the Internet knows, surely

[rm]

What's harder, washing cats or herding cats?

Discuss.

Comments

[missdeanna.livejournal.com]

I have been fortunate to never have to attempt cat washing.

Herding is difficult with my lot. One is fine with being picked up and moved about. The other two...well. One does as he's told, but he won't do it quietly, so he cusses me out while he walks. I never knew that there was a meowing equivalent of cussing until this little guy. The other one is smarter. She's figured out how to run and hide to escape herding. And if she's caught, she knows how to make herself like a wet noodle and slip away. Food is her one weakness, though, so treats will usually draw her out of hiding.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

They are both difficult. But herding cats you don't get as scratched up as you do when washing cats.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

This post rules.

I have nothing more to say.

[little-iago.livejournal.com]

Herding cats involves a great deal of frustration. Washing cats involves a great deal of bleeding. I'll tentatively stick with herding. But I must say, this sounds like the most awesome "The Amazing Race" detour ever!

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Herding, definitely. My cat does not mind baths (he's very strange), but getting him to do something he doesn't wish to do is impossible. Hence the detailing of epic Pill Battles in my LJ.

[realtsunamigirl.livejournal.com]

Well, if you already have your hands (hopefully clad in heavy leather and metal gauntlets) on the cat in question, I'll have to say washing is easier; not much fun but easier. Especially since herding cats implies that you are dealing with more than one feline and that automatically increases the difficulty rating on any cat-related activity by an exponential power for each additional moggy in the mix.

In addition I have managed to bathe a cat on several memorable, soaking, and bloody occassions, whereas I have never managed to get more than two cats running or even leisurely meanrdering in the right direction in the same

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

Washing cats is harder. My Birmin is a two person job requiring protective gloves and heavy padding. Herding is easy if the cats like and trust you and you know cat psychology. I routinely herd all four of them several times qa night. Herding strange cats is harder than herding known cats and requires a bit of cat body language knowledge and depending on the number of cats, a partner. Of course, I used to also successfully herd middle schoolers in large groups, which requires many of the same skills. ;)

[lyorn.livejournal.com]

Depends on the cats, and on your strategy. Washing a cat with a warm, damp, wrung half-dry towel is a lot easier than washing them in a bowl of cold water. Herding depends on having somethin Very Intersting for them to follow. Whether you fail or succeed, herding them is less likely to result in bloodshed.

[hyrkanian.livejournal.com]

Cats have to have mobility to be herded. Allowing the cat any control over the situation whatsoever results in failure of the human's objective. Therefore I say washing is easier because Ye Olde Towel Burrito Method removes most of the cat's control in the situation.

Although there is the interesting possibility of using a spray bottle to make cats leave from areas they are not allowed to occupy, to the extent that the cats end up soaking wet. This would accomplish both at once. :)

[angstzeit.livejournal.com]

Herding cats is harder. Washing cats is more dangerous.

[contentlove.livejournal.com]

If you think of it as enticing, rather than herding, it's pretty easy to get cats to *do stuff*. Washing them, that's a different story. There are exceptions to the rule, but almost nothing entices a cat into water. Even warm water.

[aviv-b.livejournal.com]

washing! Though one of my cats doesn't mind getting wet, its the drying off that creates hysteria.

As for herding - hey I just yell dinner and its a stampede into the kitchen.

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

Back when I was living in Florida, I remember that my neighbors’ attempt to herd a single cat resulted in catastrophic failure (involving claw-inflicted injuries and a misdirected bucket of water), but they ultimately took their vengeance by washing the recaptured feline. However, that is only a single data a point.

[nysidra.livejournal.com]

Herding.

We wash ours in the shower peacefully and in tandem.
Even blow dry and brush them after.

Herding? Maybe if you carry a plate of wet food overhead....

[random-girl.livejournal.com]

In the tech industry, project managers use the term "herding cats" to mean managing developers. Reading your initial query, I got a horrible image of me trying to wash those developers (even though some of them probably do need some hygiene tips from time to time) and shivered. So, um. Don't want to contemplate washing those cats, herding is hard enough.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

oh brr, bathing developers! At least most of them are declawed, but they bite, and they don't lick themselves clean regularly.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

My best friend is a professional cat worker who bathes cats in people's homes (that is, with her own gear, but in their bathtub).

While she is a smart cookie who gives a free nail trim with every bath (trim claws first, then bathe monster), I think she'd still say that bathing a cat is probably harder, especially without training; or at least more likely to inflict injury as part of the failure process.

But it may depend on how many cats you are bathing/herding.

[blucrowlaughing.livejournal.com]

washing, though if there is a herding wet cats option that wins.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Herding. Washing can occur in a confined area.

[awils1.livejournal.com]

My kitty must be the oddest little thing---she's a Bombay breed, and is an angel to bath. She yowls a little, but as long as the water is nice and warm, she'll put up with it, and will be towel dried without fuss.

So, imho, herding cats is harder.