I don't recall a cat dieing from a bath... if the cat stinks ,,,give it a bath,,,LOLz... do not use human products and stay away from anything that sez "Hertz" on the label... You might want to try taking a wet towel to it and wiping it down first to see how the cat responds to being wet... Some cats naturally know you are cleaning them and love the attention and others just freak...

Good luck...