As much as most cats don’t like water, they have to remain clean and healthy. Cat takes a lot of their time to clean themselves using their tongue. Therefore they don’t need to be washed on a daily basis. In some cases, when they must have a pick some dirty with their coat, those dirty maybe containing some harmful substance with bad smell. You are likely to wash them yourselves. They are leaving you to the question of if you can use a dog shampoo to wash your cat?

Bathing your cat with your dog shampoo could be a bad idea; the result may be dangerous for your kitty depending on the ingredient in the shampoo. Chemicals that are safe for canines are used to make shampoo for dogs, and those chemicals may not be safe for your cat.

Can you use dog shampoo for your cat?

Cats and dogs are different animals, and their reaction to some product differs, a product such as flea-control, permethrin, and others. There are huge differences between shampoos that are made for dogs and cats, and the differences are worth considering for our pets’ safety.

Most shampoos made for dogs contain a substance for fighting fleas; such shampoo is not safe for your cat. Cats coat is more acidic than dog skin. A dog shampoo also contains an insecticide chemical known as permethrin that is poisonous to cats. Suppose your cats accidentally take in the chemical either by swallowing it or inhaling it. In that case, it will lead to a disastrous effect such as muscle contraction, respiratory paralysis, and others, even if the chemical comes in contact with a wound on their skin.

If you notice symptoms such as vomiting, tremors, respiratory stress, diarrhea, and hyper-salivation, then it is a case of pressing need that you consult a veterinary. 

What are the reasons that you should not use dog shampoo on a cat?

Most cats react badly to shampoos that contain tar, selenium sulfide, tea tree oil.

Most dog shampoo contains harmful Insecticides for cats

Insecticides are made differently for dogs and cats. Most dog shampoo contains an ingredient that helps to fight flea such as permethrin insecticide, and they are safe for bathing your dog with, but such ingredient is acidic and toxic to cats.  

Some ingredients such as pyrethrin may not be harmful to your cat, but if your cat takes in a large amount of pyrethrin during the bathing or uses a dog shampoo containing a large amount of pyrethrin, such shampoo may be harmful to your cat.

Most dog shampoo contains Essential oils

Shampoo made for dogs contains essential oils that are extracted from plants. The essential oils may be safe for use in bathing your dog, but it is not safe for your cat.

Cat skins don’t have the needed enzyme to precisely metabolize essential oils, mostly those that are natural. Even if the essential oils are diluted, it can pile up in your cat’s body because a cat’s skin is delicate, making it able to absorb oil (essential oils) until it accumulates to the toxic stage.

Dog shampoo also contains other ingredients that are destructive to a cat

To treat seborrhea, ingredients such as coal tar and selenium sulfide are added in shampoos made for dogs (VIN). Appling such shampoo with those ingredients on your cat’s skin is more like feeding your cat with poison because those ingredients are harmful to cats. In most cases, those ingredients can cause dandruff as a result of dry skin. 

How about using cat shampoo on a dog

Cat’s shampoos are not made of harsh chemicals because cats are well-known for licking their body when bathing. Therefore, using shampoo made for cats to bath your dog may lead to no harmful effect. Still, it is not considered sufficient for proper hygiene because cats have sensitive, thin, and soft skin, and their shampoo is made concerning for their skin, but dog skins need chemical strong enough to cleanse their thick fur.

It is advisable to use the appropriate shampoo for your dog is still the best for proper hygiene.

Cat skin differs from dog skin.

Cat skin is more acidic with a higher pH than a dog skin. Using a cat shampoo that does not have a balanced pH for dogs may be uncomfortable for your pal due to scratching.

Final thoughts

Cats and dogs are animals with different physical features. That is why they have specifically designed shampoo for each. It is best to use shampoos made for cats to wash your feline friend and shampoos made for dogs to bathe your canine friend. Nevertheless, suppose you are to use a dog shampoo for a cat. In that case, it’s advisable to read the instruction, ingredient, and precautions of the shampoo to be sure it does not contain the toxic ingredients discussed above, and also have a close watch on your feline friend for any symptoms.