When you have run out of cat shampoo and you need to give your cat a quick bath, you may think of using the dove soap that you use on your cat too to bathe him as an alternative to cat shampoos. But since all kinds of soaps/shampoo/cleaning products aren’t suitable for cats, you may wonder to know whether you can use dove soap on your cat to bathe it or not.
So, without any more delay let us look into the explanations to learn the answers.
Can I Use Dove Soap on My Cat?
Dove soaps can’t be used on cats because humans’ skins and cats’ skins have different pH levels. So if dove soap is used on cats, it will strip off the natural and vital body oil produced by cats’ skins, while leaving their furry coat dry and flaky which may cause itchy, irritating skin conditions.
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It might raise a question in your mind that can you use Dove soap bars, Dove unscented soaps, Dove sensitive soaps, or Dove body wash to clean your cat or not.
Therefore, the facts are explicitly and individually described for each type of Dove soap below.
Dove Unscented Soap:
There are Dove unscented soaps for both adults and babies. As long as, you are using the fragrance-free baby Dove soap on your cat to bathe him, it’s relatively safe because baby Dove unscented soap is more gentle than the Dove unscented soap for adults.
However, still, it’s not 100% ideal to use Dove unscented soap on your cat even it’s the baby dove soap.
Dove Body Wash:
Dove body wash is basically designed for using on human bodies, instead of cats, and the chemicals used for making it are also suitable for human skin only, rather than cats. Thereby, you can’t use Dove body wash on your cat to clean it.
Moreover, Dove body wash has moisturizers that are hard to wash out from a cat’s coat which is another reason why you should never use Dove body wash on your cat.
Dove Bar Soap:
You absolutely can’t use Dove bar soap to bathe/clean your cat because the pH level of Dove bar soap is balanced for only human skin, not for cats or dogs. Thus, if you use Dove bar soap on your cat’s skin, it will strip off the essential oils that are naturally produced by a cat’s skin to nourish the skin. And will leave dry and flaky skin behind that may cause itching and further infection.
Dove Sensitive Soap:
Dove sensitive soap is also designed for humans with sensitive skins, thus, the chemicals are only suitable for people with sensitive skins and the pH level is also balanced for human skins. As a result, it’s certainly not suitable for a cat’s skin and you should never use the Dove sensitive soap on your cat’s skin.
Is Dove Soap Toxic To Cats?
Dove soap is fairly highly toxic to cats because this soap is designed and made with ingredients that only suit human skins and clean human skins, not cats. Besides the pH level of Dove soap is also balanced for human skin only, not a cat’s skin.
When you will be using a dove soap on a cat’s skin, it will strip away all the natural oil from the cat’s body while leaving a dried-out flaky skin that will irritate the cat badly.
Moreover, if the cat ingests any leftover soap chemical residue while licking its body after a bath, it will surely face breathing difficulties as well as will be affected by congestion. So, all the way, Dove soap is just toxic to cats.
2 Reasons Why You Cannot Use Dove Soap On A Cat
There are 2 major reasons that explicitly clarify why it’s impractical and adverse to use Dove soap on a cat, read below to find our detailed explanations.
Different pH Levels:
Every human soap regardless of Dove is manufactured with a particular pH level that usually ranges between pH 6 to pH 8. However, cat soap or any other animal soap’s pH level ranges between pH 4.5 to pH 6.5. And due to such a difference between the pH levels of human soaps and cat soaps, it’s absolutely inappropriate to use Dove soap on a cat’s body to wash it.
Besides, human skin tends to be weakly acidic, thus, Dove or any other soaps are made with such raw materials which balance out the pH level. Thus, it’s not manufactured keeping a cat’s skin in mind and can be too alkaline or too acidic for a cat’s skin that surely will cause severe skin irritation.
So know that, if you use Dove soap on your cat’s skin regularly or even just once out of urgency, it will make the cat’s skin very dry and flaky which will lead to continuous itching or worse, skin infections.
Harmful Chemicals:
Dove soap is made with some specific chemicals as well as essential oils that are meant for rejuvenating human skin only, not cats. Therefore, if a cat ingests those chemicals, it will face severe health issues.
Cats lick themselves almost all the time, so when you are using a Dove soap on a cat, it’s ingesting all those soap residues left on its coat. Thereby, ingesting those essential oils will cause the kitty breathing issue and congestion. Plus, it may not be good for the cat’s internal organs as well.
Thus, don’t use Dove soap on a cat ever.
What Soap Is Safe For Cats? What Can I Use To Wash My Cat?
Cat special soap such as Espree Natural Silky Show Cat Shampoo, Burt’s Bees For Pets Hypoallergenic Shampoo With Shea Butter And Honey, and John Paul Oatmeal Shampoo For Dogs And Cats are the safest options for your cats and you can use any of them to wash your cat.
Castile soap is also a relatively safe soap to use on cats.
What Happens When You Use Dove Soap On A Cat?
When you are using Dove soap on a cat, it will strip all the essential oil from its body that a cat produces to keep its skin protected and nurtured. As a result, the cat will stretch its body due to having a super dry skin which can lead to a skin infection.
Also, if the cat ingests the leftover soap chemical residues, it will go through breathing issues.
What Can I Use To Wash My Cat If I Don’t Have Cat Shampoo?
You can follow any of these 6 alternatives to cat shampoo/soap that are listed below.
Baby Shampoo:
You can use baby shampoo because baby shampoos are made with much gentler formula than adult shampoos and no harmful chemicals are used to make baby shampoos, besides, it’s fragrance-free and. Thereby, baby shampoos are suitable to use on a cat’s delicate skin.
Use a little amount of a baby shampoo only during a case of emergency.
Dawn Dish Soap:
Dawn dish shampoo is widely used by animal rescue centers to remove oil from animals affected by environmental pollution, thus, it would work well for washing your cat too if it is too dirty, or covered in oily gunk.
But except for Dawn dish shampoo, other dish soap brands are not recommended to use on your cat because might be harmful to them
Castile Soap:
Castile shampoos have olive oil as the key ingredient, thus, it’s a good alternative to cat shampoo for cats with very dry skin as Castile soap is going to work gently on their skin making it hydrated too. Besides, it’s safe to use Castile soap on your cat is well-rinsed.
Baking Soda:
You can use baking soda to dry wash your cat as baking soda works as a waterless cat shampoo. So it will clean dirt and remove foul smells from your cat without the requirement of using any water.
Pet Wipes:
If you have pet wipes at home, you can use these wipes too to clean your cat and it will work as a good cat shampoo alternative too. Because pet wipes are made with almost the same ingredients as a common pet shampoo or cat shampoo, so it’s not harmful to cats.
Homemade Oatmeal Shampoo:
You can also make a homemade oatmeal shampoo as an alternative just by mixing a cup of oatmeal and a cup of baking soda with 4 cups of clean water. Then lather the mixture on your kitty’s coat and massage with your fingers. Keep for 5 minutes and then rinse your cat well with lukewarm water.
Final Thoughts
Dove soap is designed and made for human skins, and the pH levels of humans’ skins and cats’ skins are totally different, thus, Dove soap can’t be used on a cat’s skin to clean it. Besides, using Dove soap on a cat’s skin will make its skin dry and flaky by stripping off all-natural oil of its body.