways that you can stop this.
- You trim the fur around his bum area. This helps your cat to clean his bum.
Note: If using scissors rather than a trimmer. Make sure you use special blunt ended cat scissors and are very careful not to cut their skin or catch them. - You can clean his or her bum area when needed. Most of the time they shouldn’t be needed but if your cat is poorly or has a gippy tummy runny poop or is a senior cat you may need to clean the area.
How To Clean Your Cats Bottom
- You’ll need a warm damp cloth like a kitchen towel for example. Do not use any human cleaning things like soap or anything on it.
- Get someone to hold your cat if you can.
- Simply gently wipe away any of the poop on and around the cats bottom area as best you can.
- If you have any dry poop matted to the fur you may need to cut this out with a trimmer or special scissors as shown above. Be careful not to cut into the skin.
Please note that scissors are not advised with cats because of how easy it is to cut into the skin. So, if you are using them be extra careful because they are very sharp.
Keep Your Environment Clean For Your Cat
Make sure there is nothing around your house or in your garage or garden that can get your cat dirty.
Some ways they might get dirty in the house:
- If you are lucky enough to have a real fire you may find that your cat rolls in the ashes if it gets the chance.
- They may find and tip over plants and roll in the soil.
- If you have indoor cat grass in large amounts which I have seen some people do they may get grass stains on their fur.
- They can also get dirty from their litter tray if it’s not clean frequently enough. Make sure that you clean out their litter tray (box) regularly.
Clean Your Cats Eyes & Nose If Needed
Eyes
Some cats have runny eyes, or ocular discharge. This has to be cleaned regularly as it’s better for them and it goes hard if left.
How to Clean Your Cat’s Eyes
It’s very easy to clean your cat’s eyes.
- Just take 2 cotton wool balls (You can split them) and put them in warm sterilized (boiled and cooled) water.
- Make sure the water is not too hot.
- Ring out the excess water from the cotton wool balls.
- Gently but firmly secure your cat. If you can, get someone else to help you hold them. You may be OK on your own with the easier going breeds.
- Hold their head gently but firmly.
- Now gently wipe across the eyes a little away from the eyes. You may need to do this gently for a while until the discharge around the eyes softens.
Technique Advice: Please note that to avoid spreading any disease you need to use only one wall ball per eye. Do not use the same wool ball for both eyes.
Boo
This unfortunately, has been a regular thing for Boo as he gets a lot of eye and nose issues. I regularly have to clean his eyes and nose. He doesn’t really like it but is fairly easy to do alone.
How To Clean Your Cats Nose
Simply use a warm damp kitchen towel or cotton wool ball. Very gently wipe the nose to remove any discharge. This also helps to moisten the nose.
When Your Indoor Cat Goes Outside For Walks or Garden Time
If you take your cat out even an indoor cat is going to get quite grubby quite quickly. And while there’s some people just limit their cats to the garden while others like to take them out on country walks on their leash (lead).
Even on a leash (lead) It’s surprising how dirty your cat gets. I do think this depends on how lucky you are with the location that you can walk your cat. If your cat is on the road for any reason and it decides to drop and roll you may find your cat ends up filthy and totally covered in oil residue and grit.
In this instance you may decide that you want to bathe them.
Boo
Boo’s favorite pastime is to roll in the gravel outside when I take him for walks. Being as he’s pale cream and ginger he comes in looking like he’s got some form of gray chicken pox or something. He has little gray spots all over his fur. And then I have to sit outside and pick them out slowly and carefully so as not to catch his fur. I also sometimes brush them out.
I probably should stop him doing it, but he just looks like he’s having so much fun. I feel for him because I’ve only got a really tiny backyard, so I like to give him as much fun as he can.
In truth even when I leave it his fur does become clean.
Bath
Bathing my cat isn’t something I’ve had to do too much with Boo thankfully. Boo’s has fur that mats really badly. And it does it even when he is simply washing himself. So getting him wet all over is not a good plan.
I’m not a big fan of bathing your cat because cats very clean anyway and I fear that bathing will damage the natural oils in their fur. I know that some people who show their cats will bathe them all the time.
For me it’s just a case of if its essential as an emergency, if they’ve been poorly for instance or in the case of cats who have been outside, they might have got oil or something on their fur.