Find the Perfect Cat Shampoo for Dogs: Gentle & Effective Options!

Okay, so the other day I noticed my dog, Buster, was looking a little… well, dingy. He'd been rolling around in who-knows-what, and his usual dog shampoo just wasn't cutting it. I was out of his regular stuff anyway, and all I had on hand was my cat, Mittens', shampoo. I figured, "Hey, shampoo is shampoo, right?" Wrong!

But, I was desperate. So, I went for it. I grabbed Mittens' shampoo – it was some fancy, all-natural, oatmeal-infused concoction. I figured it couldn't hurt, right? Plus, it smelled pretty good, like vanilla and… something else I couldn't quite place.

The Bathing Process

• First, I lured Buster into the bathroom with a treat. He's a big baby when it comes to baths.
• Then, I wet him down. He gave me his usual sad-eyed look.
• Next, I squirted a generous amount of the cat shampoo into my hands and started lathering him up. It foamed up pretty nicely, I'll give it that.
• Buster seemed a little confused by the smell, but he tolerated it. He's a good boy, mostly.
• I made sure to really work the shampoo into his fur, especially around his paws and that spot behind his ears he can't reach.
• I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. It takes time to clear the shampoo.

After the bath, I towel-dried him as best I could. He immediately ran around the house like a maniac, shaking water everywhere, of course. Classic Buster.

Once he finally calmed down, I took a good look at him. His fur was definitely cleaner, but… it was also kind of… poofy. Like, really poofy. He looked like a giant cotton ball. And he smelled strongly of vanilla. He didn't smell bad, just… different. Not like a dog, that's for sure.

I checked the ingredients on the cat shampoo bottle again, just to be safe. Nothing alarming. But I definitely won't be using it on Buster again. Lesson learned: dog shampoo and cat shampoo are NOT interchangeable. At least, not if you want your dog to look and smell like, well, a dog.