There are three objectives that are at the top of my list when it comes to cat grooming: safety, quality, and profitability.

Safety – that means when the groom is complete, both the cat and I live to tell about it. It is no secret that cat grooming is dangerous. Between a mouthful of very sharp teeth and eighteen dagger-like nails, a cat can inflict a great deal of harm in a relatively short period of time. A scratch or bite can land me in the hospital, unable to work. It is possible for a cat to cause irrevocable damage that lasts a lifetime.

On the other side is the cat’s safety. Cats can die of stress. The mere act of being lifted off the cushy sofa, shoved into a carrier, and enduring a 20-minute car ride creates some stress for most cats. Added to the stress of the grooming process itself, a cat is likely to find some part of the whole “day at the spa” somewhat hard to take. Severe matting, age, health issues, and other factors only make matters worse.

Understanding feline temperaments coupled with knowledge of proper handling skills, goes a long way in preventing harm to both a groomer and the cat. In addition, nifty tools such as the Air Muzzle™ will make cat bites a thing of the past. Watching for stress signs, such as panting, will alert a groomer when to stop a groom and seek veterinary care or notify an owner. Safety for both the groomer and the cat should always be at the top of a cat groomer’s priority list.

Quality – I want to always give my clients the WOW factor. That means when I present them with their freshly groomed kitty, their response needs to be, “Wow! She’s never looked so good!” It’s really not hard to accomplish this, given the fact that many groomers do not present a WOW factor to their clients. This means that cat owners have grown accustomed to less-than-stellar grooms. They settle for less because they think that is all they can get.

Of course, this bothers me greatly. My mission of late has been changing the grooming industry so that cats get equal treatment with dogs. No more substandard grooms for cats! If you are one of those groomers settling for inferior results when you groom cats, then shame on you! There is a way to produce WOW results each and every time you groom a cat. If you want those customers coming back for more, you have to give them exceptional quality. While you may be the only cat groomer around at the moment, this won’t last for long. You see, we’ve got armies of newly educated cat groomers graduating from our school each month, heading back to where they came from to get as many cat-owning clients as they possibly can. Once a cat owner discovers the WOW factor, they will no longer settle for anything less.

Profitability – Let’s face it, even though we love working with animals, we are in the biz to actually make money. For me personally, I have overhead costs to cover each month AND I want to collect a paycheck at the end of the week just like everybody else. The more efficiently we operate within the salon, the more our bottom line increases.

If you don’t know what you are averaging per hour on the business revenue, you need to find out. Next, figure out what you, personally, are making per hour. Some groomers are shocked to learn that they are making less than minimum wage when they get down to the bottom line. A job at McDonalds flipping hamburgers would generate a higher paycheck. And flipping hamburgers is a job without risk of being mauled by an angry animal.

The more efficiently you work, the more animals you can groom in a day, and the more money you make. It is that simple. Working efficiently as a cat groomer means using the best equipment, tools, and products that are available, as well as perfecting handling skills so that the time spent on an individual cat is down to a minimum.

Safety, quality, and profitability work together to ensure a successful business venture. Are you as successful as you would like to be?

Turn your trash into a treasure. Become a CFMG!

PS.  Don’t forget about the Dirty Cat Hair Project!  All that dirty cat hair that you throw in the trashcan……….sell it!  For $113/lb.  In an average Saturday we collect about 4 lbs of dirty cat hair.  That is an additional $452 on top of our grooming revenue.  Imagine!

Have you ever looked at your finished cat grooms and wondered if they could maybe be just a little bit better looking? You are not alone.  We hear this complaint all the time from groomers around the globe.  For some, it is the main reason why they finally take the plunge and enroll in our school.

If you’ve heard me speak or read my book, you know that one of my many mantras is “cats are greasy!”  They truly are.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  If you were to ask a cat fancier about their bathing regimen before a show weekend, they would tell you they take great pains to remove all the greasiness from their cat’s coat. Why?  Because they want to win.  And in order to win, their cats must be impeccably groomed, with every hair in place.  No room for clumpy separation of the coat.  Kinky legs, nappy bellies, and clumpy shoulders all ruin an exhibitor’s chance at making a coveted Top 10.

So if grease ruins a show groom, wouldn’t it make sense that it would also ruin a salon groom? After all, why should our clients receive anything less than the best quality groom possible?

When grooming cats, make sure you get that grease out of the coat.  When you do, the finish will be beautiful.  You might even pull off that WOW factor that I am so fond of.  You should be fond of it too!  If you aren’t giving your clients WOW factor when you present them with their freshly groomed kitty, then you need to figure out what’s wrong and do something to get it fixed!  Your clients, the cats, and the industry as a whole deserve nothing less than purr-fection~