Teaching Mickey to Be Calm Around Water

Mickey came to us as a five-month-old Persian kitten, and I'll be honest: I did not expect to be the one teaching him anything about water. Persians are not known for loving it, and his long coat gets heavy and sad when it's wet. Our vet suggested getting him used to shallow water early, so we started with a few centimetres of lukewarm water in the bathroom sink and a towel under his feet.

The first week he complained the whole time. I kept sessions to about five minutes, always ended with a treat, and never tried to lift him into deeper water. We never left him alone near any water at all. Slowly he stopped scrambling and started sitting still, paws tucked under, with his chin up like a tiny grumpy captain.

He is not a swimmer and never will be, and that's fine. The goal was never a pool. It was a cat who doesn't panic when a bath is needed, and that is what we have now.