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My pet got wax on its fur. How can I safely remove it at home?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 5 months old | 9.5 lbs

ALTHSHARE She fell into a hot wax red liquid burner and if fine now but got the wax all over her belly and butt area she walks werid bc of the wax but dosent to seem to be in pain , no vet , how do I get it off of her and is she gonna be okay? NO VET no money or ride and cant get to one so what can I do at home ? Water,bath? What?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on June 11th, 2019

The wax from a candle warmer is probably not hot enough to cause serious burns. You can try combing or brushing out the wax, or bathing and using a human hair conditioner to break up the wax. Otherwise, you can let it fall out as Sweetums sheds hair or use hair clippers (NOT SCISSORS) to cut the hair that contains the wax.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 15th, 2018

    The biggest concern is that she got burned. However, their hair usually keeps the wax from touching the skin and it usually cools quickly, so it's possible that she didn't get burned. It's not easy to remove wax and the best way thing to do is clip the fur with electric clippers. This way, you can also have a good look at the skin and see if it appears red or damaged by the wax. If it did get burned, then you can apply silver nitrate cream to area to help it heal. If this all becomes too difficult, then it may be best to have your vet check her out. I hope that helps and all is well with Stumbles.

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