NCGIA National Cat Groomers

Cat Grooming and More Cat Grooming

Sunday, May 12, 2013 5:15 am local time

Once again I am aboard a Delta jet, en route to Greenville, SC.  This time I am flying back home from Saskatchewan, Canada. After being in two very brown places recently (Kuwait City and Regina) I am eager to return to my super green Greenville. And of course, to my family. I miss them so much!

The workshop event at Zoom Zoom Groom was well attended, the hospitality was fabulous, and the dog groomers have all been duly converted to cat grooming. I’d say, a successful event when all is said and done.

I was a bit too busy to take many photos, but I did manage to snap a pic of both Zoomie, the diva of Zoom Zoom Groom Salon and Academy and her sidekick, Zippurr, who was my demo cat on Friday. Zoomie made sure to communicate to Zippurr what she thinks about her new super short hair do. Zippurr, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to really care what Zoomie thinks about it as she is now the one getting all the attention. You gotta love cats!

I also took a photo of this unique kitty, a rather flashy Sphynx-Bengal cross with the softest of coats and the most amazing silver classice tabby pattern. She belongs to one of the staff at Zoom Zoom Groom, and unfortunately I have already forgotten the cat’s name. Needless to say, she was a treat to see.

I will be home for a few weeks, returning to warm weather, blooming foliage, and a pile of projects underway at the NCGIA. The team has been busy cooking up new ideas, managing mountains of paperwork, designing new projects, and welcoming a new member to the NCGIA team (more on that later!). I am thankfu for the many new opportunities and the explosion of NCGIA training around the world! We rock! And I’m not afraid to say it outloud. What a fabulous group of people there are in this association – people who are genuinly serious about being the best they can be, serious about being professionals, serious about high standards and accepting nothing less. The few, the proud, the Elite!  I truly love working with these folks.

In June I will be heading to Sydney for a 4 day event called AusGroom. Then northward to Brisbane to teach a workshop at Nose 2 Tail Spa, hosted by Reeda Close, a graduate of our school and Australia’s first CFMG. After that, I’ll head south to Melbourne area for another event at Clipper World, hosted by Kylie Tatti and her team. Thanks to PIAA and Wahl Clipper Australia for planning, hosting, and arranging all of the many details to make this happen. I look forward to being in Australia once again. (Wahl Clipper rocks too! Thank you, Richard, for what you are doing to make this all happen in Oz!)

Thank you to Connie Buchanan, her husband Randy, and the staff and students of Zoom Zoom Groom. It was a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future. (I truly appreciated the many Starbucks runs!)

Yay, NCGIA!  Saving the world one cat at a time!

Kattentrimmen

Miranda Geerlings, an author of many articles on cat behavior and grooming in the Netherlands, published the following interview and a lovely piece on the National Cat Groomers School a few months ago.

I am happy to see the NCGIA continue to spread worldwide in our endeavor to continually expand the cat grooming industry.

Thank you, Miranda, for writing this article. I only wish that I could read it! 

 

 

PS. To further continue that worldwide endeavor…….I leave in a week for Kuwait where I’ll conduct a series of classes as well as judge a cat show. After that it’s off to Regina, Saskatchewan for a 2 day workshop. And then in June, it’s back over to Australia for 3 weeks to speak at Ausgroom and conduct follow up workshops in Brisbane and Melbourne.

I hope to see you soon.

Saving the world one cat at a time!

The Grossness Series - Part 5: The Way Things Can Be

The Grossness Series – Part 5: The Way Things Can Be

 

This is the final post in the Grossness Series.  Because I want it all to end on a good note.

There doesn’t have to be any grossness.  Cats don’t have to be dirty and smelly and matted and pelted and covered in icky things. There is a better way! And it’s so easy.

Bath, blow dry, nail trim – on a regular basis and done by someone who knows what they’re doing.

Remember, not all groomers know what they are doing. The pet grooming industry remains unregulated, meaning each and every pet groomer is left to figure out how they’re going to figure it out. Some groomers attend a grooming school. Some learn from a mentor. Some learn by trial and error. And some don’t learn much of anything.  It’s up to the pet owner to find a reputable groomer. When it comes to handling and grooming cats, the choices are minimal.  (We are working on that!)

If you don’t actually care about your cat, at least care about your own reputation. And the cleanliness of your home environment. If a smelly, poopy, matted cat is walking around your house and sleeping on your furniture, it is gross. Plain and simple.

No more excuses. You’ve read this series so now you know. You know there’s a better option for you and your cat. Bath, blow dry, nail trim on a regular basis. What a difference it makes!

Remember this, too…….actions speak louder than words. Groomers know this. So, you see, when you say that you care about your pets yet don’t actually take care of your pets (i.e. preventative grooming maintenance to avoid painful and unsanitary conditions), your groomer knows you are lying. They just don’t say it out loud, in an effort to remain professional and tactful. Since I’m not concerned about that while writing this bluntly honest Grossness series, then I will say it for them. I speak for groomers everywhere: To those pet owners who neglect their pets by allowing the dog or cat to become overgrown, matted and filthy, we KNOW you don’t love your pet. We know you’d rather spend your money on movies and cigarettes and cheeseburgers. We are not fooled. Actions speak louder than words. If you want us to think of you as a loving, caring pet owner, then act like one. It really is very simple.

 

Why wouldn’t you want your cat to look like this?

 

Why wouldn’t you want to run your hands through beautifully clean and silky hair?

Finish after bath/blow dry.

Why wouldn’t you want to snuggle up to a cat that actually smelled good – like cloves or cookies or Christmas?

Why wouldn’t you want a happy cat?

 

Well, it is possible. And now you know.
Call the groomer, schedule a appointment. Follow through with the recommended preventative maintenance plan (average every 6 weeks) and make life better for you and your cat. It is a good thing.

 

 

Check our “Before and After” gallery here.

Wild Ideas with Melissa Verplank

	Wild Ideas and Biz Talk with Melissa Verplank   Join us for a Webinar on April 15     Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/749632870   Join Danelle German and special guest, Melissa Verplank, as they chat about creative and innovative ways to grow a business. Hear about what Danelle and Melissa have done to generate and implement wild ideas to lead their businesses to a whole new level. This webinar is sure to inspire you! Title: Wild Ideas and Biz Talk with Melissa Verplank Date: Monday, April 15, 2013 Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server   Mac®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer   Mobile attendees Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

The Grossness Series - Part 4

The Grossness Series – Part 4

 

Who is to blame for this?  It’s not rocket science. We (the people) have skin and hair. We wash it on a regular basis. Dogs have skin and hair. We wash it on a regular basis. Hopefully. I mean, at least the general population of human beings on this planet “gets” that dogs need a good scrub down from time to time. You’d be hard pressed to find a dog owner, a veterinarian, or just a person in general who would argue that filthy Fido shouldn’t have a bath. So how is it that felines, with skin and hair, get the “no bath for you” shaft?

Cat owners are really not to blame here. A fat chunk of pet groomers have no clue what to do with a cat, much less what to recommend for a cat owner seeking some form of remedy to typical life-with-a-cat problems.  I know groomers who think cats cannot or should not be bathed. I know some that think spritzing a cat with a bottle of scented spray equals “groom.” And others think that some attempt at ripping out mats with a comb constitutes a complete and thorough groom. Shame, shame, shame.

So a cat owner is told, by a grooming professional, that their cat can’t be groomed. Or shouldn’t be groomed. Or doesn’t need to be groomed.

Or, worse yet, the cat owner actually paid a grooming “professional” to take care of the problems but no real solutions were provided. Greasy kitty goes home with fewer mats and a little pee mixed in as a bonus. (I know this from first hand experience.)

And then, on top of that, the vet is telling the cat owner that Fluffy can’t or shouldn’t or doesn’t need to be groomed. And, after all, the vet is a doctor. With a title. DVM. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. And a lot of education. All fine and dandy when it comes to surgical procedures and treating a bad infection. But how, please tell me, did the educated DVM that believes cats do not need to be groomed, come to this conclusion? Like I said, it’s not rocket science. They seriously need to add a class to the DVM program about proper skin and coat needs for a cat. Seriously.

And, as if that isn’t all bad enough, the cat owner can google stuff.  If it’s on the internet it’s true. Right? So if Purina.com or AnimalPlanet.com (it’s on TV so double whammy! It MUST be true if it’s on the internet AND TV!) or Wikipedia says a cat hates water and it grooms itself so don’t bother thinking, ever, that your greasy little furball might need a bath, well, then it’s absolutely true.

So there ya have it. Cats hate water. Cats groom themselves. Cats should not be groomed because they do such a fine and dandy bang-up job of it themselves. What was I thinking? What is a cat owner to think?

I’ll tell you what to think.

Bath, blow dry, nail trim by a pro. On a regular basis. So easy.

 

This can be avoided. This is a good thing to avoid unless you are totally into living amongst an angry, hungry mob of fleas that are out to devour your pets while they still walk this earth. 

 

This can be avoided too. Fleas, grease, matted hair, and an infection thrown in for good measure. Trust me. This really should be avoided. Your cat will thank you.

 

This could be avoided too. I’m not even sure what to say about this except that the cat is rotten. Literally rotten. I can’t think how this is not noticed by the people that live with this cat and supposedly love it so much. Really? Actions speak louder than words, my friends. Much louder.

My fellow groomers, esteemed veterinarians, people of planet earth – let’s do something about this. Please. Get your facts straight. A skilled, knowledgeable and astute cat groomer can be your new best friend.  Let go of your egos, learn something new. Admit that maybe you haven’t been right about this after all. You could save a cat’s life.

 

To wrap this up, I leave you with a fun photo album of snapshots from another of our members (Sally from Canada, thank you!).

I hope this keeps you up at night and gives you nightmares when you finally do fall asleep.  And you can be mad at me in the morning. It’s okay.I get made about it myself sometimes. 

 

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The Grossness Series - Part 3

The Grossness Series – Part 3

 

In case you’re wondering what I mean when I refer to a “pelt,” let me explain.  A pelt is a mass of fused together mats that form over a cat’s body. A pelt can be small, covering only a portion of a cat’s body, such as a hip or the belly. And a pelt can be large, covering nearly every part of a cat, even to up around the face and to the ends of the tail.

I’ve heard other groomers refer to a pelt as a ‘turtle shell’ or a ‘body cast’ before. These terms surely fit, as a pelt by any name is hard, solid, and stuck to the cat. The only way to remove a pelt is by shaving the hair completely off, very close to the skin. As you might imagine, this is very tedious and dangerous work – most cats are not fond of pain or of being handled to the degree required to free a cat from a body cast of matted hair.

But, unfortunately cat groomers must deal with the difficult and dangerous task of pelt removal on a regular basis.

Why?  Hmmm….yes, why?

And here we are right back to my initial questions at the start of The Grossness Series.

So in an effort to eradicate this problem, let me explain how a cat ends up pelted:

1. Cats are greasy.
2. Cats shed (pretty much all the time)
3. Greasy shedding hair sticks to greasy hair still attached to the cat, forming a tangle.
4. Tangles grow up to be mats.
5. Mats fuse together to become a pelt.

If this is true (which it is) then wouldn’t it then make sense to attack facts 1 and 2 right when they start? I think so. I know so. I guarantee to my clients so.  

 HERE IT IS, INA NUTSHELL. TAKE NOTE: If a proper and thorough degreasing bath is given on a regular basis AND a cat’s properly and thoroughly degreased, squeaky clean coat is properly and thoroughly dried with an appropriate drier and then properly and thoroughly combed out to the point of “glide,” then facts 1 and 2 never lead to 3-5.

(if you are confused by this, no matter. That’s what Certified Feline Master Groomers are for! They know what this means and how to do it!)

The greasy-sheddy stuff is gone. Eliminated just when it starts to rear its ugly head. Stopped in its tracks! No more 3 through 5. No more pelts.

This is so completely, utterly, and entirely possible. It’s just that easy.

 

This photo shows the transition that occurs in fact 4 listed above. Tangles growing up to be mats. Our HV dryer exposes this so clearly. This particular cat is on the verge of having its mats fuse together to become a pelt. Not quite, but almost. And at this point, the mats are pulling on the skin, causing sores and other painful consequences such as not being able to move the legs freely. No wonder cats tend to be cranky. I’d be cranky too if I was all wrapped up in knots that pulled at my skin and left me unable to walk about freely,

 

 

Here is pelt removal in progress. Note how thick the encasement is. The cat’s skin has not been touched for many months while this lovely pelt was forming over its body. Often we find all kinds of wonderful goodies underneath: thousands of fleas that are eating a cat alive (literally), open sores, infections, prickly outdoor debris, and more. It’s almost like a treasure hunt!

Pelt removal at my salon costs a pretty chunk of change. It requires a great deal of time (groomers are in the service industry and thus paid for their time), it puts unnecessary wear and tear on my grooming equipment (dulls those expensive clipper blades!), and it’s downright dangerous!

(My hands are my livelihood. If a cat causes damage to my hands- permanent or otherwise – I am out of work. This is why MOST groomers opt not to groom cats. There is way too much risk involved. If you find a skilled and knowledgeable expert cat groomer who is WILLING to take on your pelted angry kitty, then consider yourself very, very lucky!)

If you are thinking of saving yourself a bit of money and doing some at-home grooming, think again! Here’s a photo showing a cat’s skin cut wide open by a frugal do-it-yourselfer with a sharp pair of scissors. So much for frugality. This turned into a hefty vet bill in addition to a professional groom. And a scar for the cat – a forever souvenir of the occasion.

 

 If you want a keepsake to remember how much you loved your cat, ask to have the pelt after it is removed from your cat’s body. A stinky pelt with flecks of dandruff and dried nuggets of poop is definitely more fun to show off than the scar from the sutures would be. (Or maybe you could have both!)

 

Save the licking to the cats. And save the grooming to the pros. It’s so much safer that way.

Here’s the deal….. you can save your cat’s life by having it groomed on a regular (i.e. 4-6 week) basis by an expert cat groomer (find a CFMG – they are the bestest!).

You can also save yourself some fat vet bills and visit to the ER.

And then, once kitty is freed from imprisonment by its own hair, you can do your part by visiting the expert cat groomer every 4-6 weeks so your precious little princess furball foo foo is treated like a precious little princess furball foo foo. A groomed cat is a happy cat!  I promise.  And it’s just so totally that easy.

 

 

 

I leave you with this to wrap up Part 3 of The Grossness Series.

From my salon – The Wall of Shame.

Some of these works of art had to be aired out a bit before they could hang on the wall. They were rank. Bleh! Formerly worn by real, living cats that walked around in someone’s house…..through the kitchen (where people eat and store food)….. on the bed (where people lay their heads at night)……… with the children (who touch everything)……..

 

The Grossness Series - Part 2

The Grossness Series – Part 2

I love cats. I always have.

They are such narcissistic creatures, totally full of themselves and doing everything on their own terms. What’s not to like?

I “fell” into cat grooming quite by accident when I obtained a Persian and was invited to show him at a CFA show. Back then I knew nothing about grooming cats. But I did understand the very basic principle that a cat should at least be clean, and it should not have matted hair.  The education I received in the show ring taught me just how to go about that.

It’s so easy really. A regular bath, blow dry and nail trim. Of course there are many more options when the cat isn’t headed for the show ring. A de-shedding treatment, lion cut, comb cut, belly shave, Softpaws, and the ever popular sanitary clip……just to name a few.

Cats do none of the above by themselves. If you think a cat grooms itself, think again!  Licking and professional grooming are. Not. The. Same. Thing. Period.

(I could have saved myself a TON of money if all I needed was my tongue to groom cats. Forget the Forever Stainless Mini Tub, HV dryers, Catty Shack Vac, expensive shampoos, clippers, combs and such. A tongue is all you need!  Ready, set, go! Start licking!)

 

Here ya go – start licking this. I don’t know the back story on this cat as the photo was submitted by one of our members in Ohio (thank you, Lori!). But I really think the picture says it all.  Imagine this nestled on the bed, next to your pillow. Or basking in the ray of sunshine on the kitchen table. Simply delicious, don’t you think?

 

What I do know about this particular cat was that it had to suffer a great deal while the pelted encasement of hair was shaved from its body. Very tedious work. I would think that the bath that came afterward was rather soothing and refreshing since the cat’s skin hadn’t been touched in quite some time.

In case you’re wondering, pelts can kill a cat. Yep, it’s true! Notice how the matted hair covers the entire backend of the cat. When that happens, the rectum gets blocked which leads to intestinal blockage, which eventually leads to death. It’s a slow, painful death as the cat essentially rots from the inside out. I can’t think of a better way to die really.

I groomed a cat once that was septic from this exact scenario. Fortunately one of my fabulous, caring clients was willing to save the cat’s life by paying for multiple surgeries and providing regular, ongoing professional grooming care so that it never happened again.

And to think this could all be avoided so easily. Regular bath, blow dry, and nail trim. By an expert who knows what they’re doing. Not all groomers are experts because we are not required to be. But some choose to be experts. Find an expert and use them to avoid problems like this one.

 

I post this just for fun. What’s not fun about a cat pelt – or “Persian rug” as I like to call them?  I have an entire collection of these.

 

The only thing this rug needed was a decorative frame to turn it into a true work of art. The other half of this pelt – the cat part – went home naked but with cute little “go go boots,” a puff of hair at the end of his tail, and most of the hair on his head still intact. The raw sores on his body eventually healed.

 

Bath, blow dry, nail trim. By an expert. Easy.

The Grossness Series - Part 1

The Grossness Series- Part 1

 

I was looking through “before the cat groom” pictures the other day, in hunt for something very specific.  Afterward I felt gross. Downright dirty. Disgusting.  Bleh!

 

I had sifted through hundreds of dirty cat pictures (that’s “dirty” as in gross – not the other kind of “dirty”) and thought to myself, “How does this happen?”  How is it that people can live with something so disgustingly filthy? How can human beings be so intentionally unsanitary by their inaction? Never mind the health, comfort and well-being of the cat. How is it that PEOPLE are okay with stuff like this?  I don’t even have an answer.

 

In lieu of an answer, I decided to pull out some of the photos and write a blog series about them. So far I’ve selected 16 photos to start with, and this doesn’t even scratch the surface of icky-ness. But it will give you an idea.

 

And just in case anyone thinks what I write in this series is offensive in any way. Good. Because I’m offended at the condition these cats are in. (The cat is, most likely, offended too.) So now we’re even.

 

To start with…….

 

 

Ingrown nails. This has to be painful. I have a hard time with a hangnail. Imagine the pain and suffering for a cat to walk around on paws that have sharp claws growing up into them. Wow! And the unsanitary-ness of it all. Imagine the germs that have collected in the black gunk buildup on the nail and inside the puncture wound. Litter box germs, household germs. Great stuff  there.

 

This could be prevented so easily. Regular bath, blow dry and a nail trim. Easy.

 

 

This cat smelled like pee when she was brought in. No wonder since her entire body was covered in a pelt that extended down both back legs and across her private parts. Every time she pottied, the pee ran down her matted legs where it stayed until we shaved it off. Notice the red, raw skin underneath. That’s because the matting was pulling so tightly. It addition to the pee saturated, pelted coat, the cat could barely walk. Her range of motion was restricted because her matted hair had all fused together.

The pile of hair on the floor is a part of the sum total removed from this poor kitty.

This could be prevented so easily. Regular bath, blow dry, sanitary clip, and nail trim. And in this case, a face trim would also be done since the cat is a Persian. Easy.

 

And before anyone starts adding comments to this that combing and brushing would prevent all of this. It won’t. An argument could be made that combing and brushing can cut down on or even eliminate mats in the first place. However, because cats are so oily (Yes, they are!) and because they continuously shed, the coat needs to be properly washed and dried to eliminate both greasy hair and loose hair.  Thus, combing/brushing does not CLEAN the cat. Nor does it remove urine and feces. The act of combing and brushing does spread around the grease and cat saliva (since cats are so good at licking themselves) and removes some of the dead, loose hair. So you have a combed cat with dirty hair. Fabulous.

 

 

This cat has flea bite dermatitis. That means it suffers from an allergic reaction to flea saliva. Each time the cat gets bit by a flea, the skin reacts by becoming itchy and oozy. The cat tries to scratch at the infected area (hard to do for this cat because of the location of the rash and the fact that it was previously covered with a thick pelt of matted hair).

 

Imagine hundreds of hungry fleas crawling around under matted hair, feasting on the cat for weeks on end. All the while, the cat is suffering from an incredibly itchy rash that it can’t scratch. That has to be loads of fun!

 

This could be prevented so easily. Flea bath, blow dry, nail trim. Easy.  If a cat is groomed on a regular basis (i.e. every 4-6 weeks), a groomer can spot fleas BEFORE an infestation occurs. Wouldn’t that be great?

 

I’m not done yet. Part 2 is next. And then after that……well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

When You Are Not the Boss

When You Are Not the Boss   Join us for a Webinar on March 27     Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/337837782   It can be challenging to get others around you on board with cat grooming when you aren't in charge of the business. How do you get the boss to "get it?" What about local veterinarians? What about co-workers? You have the vision for offering exceptional cat grooming, but the boss and those around you don't see it. Join Danelle German as she offers ideas and suggestions for winning over the boss, area vets, and anyone else in a position to help you develop and grow a viable cat grooming business. This will be a very interactive webinar so bring your questions! (You can also submit questions and problems related to this issue ahead of time via email.) Title: When You Are Not the Boss Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server   Mac®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer   Mobile attendees Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

Always Wear Clean Underwear

You know the old saying, “always wear clean underwear…..?” Because you just never know what kind of situation you might find yourself in on any given day.

The same could be said for cat grooming. Don’t forget to thoroughly bathe, dry, comb out and tidy up the nether-regions on a cat. You just never know how a cat will end up on any given day. It would be a shame to have the more private areas looking uncared for.

Fern made me think of this when she made herself comfortable in a student’s suitcase during class time at the National Cat Groomers School. This particular student flew in from Zurich to attend our 2 week course. She left her suitcase open on the floor. Fern promptly made good use of the empty space, right next to the big cup of noodles. Fern offered a great view of her underside, which everyone took pictures of – for all of posterity. Good thing her belly and bum were clean and tidy. One never knows what will happen on any given day.

 

We have some workshops coming up:

workshops - info!