NCGIA National Cat Groomers

Creative Cat Workshop

We just wrapped another successful school session whereby 5 groomers left with their CFMG certificates in hand.  We topped off the 2 week course with a 2-day creative cat workshop.  This was the first time we hosted a workshop at the school that was something different than our normal 2 week school session.  I am pleased to say it was a great success!

The students had great cats to work on and could do whatever designs they wanted.  The class started with instruction and demo time and then the next part of the class involved the students doing their own creative designs on a variety of cats.  Many of the cats had already been prepped for creative before hand.  A few needed their "foundation" fixed just a bit before getting into the fun stuff.

By the end, we had over a dozen creatively designed cats with their own unique artwork.  Most coloring was semi-permanent with a little Blo-Pen or Sprayza providing the finishing touches.  Clipper work involved a variety of trimmers, with the students able to try different ones and decide which worked best for them.

You can be sure we'll do another creative cat workshop before the year is through! Be sure to check our Events calendar for that date as well as some of the other workshops we have planned, including a CFMG Refresher Course, a cat show exhibitor workshop, and a CFA Cattery Certification class for inclusion in the Dirty Hair Project.

Here are some of the student's creations from that day:

Novelty

Cat grooming is a novelty.  I've known this for a long time because I hear the responses when people ask what I do.  "I groom cats,"  I used to tell them.  "You do WHAT?" they ask, eyes wide.  Now when I am asked what I do for a living I just say, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  Of course this makes the person even more curious.

You see, these days I don't just groom cats, but I teach others how to groom them.  Most people think this is the strangest job they can imagine.  And maybe it is.  But I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

So the cool thing about professional cat grooming being so novel and strange is that it garners some great publicity.  The news media doesn't usually get super excited about average vocations such as web designing or waiting tables at a local restaurant.  But they do stand up and take notice when they think through what it must be like to actually groom a cat. I can always envision the thoughts running through their mind when they think of the practicalities of bathing and power drying a live cat. People typically look at my hands and forearms at this point.  Looking for scabs and scars, no doubt.

So yesterday we had the pleasure of having both the Greenville News and Fox Carolina News come out to the school and photograph, tape, and interview the students, Lindsay, and myself.  All of the news people were fascinated by the fact that the students were actually soaping up and bathing cats in the mini-tubs and then HV drying them in the Catty Shack Vacs. They watched as some less-than-agreeable kitties were given lion cuts which ended up in an ultra-smooth, suede-like finish.  The students did an excellent job of both wrangling and grooming their charges.  The news people were impressed.

I will admit that it's fun to have a vocation that is just slightly weird enough to get some great PR.  I love my job!