Choosing a Shampoo for Your Kitten

When bathing your new kitten, you will want to select a shampoo specific to not only kittens but your kitten’s coat and skin needs as well. Consult your breeder or veterinarian about your cat’s needs. We layout the different varieties of cat shampoo and what they do to help your kitten’s skin and coat.

Three Different Skin Types

Cat shampoos usually come in three varieties; normal, greasy, or dried-out skin types. If your kitten has dry skin, find a shampoo that contains aloe and or oatmeal. Both of these ingredients are natural soothers and can help dry skin. If your cat has oily skin, find a shampoo that is “anti-microbial.” This will help break up the oil and provide a thorough cleansing. Prepare to pay quite a bit more for your cat’s shampoo than you do your own. Cat shampoo is specialized and will last a long time since frequent bathing of your kitten is discouraged. Too often, bathing your kitty can interfere with the oils in your cat’s coat and make for dry, itchy skin.

Special Purpose Shampoos

Besides shampoo for different skin types, there are also many different special-purpose shampoos your kitten may need. Some shampoos cater to a certain medical condition, climate, or specific allergy. Medical shampoos can remedy bacterial and yeast infections, itching, odor, greasiness, scaling, and kill mites. Consult your veterinarian or retail associate on what types of shampoo that they recommend if your kitten has one of these issues.

Scented Shampoos & Irritation

Groomers sometimes recommend avoiding shampoos that have a heavy scent or perfume in them. You may love the smell of it. However, the chemicals that create that scent could be detrimental to your cat’s respiratory system due to their much better and acute sense of smell. Many cat shampoos also come in a ‘tearless’ formulation which, as the name describes, will not irritate your cat’s eyes as much as a normal formulation should they get it in their eyes.