Dish soap is the most convenient element to use to remove greasy stains off the dishes or even clothes, life hacks on the internet even claim it removes impossible stains off of expensive things.
Animal fur, human skin, and dirty dishes are very different surfaces. Using what is safe for one may not be safe for others.
Dish soap is frequently used to bathe the pets in households as it is readily available and seems pretty much harmless, but is it actually safe to do so, especially on feline and furry beings like cats?
Let’s find out.
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Can You Wash A Cat With Dish Soap?
Rarely, or in case of emergency you should turn to dish wash to wash your cat. For regular bathing, you should buy pet shampoo because it is designed for your cat’s fur while a dish wash is not.
Some typical dish wash brands were considered safe for cats but recent studies have even claimed them to be harmful.
Dish soap has strong oil removing capabilities and it can also strip off natural oils on your cat’s fur. This could be harmful to cats and could even give them additional problems like itching, skin infection, etc.
Along with grease removing quality, they also contain synthesized chemicals and parabens which could cause harm to their natural fur and could increase the risk of skin infection.
In the market, you would find different scented dish soaps, they would be soothing to your senses but could overwhelm the kitten.
A cat’s sense of smell is way stronger than that of human beings. The faintest of smells that couldn’t be even felt by humans, a cat would sense it.
Scents like lavender or lemon should be avoided at all costs because, your kitten may not be a comfortable choice for your cat, because it could sense the subtlest of smells.
Thus, using a dish soap may also cause your cat a sensory overload which could stress it out. You should avoid scented dish soap.
As recommended by scientists you should not be using any sort of dish soap, but if you want to do so, you must use soaps that are declared safe.
Dawn is one such brand that is commonly used. Being mild and it contains fewer toxins than other dish soaps it is considered relatively safe to bathe your kittens.
Sometimes dish soap is used to get rid of fleas but dawn would not serve that purpose as it has a relatively less toxic composition which could fail to kill the fleas in your cat’s fur.
Even if you are using dish soap to bath your cat make sure you use a mild, toxin-free, and scentless brand. These days a lot of variety is available around you to serve different purposes they could be having specific chemicals which harm your cat’s skin and fur.
Make sure you clearly read the label if you decide to opt for dish soap for bathing your cat before you buy it.
Can I Use Palmolive To Wash My Cat?
Palmolive is a very famous name in the category of soaps and other soap-based products like shampoos, dish soaps, bath gels, etc.
That even maybe the brand that you use for yourself. But this should not be the first choice to wash your cat’s fur.
Cat’s skin gets easily infected by flea colonies. These flea colonies breed in their fur and cause skin infections.
Palmolive is proven to be effective in killing adult fleas.
But this doesn’t seem to be a positive impact as adult fleas do not make up much of the flea population. Mostly it’s just young fleas and eggs of fleas on cats’ fur which can cause them discomfort.
Palmolive, even if it is used, it just doesn’t do much benefit to the cat.
It can be used in situations of emergency. Imagine if you run out of cat shampoo and due to a reason you cannot get it and your cat is in dire need of a bath.
In the above situation or if you find yourself in a similar position, the use of Palmolive is justified.
But being careless and lazy and regularly using Palmolive or any other dish soap very frequently is not a wise thing to do.
Is Palmolive Safe For My Cats?
Yes, certain toxin-free, scent-free Palmolive dish soaps are safe to use for cats.
But as they say, ‘too much of something is something too harmful.’ Make sure you do not overdo using dish soap on your cat.
Making it a habit could infect the rich fur coat of your cat.
You can use Palmolive sometimes doesn’t mean it is 100% safe.
Dish soaps are designed to be used on dishes, not on your cat’s fur. They are chemically capable of removing dirt and grease from your dishes. This means they would also be capable of stripping your cat of the natural oils that its body produces for its fur.
This would make them defenseless against the fungal and bacterial diseases their body fights with those natural oils.
There is also a safe concoction you should make to get rid of the smell on your cat’s fur coat. It is also made in such a way that it would not harm your cat much.
You should use 3 quarts of 3% hydrogen peroxide, along with ¼ cup baking soda and 1 tsp of Palmolive.
This concentration does not harm your cat fur and it even gets diluted with hydrogen peroxide which even keeps the strong smell of the dish soap a little low.
This way your cat would not even resist bathing even if you use dish soap.
Is Ajax Safe To Use On My Cat?
Ajax is yet another brand of dish soap classified as safe to use on your cat. It is relatively mild and not too harsh on your cat’s fur.
But again you should keep in mind that dish soaps are not designed for cats.
Grooming is a very essential part of a cat’s routine. They typically lick themselves clean, so if you wash them with dish soap the probability that they might ingest it.
This could also result in other health issues due to the intake of chemicals. This is yet another reason you should not bathe your cats with dish soaps.
They are synthesized chemically with compounds unfamiliar to us. Unless you could be sure about the safety of your pet, you should stick to the traditional pet shampoo.
Where Ajax is concerned it is safe to use because it has a neutral pH, so it wouldn’t harm the skin of your cat.
Using excessive dish soap is also not advisable for humans because it is harsh on your skin. So if you are using Ajax it is also safe for your own skin.
This makes Ajax a better option.
New scents may trigger your cat so ensure beforehand that it is scent-free, because even the faintest of smells might overthrow your pet off its senses.
Is Gain Safe To Use On My Cats?
Gain is popular dish soap and a common household name. but it is not termed safe for cats.
Degreasing and drying your cat’s skin is one of the drawbacks of using this soap.
It also supposedly contains harmful chemicals, which could damage your cat. The risk of getting the soap in your cat’s eye while bathing is also concerning.
Cats are a little jumpy while in baths, you need to hold them down and bath them in small spaces for their safety.
If you use dish soap they could swallow it or get it in their eyes. Which could be harmful to the sensitive bodies of your cat.
If you plan to use an alternative for cat shampoo, you should either use dawn dish soap because now it is advised against by experts but is still relatively safe for your cats.
You can also use baking soda, by diluting it as it is also an effective remedy to cleanse and hygienically sanitize your cat’s fur.
Using toxic dish soaps is not what you should be doing because it is very harmful to cats. As they don’t really have much knowledge and they might eat it which could cause detergent poisoning.
Next time you wash your cat with a substance that is not cat shampoo, think of all the things that could go wrong for your cat and even for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What dish soap is safe for my cat?
None, experts advise that none of the dish soaps are safe for cats. If you still want to use dish soap to bathe your cats, you should use Dawn as it is relatively safer than other soaps available on the market.
Why does my cat resist bathing when I use dish soap?
Your cat may be resisting the bath because it may not be liking the smell of the dish soap. It may seem t us that the fragrance of dish wash is pleasing but for the cat, it may be very uncomfortable and strong. This could be a possibility.
What if my cat ingests the dish soap?
If your cat consumes dish soap somehow you should immediately call the vet or make a trip to one. If left uncared for it may cause detergent poisoning in your cat, which could be fatal.
Summary
Dish soaps are essential household commodities, they make it to the grocery list nearly every time. If you are a pet owner you may use it more often than not.
Experts claim this to be an action, one should prohibit. Dish soaps degrease and leave your cat’s skin dry. Their excellent degreasing properties also soak up the natural oils produced by the cat’s skin which could reduce their chances to combat skin-related diseases or infections.
Also, cats could consume dish soap or it could get into their eyes, which could result in detergent poisoning or a trip to the vet.
This causes your cat discomfort and stress, you should go for the traditional method of using pet shampoo.
It may seem easy to use dish soap over pet shampoo but you cannot deny that pet shampoo is a much safer option
