CAT GROOMING, AKA FEAR & LOVING IT IN THE GROOMING SALON

I love cats. Well, not ALL cats. Sometimes I root for the mouse. But that's another blog. Today's topic: Cat Grooming 101. Another one of my (many) specialties. Cat grooming was thrust upon me by a couple of employees who ultimately quit, leaving me with clientele to be served. I had to learn. It took awhile. In the beginning, I would boss those cats around like they were DOGS. You can't do that. Cats have to feel in control or they will ACT OUT. They will meet firmness with resistence, so you've best work with a light hand until necessary.


You've seen my canine work - I'm something of a "stylist" with the doggies. With the cats, however, I turn into more of a barber, going for speed and relinquishing much detailing. There are about three things I do to cats: Deshedding for hair maintenance, Bath/Brush for long-haired regulars, and Lion Cut for not so regulars or pets belonging to hair phobic owners.

Here is a short-haired Deshed groom:


This cat got a bath first, although I highly advocate for "dry cleaning" or using a light leave-in spray and forgo the wet bath. The product I use is Eqyss Cat Rehydrant Spray, a delightful product with a light pear fragrance, that cleanses and removes static cling in the coat (releases dead coat) as well as slightly moisturizing the fur and skin. I often sell the product to my cat clients. Pumpkin took about 15 minutes counting the bath and I charged $50. Do the math and reconsider offering the service. :-)

Here is another photo of Pumpkin that shows my technique of using my thumb to stroke the kitty while holding it's head. I do this without thinking. Cats love to be smoothed on the head.


I also encourage owners of cats to stay with their animal during grooming. Now why in the world would I do that? (1) Because I work alone and can often use/need another pair of hands; (2) Because cats often behave better when a person they trust is right there; (3) Because cats don't seem to distinquish between your hands and their owners' hands; (4) Because the owner leaves with the cat, eliminating the need to house the cat in the dog grooming shop; (5) Owners often agree when a grooming is "good enough" taking you off the hook for having to compromise your standards; (6) Most owners who stay are extremely grateful for the privilege. It sets me apart from the other groomers;

Here is Myra and her happy owner. See how happy that man is to be staying with his cat? It shows all over him. Check out his cool outfit. This guy has a "look"! I've got the coolest clients!

Myra came on this day for just a potty patch. Some call it a "sanitary clip". Basically we are talking clipping with a #10 blade under the tail. I also trim the hair on the pads of the feet and check ears & eyes. I have to make up things to do in order to stay at the table for 5 minutes. I went over the combing and found a mat which I removed. This cat was very good. Collect $15. This man tips.

Mozart represents the fear part of the job. He belongs to lovely people, but he is downright mean. I only do him because I have figured out how far he will go. Pretty far, but manageable. To start with, his owner drops him off and I can't get him out of the carrier. He is attacking me from within. I have to dismantle the carrier to extract him, all the while he is thrashing and spitting and slapping at my fingers as I undo the bolts. You can't help but get a little adrenaline rush from this. I bathe him right off. Just as with dogs, the clean and conditioned coat is going to comb out much easier than dry, dirty fur. With this cat, as with many, he has me on a timer and my time could be up at any point. So I prioritize. We start with the bath. He's good in tub:

Jeez, I need a new shower curtain... really I need a new SHOP! Oh well...I use a recirculating bathing system and place the cat on a grate to keep it out of the standing water. Many cats appreciate that. The bath takes less than 5 minutes this way. I bathed Mozart with Ivory Dish Soap and Chris Christensen After Bath Rinse. The Ivory is a great product for cats, deep cleaning and removing excess oil, and the After Bath is the best conditioner I have ever used on cats, leaving them wonderfully light and fluffy, never over-conditioned.

I then wrap the cat burrito style in a towel and place him in a crate. This helps begin the drying process and also keeps Mozart quite passive. If I don't wrap him and just put him in a crate, he turns and charges me. That's a BIG rush! I don't need it. I'd rather drink a mocha latte. Here's the kitty burrito:

You can see the small fans that I have bungeed to the wire crate. This is an excellent drying system. I have a fourth fan that I can place in the front. The fan drying is gentle, quiet, and doesn't curl the hair. It is also very safe. After about 20 minutes burrito style, I remove the towel and let the cat fan dry for another 30 minutes. Or more, depending on what else I'm doing.

Working with Mo on the table is NOT a lot of fun. Fortunately he is declawed in front, but he will try to bite, and that's your worst fear. I use my heavy leather gloves. Check out the evil eye he is giving me!

I try to keep a glove on one hand at all times. This is the kind of animal where I wish I had a comb with a two-ft. handle so I could comb without actually getting close to the animal. NATURALLY, he had clumps on the front chest. I had to take the glove off my left hand in order to be able to scruff him and hold him up to do the best I could with the comb down the front. Here he is, all beautiful and ready to attack me while I reassemble his carrier. He is SO MAD!

Normally overcoming fear is not a part of my job description, but I make an exception in this case. Mozart comes with a very docile, easy to do, short coated, golden retriever, and Shadow balances it out somehow. I spend about 20 minutes total on this cat and get $55. Plus $45 for the golden retriever and they come every 6 weeks. Plus the owner is totally understanding and does not expect a perfect job on the cat. She knows how he is because she has to do things to him from time to time. She will hold him if I ask. Next time he's in, I'll ask.

The Lion Cut is one of my most frequently requested cat grooms. I use my vacuum clipper system, the Hanvey Artmaster, with an #8.5 blade. It's barbering. The vacuum helps make the process fast and gets a very smooth result. Without a vacuum system, you often have to go over and over clipper work on cat fur. This is a one-swipe-does-it system. I did this lion cut in about 20 minutes.

It looks like I should have done a little more blending on that front leg! Next time! (Well, do you think I'm going to call them up and say "I saw a picture of my grooming and I need to blend better on the front legs"? NOT!) Speaking of blending, would you believe that my choice of scissor for cat fur is blending shears? Cat fur does not scissor well, and the blenders give the smooth finish that straight edge shears don't. This head was done with an Arius-Eickert Synergy blender. Price of groom: $40. My basic prices for cats are $40 for lion cut or deshedding plus $10 for a bath. I will charge more if there is difficult behavior, bad matting or a very elderly cat.

Cat grooming can get dicey, but most owners are very understanding and very grateful for the service. If you have a "way" with cats, there are few problems. It is acceptable to turn any animal away (decline service) if you are really afraid. Mostly cat grooming requires you to have good tableside manners, not be rough, and stay totally focussed on the animal. If you read the behavior signs and don't freak out the cat, you should be able to groom most cats. On the positive side, cat grooming is not hard on your back, you don't get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and the pay:time ratio is fabulous. I love it! Except when I don't!