NCGIA National Cat Groomers

Nail Caps

If you aren't offering Softpaws for cats, you need to.  They are a fantastic add-on that customers will love.  They are easy to apply, come in nifty colors, and provide a great alternative to de-clawing.

How do you get the old Softpaws off?  This is a question I've heard a lot recently.  To get them off, simply snip the tips, about 2/3 of the way down (toward the nail quick) with a pair of cat-sized nail trimmers.  This will leave a small band of acrylic nail cap still attached to the nail.  This band is easily flicked off by using the edge of the nail trimmer or your own fingernail.  Often times you will need to retrim the tip of the cat's nail once the cap is removed and you can see clearly where the quick is.

If it's too hard to remove the acrylic band, trim closer to the nail to remove more of the cap and then try flicking off what's left.

The whole process is very simple and should take only a minute or so to complete on all nails.  New caps can then be reapplied to the freshly trimmed nails.

I've done a lot of Softpaw applications over the years, and customers love them.  Even the male clients get into the whole manicure thing when I show them that they can have sports team colors nicely displayed on their cat's claws.

(for photos and more explicit instructions, check out the Ultimate Cat Groomers Encyclopedia.  You can find it in the training materials section on the NCGIA website.)

 

What? No More Hair????

I keep hearing this rumor that if you shave a cat down with a 10 blade in reverse, the hair does not grow back.  I'm not sure where this fiction originated from, but I can assure you it is not true!

I've been grooming cats exclusively for 12 years and have done more lion cuts than I can count.  And would you believe that the very same cats that come in for a lion cut, come back again for a lion cut some months later?  In fact, some of them come back for their shave down on a monthly basis.  This routine has been going on for years and years.  And each time I see these cats they have more hair!  Who would have thunk it?

I have shaved my own cats numerous times over the years.  Right now I'm looking at two of those cats sporting long, fluffy coats, thick with winter growth, as they sit on my desk and hold down the papers and files.  So how, pray tell, did that happen if cat hair doesn't grow back once it is shaved in reverse? I must have miracle cats.  And lots of them.  Lucky me.

If shaving in reverse caused the hair to stop growing, I'd be out of business.  Each lion cut would be a one-time deal - no more grooming for that kitty. Ever.  So good thing for me and all those other knowledgable cat groomers out there that we can still provide our client's with a smooth, even, flawless lion cut AND be assured of their return business.

There is a great deal of misinformation floating around out there that pertains to cat grooming.  It is a shame.  What a disservice to the grooming industry and cat owners alike.  I've made it my mission to dispel the myths and show the industry and my customers what the truth really is.  And I don't just speak the truth, I prove it.  If anyone is telling you something that doesn't make sense or just doesn't seem to add up, ask them to prove what they are telling you.  Put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.

No more misinformation about cats and their grooming needs. Please.

 

This cat has had at least 36 lion cuts since we've been grooming her. And every time she returns, she is in full coat!

 

 

Melissa Verplank's cat, Anna, that I shaved down into a lion cut at a show in 2009. Here she is groomed in full coat in Hershey in 2010.