When I first started learning how to groom pets, I was a bather in a very busy grooming shop which groomed dogs and cats. After a short period of time , I noticed how stressed out the cats were during the bathing and drying process.
Being a cat owner myself, I can honestly say it never occured to me to bathe my own cats, except perhaps if there was a flea problem. Otherwise, I never saw it as necessary to maintain their coats. I expressed my concerns to the owner of the shop, that if people knew how sressed out their cats were by getting a bath, they would never do it.
After a few years I started grooming cats, and would ask the owners if they wanted their cat bathed? If the answere was yes, I would ask why? More than likely the response was, "aren't they supposed to get one? "
After doing my own research on the matter and many years of cat grooming experience, I can honestly say the answere is no, your cat does not require bathing on a regular basis. More than likely a bath is a very stressful experience for your cat and not always necessary.
A cats tounge is designed in such a way to remove debris from their fur during self grooming, and they do not get stinky like a dog. Bathing also disrupts the natural oils in their fur and alters their scent as well., causing them to self groom for hours afterwards, in attempts to return their scent to normal.
Unless there is a flea infestation to get rid of fleas and eggs, a medical condition requring medicated baths prescribed by a veterinarian, your cat got into something they shouldn't have, has a foul odor the cat can't resolve on its own, or the occasional cat who is in need of a sanitary bath due to feces or urine build up., your cat absolutely does not need a bath on a routine basis.