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Joy

Jennifer Garner attempting to bathe her cat is 100% relatable to cat owners

It’s usually not recommended to bathe cats, but Moose had an “issue” that required intervention.

Jennifer Garner/Instagram

Cats generally do not appreciate humans bathing them.

One of the biggest differences between being a cat owner and a dog owner is that cats are experts at grooming themselves. While dogs require regular bathing, cats don't—in fact, it's generally recommended that you don't bathe kitties for non-medical reasons because it can dry out their skin and disrupt the cat-owner relationship.

(For real, if you didn't know this about cats, barring any health issues, they are meticulously clean and their fur actually smells good, even up close. Some cats have a mild cologne-like scent that's quite pleasing, and they do it all by themselves.)

However, occasionally something might happen that requires a human to bathe a cat. When it does, it's an adventure, as Jennifer Garner hilariously demonstrated in a video on her Instagram page for National Pet Day.

It seems that her cat, Moose, had a bit of a poo issue, which Garner doesn't elaborate much on but that required some assistance to remedy. That assistance involved a bath—or sink shower in this case—which many cats aren't too keen on. Despite the viral videos showing cats who mysteriously love the bathtub, most domesticated cats don't, and they will let you know it in the only way they know how.

For Moose, that message was sent by climbing out of the sink and onto his owner mid-scrub, creating a scenario that left Garner asking aloud, "What's to be done? What would my mom do?!?"

Watch:

The helplessness of having a cat clinging to you for dear life is real. You don't want to pull them off because they'll just dig their claws in further, and when they climb up over your shoulder, you don't have any leverage to do anything with them anyway. It's definitely not a one-person job to try to bathe a cat who doesn't want to be bathed.

According to Britannica, most domesticated cats hate water because wet fur is uncomfortable and it takes a long time to dry. There's also the totally not-backed-by-science possibility that cats simply find the prospect of being bathed offensive. After all, they spend a large chunk of their waking hours cleaning themselves—how dare we measly humans suggest they aren't doing a good enough job of it?

Along with encouraging her to get her wounds cleaned and treated well, as cat scratches can be dangerous, people weighed in on the video with some hilarious commentary.

"I'm pretty sure Moose would have killed you if you'd gotten to the conditioner," wrote one person.

"I think the conditioner would have tipped Moose over the edge," agreed another.

"That cat went straight for the carotid. Much like my toddler when I suggested she put pants on this morning," joked another.

"You are so brave! Also, this was a tad reminiscent of Buddy the Elf trying to hug that raccoon, 😂" offered another.

All in all, Moose's bath could have gone worse. There are actually some ways to make a cat bath a bit more pleasant—and safe—for everyone involved. The ASPCA recommends these five steps for bathing a cat:

1. Prep Your Cat – If you're wondering how to keep a cat calm while bathing, it can be helpful first to get your cat used to being in the sink or tub—try putting them in without water, giving them a few treats, and then lifting them out. If possible, you can do this several times in the days before you plan to give your cat a bath to help things go smoother.

2. Add Cat to Water – Put a few inches of lukewarm water in the sink or tub and place your cat gently inside. Keep your cat calm by talking soothingly and praising them for good behavior. (I know, easier said than done!)

3. Wet Your Cat Down – Wet your cat's body and tail while avoiding the face. Most cats don't like water in their face, and you'll definitely want to avoid upsetting your soaked kitty.

4. Lather and Rinse – Add the shampoo, lather, and rinse your cat thoroughly. Try not to leave any soap residue behind, which can irritate your cat's skin.

5. Clean the Face – Use the soft cloth to wipe off your cat's whiskered face carefully. You can also clean the outside of the ears with a cotton ball. Never use a Q-tip or other instrument to clean the inside of your cat's ears, which could cause injury.

Garner's poopy bath adventures with Moose is prime evidence that cat ownership is never boring. You can follow Jennifer Garner for more relatable cat mom fun on Instagram.

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Joy

Airbnb cat serves as Appalachian Trail guide for guests, earning nickname 'the concierge'

Cinamen will even warn people when they're straying from the path.

Sebastian S. Cocioba/X (used with permission)

Cinamen makes sure guests don't get lost on the trail.

Imagine going out for a hike along the Appalachian Trail when you find yourself accompanied by an orange tabby cat, who not only walks along with you but lets you know when you've strayed off the beaten path.

That's what happened to Sebastian Cocioba when he and his partner stayed at an Airbnb in Phillipstown, New York.

"Went with my partner upstate and the AirBnB host's cat took us for a guided hike along the Appalachian trail," he wrote on X. "Apparently this is what she does with every guest. She would complain when we took a wrong turn off the trail and knew the way back."

"Amazing cat," he added. "Would apocalypse with."

What Cocioba didn't know at the time was that the cat wasn't a she but a he. He's 8 years old, his name is Cinamen, and according to his owner, Trisha Mulligan, this is just what he does.

“I call him the concierge, because he just loves people,” Mulligan told Backpacker magazine. “You know, each color, they have different personalities. And there’s something about an orange cat that’s very social, and we have a very social cat.”

Other guests have left reviews sharing their adventures with Cinamen and some have shared with Mulligan how he kept them from getting lost on the trail. Some people even return to the Airbnb just to have Cinamen be their trail guide.

“There’s this one guy, this Russian guy who comes back regularly. He never leaves reviews, but he always sends me pictures—he’s a photographer—and he books because he wants to be with Cinamen and he wants to do the trail with Cinamen,” said Mulligan.

Of course, Cinamen is a cat, and in typical cat fashion, he cannot be coerced into anything. Mulligan said that he comes by his guiding behavior naturally—no training involved—but there's no guarantee that he's going to join anyone on a hike. (Or that he's going to refrain from judging you if you go too slow, as Cocioba can attest with his "camera roll full of judgment.")

People love the idea of having a cat as a tour guide.

"Pretty sure the cat is the host there," wrote one person.

"Please drop the bnb so I can book them for a year just me n the travel cat," wrote another.

"That cat was originally a human and is desperately seeking for one of the guest to take a hint and complete the necessary ritual to transform it back," shared another.

Even Airbnb weighed in with "the purrfect trail guide."

Some people shared that they've had similar experience with Airbnb host's pets in other places.

"My daughter and her bffs had the same experience with their AirBnB's dog! Apparently the dog is the unofficial tour guide and person herder--not only did she lead them to a couple of cool waterfalls but she kept everyone together and not wandering off," shared one commenter.

"My family & I once went for a walk and were joined by Labrador who'd been at end of his driveway," wrote another. "We weren't sure of route and ended up following the dog. We did a full circular walk back to the dog's house. Later met the owner who said dog often did this when he fancied a walk."

"I remember when we toured kasteel de haar in the netherlands, there was a cat who toured us around the grounds too," shared another.

Perhaps that should be a new feature hosts can tout on their Airbnb listings: "Pet tour guide provided." Judging by people's responses to Cinamen, it could be a big draw.

You can find Cinamen's listing on Airbnb here.


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Woman shows cat 'the trenches' after he misbehaves in comedic video

"Scared Straight: Cat Edition!!!"

Erik Mclean|Canva, Darkmoon Art|Canva, Muhammed Dinç|Canva

Woman shows her misbehaving cat to 'the trenches'

You always hear about a "bad dog," giving the furry goofballs a reputation for getting into mischief, but what about bad cats. Not all cats are angels just lounging around the house until someone gives them food while fanning them with a giant palm leaf. Some cats have a sketchy "catigree" and every once in a while they let that wild streak show. When that happens, what is a cat owner to do?

A cat mom that goes by the user name Lambo Licia on Instagram posted a video showing exactly how she gets her cat in line when he's misbehaving. No, it's not with a spray bottle. She shows him what life is like in "the trenches." You know, the area of town where homeless cats roam and cat burglars have real whiskers and thumbs that don't work, leaving a strange fish smell wherever they lurk.

If Scared Straight: Cat Edition was an actual thing, Mega, the orange tabby would be the first to turn his life around. He looks absolutely petrified from all of the unruly cat behavior he sees out the window and his mom's commentary.

"You be in the kitchen begging me for food. You see those cats over there? They ain't eat at all, they ain't eat at all. There's cats out here struggling and you stressing me at home like I don't feed you," Licia pretends to cry to the cat. Commenters can't get enough of Mega being shown the bad side of cat town and share their own ungrateful cat stories.

"I take pictures of the less fortunate cats to show mine how good she really has it. Another cat got in our house and played in her toy bin and she was pissed! I told her some cats don't have toys and she needs to share idc if the neighborhood cat came over. She's been an indoor cat since," one cat mom writes.

"Scared Straight: Cat Edition!!! I’m here for it. You is a Cat of God in a black household… you know better. Now stop this foolishness and be great. My speech to my orange tabby, Toby Jawan Walker," someone else laughs.

"Cat: Wait, they really out here living like this!!! Oh no, take me home now," another commenter jokes.

One thing is for sure, Mega will never forget his ride to the wrong side of town and hopefully will start having a more grateful attitude. Watch the entire video below:

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Joy

Cat who refuses to eat wet food without a side salad has people 'warning' owner

"Next thing you know he’ll be demanding oat milk in his latte."

With permission from Dina Moeller/Instagram

Shaggy has to have his greens with his meal.

Cats have a reputation for being fickle little weirdos, and for good reason. Perhaps your Persian wakes you up every morning by affectionately chewing on your hair. Maybe your tabby has a pet almond that he carries around like a security blanket. Maybe your Maine Coon likes to sleep with his face buried in your shoe.

Since finickiness is an innate feline trait, it shouldn't surprise us to hear about a kitty's particular peculiarity, but it often does. because just when we think we've heard all of the strange things that cats do, someone shares a new one that makes us laugh, scratch our heads and say, "Huh?!"

For instance, meet Shaggy, the cat who won't eat his wet food unless it's accompanied by a side salad.

"Side salad" is not some cute nickname for a kitty treat, by the way—we're talking about a literal salad on an actual salad plate, human being-style.

Witness:

@the_shags2021

#blackcat #housepanthers #funnycat #spoiledcat #pickycat #catseating #healthyeating #becausecats #salads #catsareweird

Shaggy's owner, Dina Moeller, tells Upworthy that he started off life as a feral cat. Now here he is living the bougie life, full-on expecting a fancy, multi-course meal.

The good people of the internet, of course, have had a heyday in the comments, "warning" Moeller about this behavior.

"Actually cats shouldn’t eat sides of salad," wrote one person. "They should not because, long term the cat will end up expecting a candle lit table with a glass of wine and live smooth jazz. You need to be more careful."

"You shouldn’t feed your cats salads," wrote another. "If you do, they may end up becoming baddies and making gym girl/bro thirst trap videos on IG before moving on to becoming health gurus who are only licensed by YTube 😂."

"Don’t do this!! The cat will ingest iron from the leafy greens, become too strong, and take over your entire family (and then the world) 😔," cautioned another.

"Next thing you know he’ll be demanding oat milk in his latte," added another.

Many people joked about Shaggy requesting a wine list and cleansing his palette, while other cat owners chimed in to commiserate with their own kittys' quirks:

"My black cat prefers to drink hot water (not warm), which I have to leave for him on the side of the bathtub every morning. I have no idea how we got there either 😂," shared one person.

"My cat won't eat the dry food if she's not there to see it poured," shared another. "This is fun at 4:30am."

"I have to sit with Tiki while he is eating his wet food and the entire house must be silent. I sneezed during his dinner the other night and ruined his whole meal 😂," shared another.

Many people suggested that Shaggy might have "whisker fatigue" from using the bowl for his wet food and suggested putting it on a flat plate like the salad.

But as Moeller's showed in another video, the whiskers do not appear to be the issue, as Shaggy will go to the fridge and shove his entire face, whiskers and all, into the bag of salad.

@the_shags2021

#catsareweird #blackcats #funnycat #spoiledcat #healthyeating #becausecats #housepanthers ##catsarelife #whiskerfatigue #saladcat #catseating

But it's not just salad that Shaggy craves.

"He steals all my food," Moeller tells Upworthy. "Bagels out of the toaster, fights me for muffins or scones, tries to get cookies out of containers or wrappings! Nothing is safe from his appetite!"

While it's not great for cats to eat too much human food, Moeller has discussed Shaggy's habit with her vet and is cautious about what kind and how much people food he gets. There's only so much you can do with a cat's unique quirks, though—and Shaggy's got plenty of them.

"He’s kind of a cat’s cat and a bit of a punk," says Moeller. "Doesn’t listen. Nothing scares him when he’s determined to do something good, bad or unsafe. Eats the plants when he wants to annoy me or get my attention. He gives me a hard time when I work at my desk past 6:30pm."

Shaggy is quite the talker, too, having "conversations" with Moeller. "He likes to hide behind behind the shower curtain in the bathroom when I’m in there," Moeller adds. "When I call his name and wonder out loud where he is, he will burst out from under it as if to say, 'Here I am!'"

Here's to our cats and all their quirky quirks. You can follow Shaggy on Instagram and TikTok.

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