This is why having a waterless shampoo can come in handy; many cats will likely be more accepting of a shampoo that doesn’t need rinsing. We understand how time-consuming shopping can be, though, particularly when your cat is picky about your purchases.
So, here are reviews of eight of the best waterless cat shampoos. Hopefully, you’ll find the right shampoo for you and your cat!
In this article
A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2025
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Best Overall
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Hepper Waterless No Rinse Pet Shampoo |
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Burt’s Bees Waterless Shampoo for Cats |
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John Paul Pet Oatmeal Waterless Foam Shampoo |
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TropiClean Oxymed Waterless Cat Shampoo and Conditioner |
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Vet’s Best Waterless Cat Bath |
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The 8 Best Waterless Cat Shampoos
1. Hepper Waterless No Rinse Pet Shampoo — Best Overall
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 8 oz. |
| Scent: | Cucumber and aloe vera |
Hepper’s Waterless No Rinse Pet Shampoo is the best overall waterless cat shampoo. It helps cleanse and soften your cat’s fur without getting them wet. You just massage in the foam and follow up with a brushing, and you are done!
It’s pH balanced and helps moisturize and nourish your cat’s skin, and it features a refreshing scent of aloe and cucumber. It doesn’t contain harmful ingredients like sulfates, soaps, or synthetic dyes. The only issue with this shampoo is that it’s only available in one size, which might not last long enough for some cat owners.
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest, so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
- Cleanses and softens the coat
- Massage it in and brush it out
- pH balanced to moisturize the skin
- Refreshing scent of aloe and cucumber
- Doesn’t contain harmful ingredients
- Only available in one size
2. Burt’s Bees Waterless Shampoo for Cats
| Type: | Spray |
| Size: | 10 oz. |
| Scent: | Natural |
The best budget waterless cat shampoo is Burt’s Bees Waterless Shampoo for Cats. It contains apple and honey, which nourishes the coat, keeps it super soft, and adds shine. It is pH balanced and 99.8% all-natural without colorants or sulfates. It is also lightly scented and cruelty-free. However, if this spray gets into your cat’s eyes, it might cause irritation.
- Affordable
- Contains apple and honey for softness and shine
- 8% natural without sulfates or colorants
- Cruelty-free
- Lightly scented
- Can cause irritation if it gets into your cat’s eyes
3. John Paul Pet Oatmeal Waterless Foam Shampoo
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 5 oz. |
| Scent: | Almond |
We also like John Paul Pet’s Oatmeal Waterless Foam Shampoo. John Paul is famous for human haircare products and has also developed top-notch pet products, one of which is this foam shampoo for dogs and cats. It’s formulated to remove dirt and oil, which makes it easier to brush out the coat following the shampoo, and it contains oatmeal and aloe to soothe sensitive skin. It leaves the coat soft and smelling clean.
Almond oil has been included, which helps condition the coat and leaves a pleasant scent behind. However, cats are sensitive to smells, and some might not appreciate this product. Plus, it’s pricey compared to many others.
- Formulated to remove oil and dirt
- Contains oatmeal and aloe to soothe skin
- Includes almond oil for conditioning and fragrance
- Leaves the coat soft
- Expensive
- Scent might be too much for some cats
4. TropiClean Oxymed Waterless Cat Shampoo & Conditioner
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 4 oz. |
| Scent: | Light, clean scent |
TropiClean’s Oxymed Waterless Cat Shampoo and Conditioner has an advantage that most other waterless shampoos don’t have. It’s a foam shampoo and conditioner that also acts as hairball relief by reducing excess hair. It has been enriched with blueberry and kiwi, which helps nourish and soften the coat, and is made without harsh chemicals. It’s paraben, sulfate, fragrance, and dye-free, and it’s made in the U.S.
The only issue with this waterless shampoo is that some cats don’t like the sound of the foam coming out of the bottle.
- Offers hairball relief
- Enriched with blueberry and kiwi to nourish the coat
- Paraben, sulfate, fragrance, and dye-free
- Made in the U.S.
- Some cats don’t like the sound of the foam coming out
5. Vet’s Best Waterless Cat Bath
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 4 oz. |
| Scent: | Light and natural |
Vet’s Best Waterless Cat Bath offers a foam shampoo formulated by veterinarians. It includes natural ingredients, including oatmeal, vitamin E, neem oil, and aloe vera, which work together to cleanse and soften the coat and soothe the skin. It also has a gentle and natural scent.
But some people might find the scent a bit strong, and the pump might stop working.
- Formulated by veterinarians
- Made with natural ingredients to soothe skin
- Softens coat
- Has a nice, soft scent
- Some might find the scent strong
- Pump might stop working
6. Bodhi Dog Foaming Dry Pet Shampoo
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 8 oz. |
| Scent: | Apple or lavender |
Bodhi Dog’s Foaming Dry Pet Shampoo comes in two formulas: lavender and oatmeal. This review is about the oatmeal formula. The oatmeal and added coconut are wonderful for soothing sensitive skin, and it doesn’t contain any parabens, detergent, or alcohol, so it’s quite gentle.
It leaves your cat’s coat shiny, soft, and manageable and has a gentle apple scent. But the smell might be a bit much for some cat owners, and it sometimes leaves an oily residue on the coat.
- Available in oatmeal or lavender
- Both versions soothe sensitive skin
- Doesn’t contain harsh chemicals
- Gentle apple or lavender scent
- Scent might be too strong
- Might leave an oily residue
7. Mooncat Waterless Cat Shampoo
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 5 oz. |
| Scent: | Clean and subtle |
Mooncat’s Waterless Cat Shampoo is a foam shampoo that you massage in and follow up with brushing and towel drying. This shampoo is perfect for cats with sensitive skin because it doesn’t contain parabens or alcohol but leaves the coat soft. This is also one of a few waterless shampoos that won’t irritate your cat’s eyes. It leaves a pleasant, clean scent behind.
However, it is relatively expensive, particularly because it comes in a small bottle, and some might find the scent a bit strong. It might also leave a residue on your cat’s coat.
- Great for cats with sensitive skin
- Contains no parabens or alcohol
- Doesn’t irritate eyes
- Leaves a nice, clean scent
- Expensive
- Might leave residue
- The scent might be too strong for some
8. Ark Naturals Don’t Worry Don’t Rinse Me Waterless Cat Shampoo
| Type: | Foam |
| Size: | 18 oz. |
| Scent: | Natural |
The Ark Naturals Don’t Worry Don’t Rinse Me Waterless Cat Shampoo is a foam that you massage into your cat’s coat without the need to brush or towel dry afterward. It helps moisturize and clean the coat and uses natural botanical ingredients, leaving your cat smelling wonderful. The scented ingredients include balsam, rosemary, cedarwood, and orange oils, and it’s made in the U.S.
Unfortunately, there are a few issues with this product. First, the scent can be hit-and-miss for people—some love it, while others think that it is too strongly scented. Additionally, it might leave your cat’s coat greasy or sticky, and the pump can be difficult to use.
- Easy foam that you massage into the coat
- Made with natural botanical ingredients
- Balsam, rosemary, cedarwood, and orange oils smell nice
- Made in the U.S.
- The scent is quite strong
- Might leave the coat sticky or greasy
- Pump might be difficult to use
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Waterless Cat Shampoo
Before you decide, let’s cover a few points about waterless shampoo that might help inform your decision.
Sometimes, a Bath Is Necessary
If your cat gets into something toxic or particularly dirty, they will need a full-on bath. A waterless bath will not remove the substance. In other cases, cats are awesome at cleaning themselves. Waterless shampoos are just designed to freshen up the coat, moisturize the skin, and make your cat smell nice.
Spot Test First
Before you use the shampoo of choice on your cat, you should do a spot test first. Put a tiny amount on one section, such as between the shoulder blades. This way, if you hate the scent (or your cat does) or if they have a reaction to the product, it’s just in that area and can be wiped away.
Decide on Scented or Unscented
The point of waterless shampoos is to freshen the coat and add a nice scent, so there is almost always going to be odor involved. Some cats might not care all that much about the scent, but most cats tend to dislike strong smells. If you have sensitivities to strong odors yourself, this is also something to keep in mind. This is not to say that there is no such thing as a scent-free waterless shampoo, but they are more challenging to find.
Do All of That Grooming
When you use a waterless shampoo on your cat, you’ll need to towel dry them and brush it through afterward. If you leave it wet on your cat, they will likely start to lick it off. Give it time to dry before letting your cat embark on a never-ending grooming session.
This means you must look carefully at the ingredients to ensure that there aren’t any harsh chemicals like phthalates and parabens.
How We Selected Our List of Waterless Cat Shampoos
Catster has an experienced, expert team of writers, editors, and veterinarians who carefully consider a wide range of parameters when choosing cat shampoos. This includes but is not limited to customer reviews, brand reputation, veterinary experience, hands-on testing, and of course, our cats have a say in the process too! We aim to select and review only the best products available, to help you make the best possible choice and most informed decision for your and your cat’s needs.
Why Trust Catster?
A trusted online brand since 2001, Catster has a lot of experience with cat shampoos. Our team of cat-loving writers, editors, and veterinarians is dedicated to helping you make the best decision for your precious cats. Our aim is to provide the best information available for cat owners to help cats live their best life possible. To do this, we scour reviews from the most trusted sources available and this, combined with our veterinary team’s experience and expertise, helps us gather the best options available to readers. Our team is deeply invested in the health and welfare of cats the world over, and believes that expert knowledge and veterinary guidance will help you make the right choices—for you and your cats!
Conclusion
Hepper’s Waterless No Rinse Pet Shampoo is the best overall waterless shampoo for cats. It helps cleanse and soften your cat’s fur, leaving a gentle aloe and cucumber scent behind. Burt’s Bees Waterless Shampoo for Cats is a great price and is 99.8% natural, using apple and honey for shiny and soft fur.
Lastly, John Paul Pet’s Oatmeal Waterless Foam Shampoo is another good product for its use of oatmeal and aloe for sensitive skin and almond oil for softness and lovely scent.
We hope that these reviews have led you to the waterless shampoo that will make your cat clean and soft, all without the stress of an actual bath with water!
Featured Image Credit: Natasha Zakharova, Shutterstock
