The truth is this is stereotyping. Cats look dreadful when wet and extremely cute causing protective instincts to kick in. Cats, like people, have different personalitites. While many/most cats don't like to be submersed during bathing and avoid swimming, pet cats especially will learn to tolerate it and some even enjoy the experience. Show cats get baths before a show whether they like it or not.

That said, giving a pet a bath is a pain in the ass. A chore cat owners avoid by getting a pet that helps out cleaning itself. For the most part a cat will take very decent care of itself and only rarely needs a bath. While some people are more fastidious about such things Kim and I have only given our cats a bath like twice in their lives, and the first was because we rescued them from a basement full of god knows how many generations of cat crap and they were diseased and stinky.

J.

...And then there's the girl that used handy-wipes to clean her cat weekly. :)