is it ok to shower a 3 week old kitten?

Do you have the mother to the kitten? If so, NO, the mother will clean the kitten. If she hasn't cleaned it for a while, give her a little more time, and if she continues to refuse to clean it for some reason, you can wipe it down extremely gently with a warm, wet wash cloth, but DON'T submerge the kitten in water or put it in the shower!!!

If you don't have the mother to the kitten, you can do the same thing. Wipe it down with a warm, wet wash cloth, and please make sure to be incredibly gentle. Three week old kittens are very delicate!!!

PS: If you don't have the mother to the kitten, I really hope that you're bottle feeding it milk replacer? Kittens of that age should still be drinking their mothers milk or at least a milk replacer.

A wash cloth soaked in warm water and wrung out so it is barely dripping is acceptable, dry the kitten with a hand towel after wards. Otherwise no you can not take a three week old kitten in the shower with you or even in the bath safely.

Hope this helped. Gentle with the little one and make sure to clean the genitals, eyes, and ears really well (a separate corner for each is preferred).

Please ignore the people claiming that all cats hate water, I've owned many cats and known many cats that LOVE the water. Even my Blind Cat loves bathes.

NO - they are not able to regulate body temps at that age. The YOUNGEST you should attempt a short bath is 6 weeks old and be very careful to dry them quickly so they do not chill. Only reason to wash that young is if they are outside kittens and you need to get them clean when you bring them in (like barn kittens).

Otherwise my kittens don't get baths (they are show cats) till they are 3-4 months old for the first bath.

Unless it is unavoidable I would try to wait until the kittens are weaned. Mommy cats don't like you to change the way their kittens smell, so if it is unavoidable don't use anything but water.

You should already know that cats hate baths & water, but if you do it right, you can get your cat used to baths. What I'd suggest is that you do it in a sink, with no water in the bottom of the sink. Wet the cat down with warm water, apply shampoo, massage and rise, then dry with a towel. The best thing is to make the wash process as fast as possible and then make the drying process a bonding experience, showing the cat your love for them.

nope