Bathe the cat? Are you nuts?

Cats - especially shorthaired ones - generally do a pretty good job of keeping themselves well-groomed. If you have an allergy sufferer in the house, though, a weekly bath (or just a rinse with clean water) will help to keep the allergen levels to more manageable levels.

And, of course, if your cat gets into something he can't safely clean off himself, he'll need a bath.

If your cat won't cooperate, take a firm hold on the nape of your cat's neck and hang on tightly. Working as quickly as you can, wet your cat, lather, rinse, condition and then rinse again, thoroughly. Wrap your cat snugly in a "kitty burrito" to dry him with the towel, and then set him down in a way to minimize injury to you both and let him stalk off to reclaim his dignity and plot his revenge.

Both of my cats get weekly bathing because of my allergies. They don't like being bathed, but they tolerate it pretty well because I started with them as kittens.