Drying them out after the wash

I just finished bathing Lulu, and now I am stuck at the end of the process. She is a 7-year-old dsh, so she is not the most tolerant of wet fur, and I have noticed she gets hairballs more often when she is stressed or grooming excessively.

I am not comfortable using a standard blow dryer. The noise alone seems to spike her heart rate, and the heat feels too intense for her skin. I tried a regular bath mat to hold her, but she slipped and that made her even more anxious. I need a way to get her dry without the high heat or the loud noise, but I am not sure what the best alternative is that still works effectively.

Oh, I completely understand the hesitation with the dryer. Smudge is 9 now and he hates everything about the process, especially the sound. For me, the biggest thing is the environment. I make sure there are no drafts in the room before I even start. If the air is moving, the cat chills, and then the drying process takes forever and they get shivering.

I use a really thick, plush towel and just do the squeeze method. It is slow, but it works. Have you tried that? Or do you find the towel gets too heavy and wet?

Thick towels are good but they stay wet. I use a microfiber towel for Mittens. It pulls the water out of the fur much faster than cotton. Since she is 8 and a bit heavy, I also use a low-heat setting on a fan, not a dryer. Just a regular box fan on the lowest setting to circulate the air. It makes a difference in how long she sits there shivering.

Also, check out what towel you use for drying for more specifics on the fabric types. I wrote that up because I was tired of buying the wrong kind of towels from the store.

The fan idea is interesting, mikej64. I do have a small desk fan that I could try. I am worried about the noise though, even if it is low. Lulu is very observant, and if she senses the change in the air pressure or the vibration of the fan, she might panic.

CarolInOhio, the squeeze method is what I have been doing, but Lulu is a 7-year-old dsh with a denser coat than a typical shorthair. It seems to take an hour. Is there a way to speed that up without the heat?

I am so stressed about this. I have Loki who is a 1-year-old bengal and he is everywhere. He jumps off the mat and runs. I use a hairdryer on the lowest, lowest setting, but even that makes him hiss. I feel like I am doing something wrong because I read that high heat can cause skin issues.

I saw a thread about if this redness is normal or a reaction and I am now paranoid that I am drying him too hot. But if I don't dry him, he gets cold. I just want to know if the fan method is safe? Does the airflow irritate the skin if it is not warm?

I think the fan might be the way to go, but I need to make sure the surface is secure. I remember reading about non-slip surfaces reducing anxiety in grooming my anxious boy without a fight. I have a yoga mat in the bathroom. Would that be better than the bath mat? I want to make sure she does not slide when the fan is on.

Yoga mats work well for the grip. I use one for Smokey when he is having bad days. Just make sure it is not too slippery on the bottom. As for the airflow, room temperature air is fine. It is not like a human hair dryer that blasts 100 degrees. It just moves the moisture away. If she is shivering, she is cold, and the fan will help stop that faster than a towel alone.