I have to wear gloves and a mask because of the way it keeps trying to swipe me.

Why can't the cat just relax and enjoy its bath?

while it's true that cats don't typically need baths, i used to have a cat that loved to roll in dirt and sometimes mud. so i had to bathe her anyway. while dogs love splashing around in water, and it can be used as a reward for them, picture any nature movie you've seen. the cat perches gingerly at the edge of the water and lightly laps it up to get a drink. it's instinctual for them to avoid water. fur retains water, while hair dries very quickly.
so unless the cat is caked with dirt, let her clean herself. that's how it should be. but if it's bad, just make sure the water is a comfortable temperature (it should be cooler than what you like. that's too hot for a kitty), and keep any soaps and shampoos away from her face, head and ears. you can clean those with a warm damp cloth if you need to.
good luck. you'll need it. :)

Because cats don't like to get their fur wet.

Duh.

cats dont like water, everyone knows this

Lols. because cats dont like water and they clean themselve by licking themselve. but clean them once in a while. (; hehes. just be gentle to it . lols

Cats and water don't mix. I've tried to give my cats baths and let me just say it doesn't end pretty for me.

Cats don't like water because it's something completely abnormal to them. If you can imagine the frequency you give yourself a shower, and giving your cat a bath, you'll understand why they don't like getting wet. It might also be because the water itself is uncomfortable during and after the bath, since the fur seems to retain a lot of water after, unlike humans where it mostly drips off.

One who foolishly believes a cat needs a water bath should wear a full suit of armor, have a first aid kit handy, and perhaps even a paramedic on stand-by.

well, cats have a natural fear of water, and is very hard to get over that fear, it's like someone with a fear of heights, cats in the wild don't take baths, also when people say cats bath them selfs they don't do it to be clean they do it because they get static, and also they think that they are going to drown.

Cats and baths don't mix. That's why they lick themselves with their warm, rough toungues. Which are actually really clean. Something about the abrasion and the heat killing germs.

You don't have to worry about giving it a bath, cats will give themselves their own baths.

Stoney, Rocki, Nickel, and Sam

its not that anything is wrong with the cat its just that all cats hate water and when you give them a bath they get really uncomfortable and hiss howl like you said!

sincerely, vicky :)

Hi!
Cats do NOT need to be bathed. They clean themselves constantly and thoroughly with no help from us at all. They are some of the cleanest animals on Earth!
One reason is that it's instinctive in the wild (where they came from) to hide their scent from predators as much as possible. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Leave the poor thing to its own devices---it is perfectly capable! Otherwise, you'll have a pet who's afraid of you, and what fun is that??

life experience, a lot of reading, and especially by observing the cat's behaviors (which are fascinating).