“Can You Bath Cats?”: Joburg Woman Washing Her Cat Goes Viral as Pet Cries Through the Entire Bath

• A Johannesburg cat mom shared footage of herself bathing her cat, Kemiso, who cried throughout the entire process while trying to escape the tub
• The woman kept reassuring her cat that it needed to be clean and smell like lavender, scrubbing its coat with pet shampoo as it protested loudly
• The video went viral with 3.4 million views and over 300,000 reactions, with viewers shocked by how much the cat sounded like a crying human baby

A Johannesburg woman has left millions of viewers both amused and concerned after sharing footage of herself bathing her cat. The video, posted by @naomi.kekana on 5 October 2025, shows exactly why bath time is such a struggle.

In the clip, the woman speaks calmly to her cat Kemiso, telling it to stop crying and sit down while she washes it. The cat, however, has other plans - crying loudly and constantly trying to escape the tub throughout the entire bath.

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The cat mom asks, "Where are her hands?" before grabbing them to wash properly. All the while, Kemiso protests with loud cries that sound disturbingly similar to a human baby. The woman continues unfazed, stating that her cat needs to be washed, needs to be golden, and needs to look good.

She applies pet shampoo, saying Kemiso should smell like lavender, then scrubs the cat's body and bottom feet. When she tries to wash other parts, the cat attempts to run off, but she holds it down and continues washing while it cries.

Eventually, she tells Kemiso they're done, but the cat still tries to escape. She rinses off the shampoo from its coat while trying to calm it down, then asks one of her children who's recording to hand her a towel. She then tells Kemiso that it's done, smells very nice, and is pretty.

Viewers shocked by cat's human-like cries

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The video sparked massive discussion about cats and bathing:

@Siba noticed:

"The search being 'are cats allowed to bathe' is finishing me."

@ulani_keyz loved it:

"Black people with pets are my favourite thing on TikTok."

@geanoh was confused:

"For a second, I thought the cat was talking."

@Khanya questioned:

"Another reason I am not fond of cats... Why does Kemiso sound like a human baby?"

@opeie joked:

"I know a guy named Kemiso, and he also doesn't like bathing."

@Kgalalelo repeated:

"Why does Kemiso sound like a HUMAN BABY, hle?"

@chichinel0 stated:

"My Venda beliefs won't let me own or like cats."

Do cats actually need baths?

According to Texas A&M University, cats generally don't need to be bathed by their owners. Their behaviour to self-clean makes bathing unnecessary, which most owners are thankful for. Cats only need help if they have obesity, arthritis, or medical conditions preventing proper self-cleaning.

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Content creator @naomi.kekana may not have needed to bathe Kemiso at all. Experts say a good brushing is usually enough unless there are specific hygiene concerns. Bathing can actually damage the cat-owner relationship, causing behavioural trauma that affects the bond between them.

Adult cats who haven't had baths before can find the experience traumatic, leading them to lash out, bite and scratch. The only exception is hairless Sphynx cats, which need bathing every one to two weeks as part of routine skin care. For most cats, their habits mean bath time should be a rare experience.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Other viral animal stories

• Briefly News recently reported on a tiger that caught a veterinarian through a fence, but what happened during the big cat's attempt had people questioning the vet's safety at work.
• An Afrikaner man's dangerous mistake with an ostrich amused South Africans, but what happened after he lost his grip on the bird's neck had viewers left in suspense.
• A Zimbabwe tour guide showed charging elephants forcing people to rush to safety, but what viewers questioned about why people were so close had everyone agreeing with the warning.

Source: Briefly News