NCGIA National Cat Groomers

So What Should I Do With THIS Cat??

What Should I Do With THIS Cat?   Join us for a Webinar on July 2     Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/441064710   Join Danelle German, founder of the National Cat Groomers Institute and the world's only feline-exclusive grooming school, as she discusses how to determine the best groom options for each individual cat. Title: What Should I Do With THIS Cat? Date: Monday, July 2, 2012 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   Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

 

Moppy the Cat

Coming from Greenville, SC we are complete amateurs when it comes to using public transportation systems. When the signs and instructions are written in another language, finding our way around a large, unfamiliar city requires patience, creativity, and a touch of adventurous spirit.

 

This morning we left the comfort of Hotel Fly Away in Kloten, Switzerland for the big city of Zurich. After a great deal of guesswork and speculation on our part, plus the aid of a kind Swiss woman who spoke zero English, we boarded a train, which amazingly enough, actually took us to the hoped for destination.

We had only a few hours to run around Zurich before I was to be picked up for the cat grooming workshop. We made a quick dash up and down Bahnhofstrasse while picking up few souvenirs for the kids, then on to Lake Zurich for some photography. With warm, crisp air and lots of sunshine, we couldn’t ask for a better day!

We made it back to the hotel just in time for me to change into grooming gear, pack up my tools and head to the lobby to wait for a woman named Esther. Since I had never actually met Esther, we hoped that she would at least recognize me.

 

As punctual as a Swiss is expected to be, Esther showed up on the hour. We found one another without delay. She figured the lady in the grooming clothes must be me, and I figured the woman looking like she was looking for someone she didn’t know was her.

 

Once at the workshop location, I met the Maine Coon that I would be grooming for the demonstration – a solid black female named “Moppy.”  Soon, the attendees began to arrive. I met many new people and tried really hard to remember their names.

 

The class time went well. Translation was needed for portions of it, but most of the attendees spoke enough English to understand what I was saying. After the class time, we gathered in another room to begin the grooming demonstration, which was kicked off by Moppy receiving new pink Softpaws – something the folks of the Maine Coon Society of Switzerland had never seen before. Moppy looked marvelous with her new pink-tip manicure!

 

Moppy’s bath was done the old fashioned way – me kneeling over a people bathtub, pulling wads of black cat hair out of the drain as we went along.  Drying Moppy posed the biggest challenge as an HV dryer was something none of the members of the Maine Coon society knew about or had in their possession. Oh dear!  This was going to be interesting, I thought to myself.

 

With a people hair dryer set on very low heat, it took about 3 ½ WEEKS to blow dry Moppy. At least it seemed to take that long. Seriously, Transgroom should see a major boost in HV dryer sales after this weekend’s workshop. They can thank me later. If I’d had a suitcase full of Catty Shack Vacs and Romani Juniors, they’d all have been sold at top dollar before the day was through. I can honestly say that I was reminded of all the advantages of having the right equipment for the job – especially the Catty Shack Vac. When people ask me how they can dry cats without the CSV, I tell them to get one. There’s a reason I invented it and use it everyday, and I was reminded of it today yet again. The CSV is not just a big, expensive space taker. It actually serves a real purpose – the kind of purpose that makes business grow and makes our job as groomers a whole lot safer, cleaner and more pleasant.

 

Regardless of the inadequacies of the drying system, Moppy looked marvelous when all was said and done. Mike and I were then treated to an authentic Swiss dinner with our new friends as we enjoyed their fabulous hospitality.

 

Thank you to Esther and to Manfred in particular. And to the entire group of members at the Maine Coon Society of Switzerland!

 

Usterflagen!

When I was 18 years old I backpacked around Europe with a friend. We saw the world, experiencing different cultures, landscapes, foods, and languages while we still had a chance. Before life got busy with responsibilities and roots that grow into the ground and keep you firmly planted.

During that trip 25 years ago, one place stood out among the rest and grabbed up my heart. Switzerland! I loved every bit of it during that trip and have talked of it many times since.

Today, I am in Switzerland once again. Not with a backpack and a friend, but with a grooming bag and a husband. I came here this time not for a teenage adventure, but as part of my job. I came to teach a workshop for the folks of the Maine Coon Society of Switzerland. I will confess though, that after the work is through, I will sneak off for a few days on an adventure – this time with my husband as we celebrate our 24th anniversary in one of my favorite places on the planet!

The trip here took way longer than expected. Delayed flights, missed flights, a re-routing to Amsterdam, and some 26 hours later, we are here at last! I’m short on food, short on sleep and screw the coffee. Where’s my Starbucks latte???  I think it’s sometime in the middle of the night still in South Carolina. And did we miss 1 night of sleep or 2? It feels like 3.

No matter……we are here at last. Before I go to bed, I want to share some of my observations from this rather lengthy travel experience. I’ve had plenty of time to think about all of this.

1. I should get a job for Delta on the spot because I know WAY more about their flight schedules than the dude from India that answered the 1-800 phone line when I called to attempt to sort out the eventual mayhem of a delayed flight email notice.

2. The words “pleasant” and “flight” do not fit in the same sentence together. “Pleasant flight” is an oxymoron. Or a big fat illusion. Or a big fat lie. I can’t decide which. I wish the super cheery people that work at the airlines would quit telling us to have a “pleasant flight.”

3. The most readily noticeable differences between Europeans and Americans: the Europeans wear skinnier jeans and the Americans drink taller lattes. (Whether the two are directly related is unknown.)

4. The pilots in Amsterdam take much longer than usual to get a flight off the ground because they must introduce themselves and give all their flight information to us oh-s0-interested passengers in 3 languages. Repeating things 3 times takes, according to my math, 3 times longer than necessary.

5. A word that sounds something like “usterflagen” is Dutch for something having to do with the drop-down oxygen mask in an airplane.

6. Starbucks is doing a fantastic job of keeping uniformity and high standards no matter where I visit them, in whatever parts of the world. However…….they still have one problem: the gold card and iPhone app don’t work in these non-American regions. This must be fixed asap.

7. It’s probably not a good idea to pay for something in US dollars and receive Euros as change when one has been severely sleep deprived. For me personally, currency exchange rates combined with quick math equations seem too daunting a task when my sleeping patterns have been screwed with. Looking back on it, that cup of coffee seems to have cost the better part of 20 US dollars.

8. I found this barf bag in the seat pocket in front of me on KLM Air. And for some reason it made me laugh.Maybe it was the fatigue or the ridiculousness of the whole trip up to that point. Maybe it was the nice message printed on its bottom. Like, “Welcome! We love YOU! We’re so happy you’re here. Now if you need to puke, here’s a special bag just for that. We hope you have a pleasant flight.”

9. Wing shot…….just because I like to take wing shots of places I go.

10. And lastly……there is some irony in arriving 6 1/2 hours late to a country famous for its impeccable punctuality.

Welcome to Switzerland!

 

How much to charge

Pricing Structures and Special Fees   Join us for a Webinar on January 16     Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/457804590   Danelle German will discuss pricing structures and special fees applicable to a cat grooming business. Topics include: setting up a pricing structure, base prices, add-ons, special fees, surcharges, averages, and how to grow your bottom line. Many of the principals used also apply to a dog grooming business. Title: Pricing Structures and Special Fees Date: Monday, January 16, 2012 Time: 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST 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   Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

 

Australian Cats

Aussie cats get dirty too. They get matted, and smelly and hack up hairballs. Fortunately there are some fabulous CFMGs on the island. They can handle anything when it comes to felines and their grooming needs.

Check out Reeda Close, Australia’s first CFMG as she makes into yet another newspaper. Well done, Reeda!