a) I did not want them to grow up to be as terrified of bath time as their mum is and
b) they were grubby!
I made a shallow warm bath in a washing up bowl, and beside it a deeper bath in my little ‘half-sink’ in which to give them a final rinse.
As I put them into the water they were totally unafraid, immediately putting their heads down to smell it to see if they could identify by sniffing. There followed some little sneezes as they breathed some water into their noses. Some water was tasted too.
Very quickly though they became interested in the world that is outside of the washing up bowl and just as fast I rather regretted my decision to bath all four together as each began their bids for freedom from 4 different directions. Unperturbed I took each kitten in turn and with Dove baby bath wash (other brands are available!) gave them a quick sudsing on the draining board, back into the bowl for a rinse, then a final dip into the clean water before wrapping in a warm dry towel- all done while keeping the siblings safely in place!
Back on dry land, I took each kitten in turn to prize the toenail gunk away (baby-wipes) work best for this and clip their needle-sharp claws. With the adult cats I would make ear cleaning a part of bath time but I’ve decided I will not subject them to ear cleaning quite yet.
