GET 2 TALL BUCKETS....FILL THEM 3/4 WITH WATER...ONE FOR RINSING.... GENTLY PUT THE CAT IN ---> TAIL DOWN, SO (S)HE IS STANDING IN THE BUCKET. LET HIM/HER HANG ON THE THE SIDES WHILE YOU WASH THE CAT......HAVE ANOTHER BUCKET FOR RINSING RIGHT NEXT TO IT. USE LUKEWARM WATER...
I will vouch for Sungirl's technique--it works!!! If your kitty is all stretched out, can't get a good toe hold on anything, you stand a much better chance of bathing the cat without completely destroying the house (LOL).
The "lower kitty feet first, legs stretched out" also works beautifully for putting your ROTTEN CAT into a cat carrier (stand carrier on it's end first, open the door, lower kitty in, slam the door FAST).
Before we learned the above technique, hubby and I would have to engage in mortal combat with our 18 pound "Queenie" every time she had to be bathed or put in a carrier. If we could get her in the carrier at all, it might take BOTH of us up to 20 minutes of concentrated wrestling, head-locking, cramming, chasing--often to no avail whatsoever. Half the time we could not get that D*MN cat in the carrier at all!!!
The veterinarian showed us the "lower feet first" method--it worked so well we were embarassed how simple it was. (LOL, you'd think two college graduates could have outwitted an illiterate 18 pound kitty on their own......)