Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
Cats have no handles.
Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally we are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined.