March 30, 2011 just after 1opm PST

I left for Sydney today. It is a very long trip and, right now, I am only half way. Well, not even half way in miles. But if you add up the time I spend on planes as well as in airports, I am about halfway into my quest to reach Sydney, Australia for a two day cat grooming event.

Right now I am in Los Angeles, at the international terminal, awaiting the departure of V Australia flight 002 to take me across the Pacific to the land down under. It is here, in LA, that I have a seven hour layover, allowing me more than ample time to get from one flight to another and through security once again before leaving my homeland.

As I was standing in line for security screening for the second time today, a young man in front of me turned and asked if I was on spring break. This took me by surprise. I’m way past spring break. I have children that are past spring break. Such flattery. The kid who asked this must have been all of 19 or 20 years old. I am old enough to be his mother.

I told the kid that I wished I was headed off for some spring break fun, but instead I was on a business trip. This naturally led to where we were all headed that day. The passenger that stood between the young kid and myself wanted to know what, exactly, my job was that took me to far away places. I replied with my standard answer, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Ah,” they all nodded, as if I were a spy or special agent of some kind, and if they probed any further I might have to kill them. I wondered to myself if Catwoman would be considered a special agent.

We went on through the security checkpoint, our bags and bodies being searched for anything suspicious. As luck would have it, my bag was flagged and pulled aside for further investigation, and me along with it. Apparently there was some residue from a gun or bullets in my bag. This would not be a surprise since I fully utilize my right to bear arms on a regular basis, and have used that particular bag on several occasions. The swiping of my bag and subsequent searching left my fellow travelers wondering. I should have just gone with the spring break thing to begin with. But where is the intrigue in that?

Time to board the mothership and cross the equator. My suitcase is so much lighter this time around. Last month it was Moscow, which meant down coat, wool socks, gloves, thick sweaters and heavy boots. This time, however, I threw in my bathing suit. After the cat grooming, I intend to hit the beach. Bondi Beach, to be exact. Surfers’ heaven, they call it. I’m not a surfer. Yet. Maybe I am on spring break.

Dear Diary,

Today I planned. I wrote and scribbled and jotted thoughts into my binder. Then I organized it and rewrote it. It’s definitely helped to have everything written out in front of me, especially my goals. I can organize my thoughts so much better on paper than in my mind. I feel like I have a clearer view of what I have, what I want, and what I need to do to get to where I want to be.

Right now, Mom’s shop is available to me about one day a week. I can’t operate as a separate business and ‘rent’ her space without making the business official, something I can’t afford right now. So, I will technically be an employee of A. B. Grooming & Spa Services who manages and handles everything related to cats. This gives me an umbrella under which I can get started.

I think I have the basic equipment needed to perform baths, sanitary clips, belly shaves, and lion clips. I will have a better idea of what I’m working with once I can groom some cats in the shop. I do know that it will have to be rearranged quite a bit, which is why I’ll have to work separate days designated for cats and cats alone, as opposed to grooming them in the afternoon when all the dogs leave. It would take too long to situate everything to make grooming for an hour or two worthwhile.

I have a day available soon to groom cats, and I plan to start out with our own. In case you forgot, Diary, Hunca Munca is still a hot mess after that attempted bath. Besides, I need to see how I can manage without a Catty Shack Vac. That’s the piece of equipment I want most direly. I’m nervous about accepting clients without one, so I had considered grooming only shelter cats until I could earn enough from the dirty hair. That is, I considered it until I looked at the numbers in my binder:

~$2000 for the CSV including (estimated) shipping / $113 per pound of dirty cat hair = 17.7 pounds of dirty cat hair.

If I managed 1/3 of a pound of cat hair per lion cut, that’s 53.1 lion cuts. The two shelters to which I can donate my services have about 15-20 cats up for adoption between the two of them. A lion cut would not be appropriate for all of those cats, meaning it would take some time to produce the volume of dirty cat hair needed. It just isn’t practical.

So, while I really want to focus on improving my equipment (and thus my services), I can’t earn the money to do so without accepting some clients. That means my primary focus needs to be building a clientele. I think my money will be better spent on marketing tools to attract clients than on equipment that will be left sitting on the shelf because I have no cats to groom. That’s just for the time being. I still have every intention of saving up for a CSV. I just can’t get one right away.

Patience. I need some patience, Diary. Too bad I can’t pick some up from the store. I never seem to have enough! I really want everything to be perfect right away, and that is certainly not going to happen. I’ve had to remind myself of my favorite Booker T. Washington quote, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”

The Chronicles of a Cat Groomer are being written by Kelcie Brown, CFMG, of the National Assoc of Professional Creative Groomers.  This is her story.  To learn more about the NAPCG and creative grooming, visit their website.

For some reason, every time I travel from home via air, lyrics from the late John Denver are the first thing I think of when I awaken on the day I am to leave.

“All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go. I’m standing here outside your door.”

The song clings to me all day, filling my head the way muggy air fills up a South Carolina summer day. It sticks to every part of me and is inescapable, just as the air is, staying with me all day like a piece of clothing that doesn’t come off until I’ve reached my final destination. I don’t know why this happens, it just does.

It probably has something to do with my teenage years that I spent flying to and then away from the young man I had given my heart to at the age of 15, the man who has been my husband for nearly 23 years. Because of our story, airports have a way of evoking in me both an intense anticipation of things to come and a desperate void of what was left behind.

“I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again. Oh Baby, I hate to go……”

Will this ever change? Will I wake up one morning to fly away somewhere and not hear this song in my head? I have no idea. But one thing I am certain of…….the man I married 23 years ago will always be there, waiting when I return and I will be amazed yet again of how blessed I am to have him in my life.

“So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you’ll wait for me………..”

Thanks, dear, for always waiting. I couldn’t do any of this without you!

Dear Diary,

I made it home safely from beautiful Greenville, South Carolina today. During the trip back, I had plenty of time to think about my new business plan. I feel so inspired to get to work after Danelle’s final lecture on Friday.

I know that I forgot to tell you about it. I had just earned my CFMG, Diary, so I was a little distracted by all the excitement. That’s why I’m telling you about it now. You see, up until that point, I had only an idea in my head as to how I was going to achieve my goals.

Danelle explained how to set long term and short term goals, how to plan to achieve those goals, how to develop a business plan, how to assess the business, how to organize all that information, and a whole lot more! With all the advice she gave us for getting started, I know I need to write everything down and get it organized.

I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, so I will surely forget what all I need to be accomplishing to get my business up and running. Not only that, but I can use my business binder to prioritize spending to best achieve my goals. I have very limited funding, so I literally and figuratively can’t afford to not prioritize spending.

I need to thank Becky, one of my fellow students, for inspiring me to get organized. I was so envious of her giant binder filled with the study packets, divided into neat little sections with color-coded labeling. Whatever she needed to look up was right at her fingertips, which is why I’m thinking right now about all the ways I can organize mine and about all the things I need to write in it.

Don’t be hurt, Diary. No one could replace you. And of course, I will still write to you as well, but I have to run now and get to work on my business binder!

I wanted to share this testimonial from Kelcie Brown, CFMG.

Kelcie has an Associate’s Degree in chemistry and biology, and has worked for six years as a bather/dryer at A.B. Grooming & Spa Services in Childersburg, AL prior to attending and graduating from the National Cat Groomers School as a Certified Feline Master Groomer. She is the Vice President of the NAPCG, an association that serves the creative pet grooming community. Kelcie co-authored The Science of Creative Grooming and serves as Assistant Editor of CGQ: Creative Groomers Quarterly magazine.

“My experience in the grooming industry previous to attending the school was limited to bathing and drying dogs part time for my mother’s grooming business. I love dogs, but I was never crazy about working with them, so I never considered the possibility that I might enjoy grooming cats. In fact, I was one of those skeptics that thought, “There are people in this world crazy enough to actually bathe, dry, and clip a cat? I’m assuming those people are crazy, right?”

Although I scoffed at the idea of cat grooming, I became more open minded to it when my younger sister expressed a desire to learn to groom cats. In fact, I was even curious to learn more myself, mostly because the idea seemed so preposterous. I wanted to know how on earth groomers were doing this without getting eaten alive.

The more I helped her study, the more I learned, and the more I began to respect cat grooming as a profession. In fact, I even began to consider it is as a career for myself.

My little sister, being a teenager, eventually lost interest in becoming a CFMG, so I pulled out her old study material and tried to learn. Eager to learn more but anxious of the risks involved, I read through everything there was to read and watched all the DVDS. It sounded straightforward enough, but I still wanted hands-on training. I did not want to think I was doing it properly. I wanted to know I was doing it properly. So…

I enrolled at the National Cat Groomers School! I can tell you that the exact minute I was sold occurred when my mother and I visited the school while passing through SC. It is absolutely beautiful!

What’s even better is that everything is perfectly designed for students to learn to groom cats. Because dog grooming sessions last much longer than the two-week cat grooming course, most schools – to my knowledge – dually operate as a school and as a dog grooming business. When cat grooming school was is in session, learning was the primary focus. It was very nice!

Everyone there was so helpful, patient, and inspiring! The course was thorough, rigorous, and intense, but it was not too difficult to learn nor was there any ‘filler.’ I consider everything I learned valuable and useful, and I can’t wait to put it into action!

My belief is that even if we only groom one cat, we owe it to that one cat to ensure that it is as safe as possible and that it looks as great as possible. Whether I only have one client or one thousand clients, I am confident that I now have the skills and knowledge to do the best I can thanks to the National Cat Groomers School!”

Kelcie Brown, CFMG

To read more about Kelcie’s journey through cat grooming school and onward, visit “Chronicles of  a Cat Groomer” blog on the NCGIA website.

Day 12

Dear Diary,

I passed!!!!! I’m a CFMG!!!! Look out greasy cats… here I come!

Today has been so bittersweet. I passed the health and anatomy exam deservedly so, if I may say so myself, which means I am now a graduate from the National Cat Groomers School AND a Certified Feline Master Groomer! I think I did so poorly the first time because I still had Claire on my mind. Either way, I feel like I really know my health information now.

Unfortunately, graduating also means that I have to leave school.

There is so much I’m going to miss. I’m going to miss all the wonderful ladies I met while I was here. Both the staff and my fellow students have been through so much with me over this past week. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to share this wonderful experience with, and I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done!

I’m going to miss taking lunch trips to Pete’s Restaurant a few blocks from the school. We ate there almost every day. They have that perfectly delicious and unhealthy southern food I love so dearly, not to mention the southern hospitality to match. By the third day, our waitress had memorized our drink orders and had them ready for us seconds after we arrived. Everyone was just so friendly there! In fact, I don’t think I encountered a single person during these past two weeks that wasn’t a pleasure to be around.

Oh, and of course the city is beautiful, as is the school. I’ll miss the warm old building, especially the drying room full of Catty Shack Vacs.

Returning home is not all bad, though. I do look forward to seeing my family, my dogs, and my cats. It’s funny, Diary, I had never considered myself to be a huge cat person. I love all animals, but I never would have put cats very high on my ‘favorite animals’ list. After all I’ve seen of them while here, I have a much greater appreciation and love for them. There was even a shelter cat here yesterday that I desperately wanted to bring home with me.

So, although the time has come for me to leave the school, I am leaving here with so much! I feel confident and empowered and knowledgeable. I know I can return home to build a successful cat grooming business. Thanks to the school, I can now perform a show quality groom or something awfully close. I do still need to practice, but I can at least tell the difference between almost great quality and the undeniably great quality I will always continue to work towards achieving.

I received invaluable information about marketing, managing, and planning a cat grooming business. So, in theory, I should be able to perform great grooms and successfully operate the business end of things. It’s a lot, and I’m not sure if I can do it.

No, I can do it. I have to do it. I owe it to myself and to everyone who helped me get here. It won’t be easy, but I can do it.

I have a long trip ahead of me, Diary. I’ll catch up with you later.

wanna make some waffles?

Dear Diary,

Lion cut practicals? Aced them!

Business management written exam? Passed it!

Health presentation? Nailed it!

Oh, the health and anatomy written exam? About that, Diary… I didn’t exactly do great on it. In fact, I kind of, sort of failed it. I knew when I sat down and looked over the test that I didn’t deserve to pass it. I answered all the questions that I knew but left the others blank – so many were blank that I failed without my test even being graded.

Yes, I could have guessed, but then what would have happened? What if I had passed just because I got lucky? I don’t want my CFMG because I’m lucky. I want to deserve it, and I can tell you, Diary, that I did not deserve to pass that exam. Maybe it was because I’m still a little shaken by Claire or maybe I just didn’t study well enough, but this morning, I could not have told you anything about FIP or any other topic from the study packet. Actually, I probably couldn’t have even told you what FIP stands for.

This information will serve more than to just help me achieve my certification title. I need to be able to recognize potential illnesses and know how to handle it in my business. Does that sneezing cat need to be sent home immediately or will he be ok for the rest of his groom? Is that eye discharge normal or should I recommend a trip to the vet’s office? I can’t afford to overlook a highly contagious virus and risk allowing other clients to become infected.

And, as Danelle has mentioned, we are the eyes for our veterinarian colleagues. If we know what to look for, we often notice symptoms long before the owners would consider taking their pet into the vet to be checked. Who else is going to notice decreased weight, relative puniness, or drastic temperament changes? I need to know when those changes are significant and/or what they might mean.

Besides, Mother’s clients rely on her expertise of basic dog health, calling her for advice when Angel has an upset stomach or when Gizmo’s anal glands are bothering him again. They spend more time each year with her than with their vet and greatly trust her opinion on things. Many times, a client makes their decision to visit or not to visit the vet based solely on Mother’s recommendation. Maintaining that trust is a responsibility she takes very seriously, as do I.

Of course, she has the advantage of having been a veterinary technician for 20 years, so she has a thorough knowledge of health concerns. I, on the other hand, still have a lot to learn. Fortunately for me, the NCGIA has all the relevant information pulled together into a convenient study packet. I just have to make sure I learn it in time to retake my exam tomorrow if I want to leave here with my certification in hand.

Now that we are into our second year of classes at the National Cat Groomers School, I have received some update letters from past graduates.  I wanted to share this one from Becky Taylor, CFMG in Colorado.

“I own Tailored Tails Grooming Salon & Pet Spa, Inc., in Colorado Springs, CO. We’ve been open about 2-1/2 years now and have been lucky enough to be successful (thanks to Stephen & Maddie’s From Problems to Profits!) I attended a local grooming academy about 6 years ago, unfortunately a very poor one. I then found Melissa Verplank’s Paragon Pet School where I attended for advanced education and received excellent instruction. I then earned my NCG through the NGDAA and will continue that education until I achieve further title. I attend grooming expos for continuing education regularly. After all, those who teach at the trade shows have learned the hard way and are willing to share; we should take full advantage of their expertise and what they’ve learned from their hard knocks!

I admit it, I was one of “those” groomers who swore off grooming cats! I felt it was too dangerous, too hard to handle, too much risk for someone who earns a living with their hands. I’m here to say I was wrong! I got to thinking about it and realized somewhere along the way that the problem was mine; mine in incorrect handling and my lack of knowledge. Ignorance is always easy to correct, but as Larry the Cable Guy says, “Ya can’t fix stupid”. Further learning just takes a little education and effort. So…

I enrolled at the NCGIA! It was one of the best decisions I’ve made for my grooming career! I recently graduated and achieved my CFMG – and I’m the first in the state of Colorado! (pat self on back). The curriculum is challenging, and the requirements to achieve the CFMG are rigorous; we need more of this in the grooming industry if we wish to be true professionals at what we do!

The NCGIA curriculum is very professional. Danelle has written a program that is thorough and detailed, very well thought through, and most of all it is proven correct, and it works. I actually believed that cat grooming would be too difficult. She proved me wrong! Danelle and her staff are friendly, understanding, true professionals in all aspects, experts at what they do, and they have immense patience! In the end I found that not only is cat grooming “do-able”, but I truly found it to be enjoyable. Yes, really!

If you’re one of those who doubt like I did, please consider enrolling in Danelle’s program at the NCGIA. Those of us who’ve been there can testify to its excellence (that’s an invite for you other attendees to back me up here). Danelle and her school are the first and only of its kind in the world, and they are doing wonderful things for the grooming industry, not to mention how wonderful for all those beautiful, sweet cats in nearly every household! I encourage all of you groomers to think again on cat grooming and give serious consideration to enrolling at the NCGIA. The investment will be returned to you in so many ways. Send ‘em an email, check out their website, investigate the program a little more.”

Becky Taylor, CFMG

Dear Diary,

I never should have said anything about compliant cats. I think I jinxed myself. Today didn’t go so well. I started with a blue Ragdoll, who was a little fussy but not too bad. After she was bathed and in the cage dryer, I removed Claire from her crate.

Oh, Claire. I will never forget her. She was a morbidly obese black and white DLH in for a lion cut. She looked more like an Orca than a cat. For her rough cut, she urinated in my lap and scratched my arms. Once that was over, she just decided to scream at me. “No big deal,” I thought, “I’ll get her in the tub, and she’ll calm down.”

Most angry cats calm down once wet and do not require a muzzle while in the cage dryer. Not Claire. Claire was furiously trying to bite me during her entire bath. Unfortunately, I had to take the Air Muzzle off at the end of her bath to properly wash her head, but I knew she really wasn’t going to like it. So, with a firm grip on her almost-non-existent scruff, I held on for dear life, knowing that she would love to bite me if given the chance. I washed her head faster than anything I have ever washed before in my life.

Shew. She went into the cage with my wonderful Air Muzzle reattached, and I thankfully still had all my fingers.

Ok, my scratches were sore, and my thumb ached from hanging on to her scruff, but I was ready for my third cat. She was a dainty little white Persian also in for a lion cut. I trimmed her nails and neatened her face with no problems. I flipped on my clippers, however, and she decided to go on the attack. Thank goodness I accidentally brought an extra Air Muzzle (not realizing there was one in my tool kit). This little white Persian gave me almost as much trouble as Claire, but she wasn’t quite as strong, so she dealt me less damage. She, too, had to keep her muzzle on while in the cage dryer.

I finished my Ragdoll, having to borrow a third Air Muzzle as both of mine were preoccupied on the two angriest kitties I’ve seen at the school.

Note to self: send a personal ‘thank you’ letter to the inventor of the Air Muzzle.

“Ok, back to Claire. I’m more than halfway done. I can do this,” I thought. I dried Claire faster than I bathed her, having to remove my beloved Air Muzzle once again to finish her head. She was furious. And strong. My poor scruff hand was cramping, tears were welling in my eyes, and it took every ounce of determination I had to hang in there. Somehow, I got her dry.

As I tried to finish her groom, it became clear that she was more than I could handle. Danelle intervened. I felt such a horrible, crushing feeling of defeat. Claire had won. No longer could I choke back my tears. Yes, Diary, I cried.

I know. It was embarrassing. I shouldn’t have let it bother me. I am just learning, so of course there will be some cats that I can’t groom. Even Danelle needed help to finish her. But, it’s still frustrating to give something all you’ve got only for it to not be enough.

I felt so childish for crying and interrupting everyone else’s work. They were so supportive. Becky even brought me some banana pudding back from lunch to cheer me up. Everyone assured me that I had done a good job considering the cat with which I was working, and I appreciate their support more than they will know.

Instead of working on Claire, Danelle had me dry a kitten from the shelter. It’s tough to be sad in the presence of a tiny kitten who would rather playfully swat my hand than be combed. I’m grateful to her for allowing me time to pull myself back together and to remember that I really do like cats.

I was feeling a little less defeated, until I attempted to finish my white Persian. She started to become too stressed as I was trying to complete her groom. Once again Danelle had to step in and take over.

I know there was nothing more I could have done today to better handle those cats. It’s just been a long day, and Claire has exhausted me. We have our health and anatomy written exam, presentations, and business management exam in the morning. I should get some sleep, so I can awaken to a new and better day