Question 9:

Price – should I charge a lower fee until I feel confident in what I am doing?

Answer:

I could write a book answering this question in its entirety.  Here’s the very condensed version…….

First of all, I think a better question would be “Should I charge a lower fee until I turn out excellent grooms?”
I don’t think that confidence should be the determining factor for how much our work is worth.  Confidence surely comes with time and experience for most people.  But sometimes the confidence levels of some groomers remains relatively low despite their abilities. Conversely, some groomers are lousy and yet very confident in their work, as crappy as it is.

So how do we determine the value of our work?  A good question really.

My opinion is that it should be based primarily on skill level.  So then, the thing that must be determined is what IS an individual groomer’s skill level.  How is it measured?

First, there has to be a standard in which to measure skill levels by…….something that is consistent and as objective as possible.  In 2007, with the formation of the NCGIA, a standard for cat grooming was created. Previously there was no standard for cats in the grooming industry.  There existed a show standard already, which is what the NCGIA’s cat grooming standards are founded upon.  After all, if dog grooming standards are based on dog show/breed standards, then shouldn’t this also be the case for felines as well?

So to begin with, determine what will be the “measuring stick” with which you measure any level of grooming quality.  Anything not founded on show standard is arbitrary and subjective and probably lacking in quality. Competition and the act of being judged have a way of maintaining a quality of standard, much like competing in races keeps a runner in top condition and better able to set a world record or win a gold medal.

Looking at the measuring stick, a comparison of one’s own grooming can be made.  How does it stack up? This is something each groomer will have to determine themselves unless they are pursuing certification and faced with the challenge of passing exams.  In that case, a certifier would determine just how a groomer’s work stands up against the standard.  This is one of the many good things about certification with an organization of good repute; the comparison is not subjective to the one doing the actual work.

The problem with cat grooming is that, for so long there wasn’t a standard.  Combined with the fact that cat grooming has not been hugely sought after by cat owners, and the fact that there are few groomers willing to actually handle cats, cat owners are more likely to settle for less.  They have bought into the idea that they should be happy with whatever they get, no matter how good or bad it looks.

The cool thing about it all is that when a groomer is really good at turning out awesome cat grooms, they’ve got it made!  They have little or no competition.  It may take awhile for clients to find the quality cat groomer, but eventually they will.  And they will never go back to the inferior because they have seen the difference for themselves.

So perhaps in the beginning, as you practice and build your skill level, offer to those first clients a discount of sorts.  Let them know you are working toward bettering your cat grooming skills and could really use the practice.  As your skills develop, increase pricing to reflect the value therein.  When you obtain your CFMG (Certified Feline Master Groomer) title, charge even more.  Because at that point, you will have proven your skill level and shown that you trained hard, ran the race well, and crossed the finish line ahead of the rest.  A gold medal for cat groomers!  Oh yeah – a great feeling it is!

The few, the proud, the CFMGs~

(click on the images to open and view in full size)

GC, GP Man-Atzakat's Call Me Crazy of Bara

GC, GP, NW Chantilylace Groucho Marks of Bara, DM

Question 8:

Feet- take the long tufts off of the pads or leave them sticking out? Which I’d rather not.

Answer:

I’m not sure of your reason for not wanting to take off the toe tufts, but I’m glad to hear that you’d rather not. The breed standard for those breeds with long toe tufts calls for them to be fully intact, fluffy and full, and neatly combed out.

I don’t like taking toe tufts off of a cat either. But I do, sometimes, for those clients that request it. You can be sure I charge more for this service. After all, time = money. It takes more time, therefore it costs more $$.

Not too many cats like their toe tufts removed. Even the really compliant cats can get a bit testy when trying to remove their toe tufts. If the tufts are to be removed, then use a small trimmer such as the Brav Mini or the Pro LT (both by Wahl). No scissoring. (See my earlier post entitled “The Mane Thing.”)

I spent years showing Persian cats, taking great care to blow their toe tufts out to max fullness whenever giving one of my kitties a show bath. Goal: win in the show ring. That meant grooming to perfection, which meant showing off beautiful toe tufts. I do the same for my clients’ cats’ feet, unless requested to do otherwise.

Make toe tuft removal an add-on service with an additional charge for those clients that insist the tufts must go. Otherwise, blow those suckers out with the HV dryer so they are fluffy and straight. Toe tufts are good.

Questions 6 & 7:

Boots – leave the front legs higher than back or try to have them the same height or [vary on a] cat-to-cat basis?

Boots- blend into legs or just take off the long scraggly hair?

Answer:

On the foreleg, it is very easy to set a straight line if the elbow joint is used as a guide. Working in the same fashion as on the neckline (back, front, sides), shave up and past the elbow approximately 1/2”. The foreleg must be raised to do this correctly, taking care not to hold it in such a way that the skin gets shifted out of place.

Next, set the line at the front of the foreleg, right at the bend of the elbow. Then connect the back and front lines at each side of the foreleg.

Reverse-shaved finish (with a #10 blade) should meet up to unclipped hair just below the elbow. This creates a very crisp, defined line. Check to be sure both foreleg lines are symmetrical.

For the rear legs, set the line just above the ankle. Going below the ankle makes it difficult to get a straight line because of the contours of the ankle/heel. Placing the line just inside the “dip” above the ankle makes it very easy to get both sides even and straight. Again, reverse-shaved finish should meet unclipped hair at a very distinct line.

There is no need to do any blending. Doing so will make it look cut and/or add a lot more time to the groom. Let the definition of the two finishes meeting up to one another speak for itself. I’ve seen a lot of blended-out leg lines on cats and, personally, I think it looks messy. My customers certainly prefer the crisp definition to a more obscured blended off leg line – they say it looks neater. I’ve listened to that feedback over the past 13 years and performed my grooms accordingly. It has certainly paid off! More than I could have ever dreamed!

(Both “Cat With a Mat” dvd and the Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia cover the lion cut techniques and line placements. Both can be found on the NCGIA website under “Products.”)

Question #5

Lion clips – blend the mane into the neck but leave the ruff kinda natural or scissor it all?

Answser:

The neckline on a standard lion cut should fall right at the natural collar line on a cat. Using a #10 blade, in reverse, shave up toward the collar line. When going over the shoulder blade area, pull gently back on the cat’s skin, toward the tail, so that the skin remains taut. This is important for achieving a smooth, flawless finish and for protecting the cat’s skin from clipper nicks.

Proper clipper blade position when shaving a cat.

Continue to pull back on the skin at the cat’s shoulder while moving the clippers forward toward the neckline. The clipper blade should always remain flat to the contour of the cat’s body. When the clipper blade bumps up against the base of the cat’s skull, stop and pull back, creating a crisp line.

Work in this manner at the back of the cat’s neck, from ear to ear. Then move to the front of the cat’s neck to lift the ruff and create a neat, even line at the collar line under the chin.

Saving the sides for last, pull back gently on the cat’s skin at each side along the neckline. Keeping the clipper blades even and flat to the skin, shave forward to connect the top line and bottom line that have already been created.

When shaving around a cat’s neckline, think “back, front, sides.” Working in this manner will make the job of getting a good line at the neck a quick and simple process.

One example of a natural ruff on a standard lion cut. This cat is a Domestic Long Hair with a medium length ruff.

Do not start at one point on the neckline and work around the cat’s head in a continuous line. This is much like trying to draw a line with a pen around the core of a paper towel roll. No matter what, the line ends up in a slightly different place than it began. Instead, work back, front, sides.

On a traditional lion cut, the ruff would remain natural. A smooth, velvety, shaved finish meets up to a full, natural ruff. However, sometimes a client may want the ruff trimmed at the back of the head, the front, or all the way around. If trimming only the front of the ruff, a skim technique works very well. I prefer using a Wahl Bravura – it creates a very natural looking skimmed-off ruff that can be taken as short as needed.

Another example of a standard lion cut with a natural ruff, this time on a Domestic Short Hair.

For trimming up the ruff behind the head, a skim off with the Bravuras works well for taking off just a little. When needing to remove more hair, put a stainless steal snap-on (there are new ones designed for the Bravura) on the clipper and skim upward to take the ruff shorter without making it look cut.

The standard lion cut on this Persian was achieved using the method described here in this post. The natural length of the ruff makes it appear as though the line is set back further, however, it is set at the natural collar line, the same as it is on the cats shown above.

Scissors and cats do not mix. The exception to this is using 4” blunt-tipped scissors for the face trim on certain breeds. Everything else can and should be done with clippers. I’ve seen too many scissor fiascos over the years to know that scissor usage on a cat is simply not worth the risk. In addition, using scissors on cat hair becomes a challenge in attempting to make the look natural and not choppy. It can be done, but not without more time and effort. Using clippers makes the job quick and easy. And a whole lot safer.

A lion cut variation is always an option, too. Setting the neck line back or shaping it into a 'v' are just some of the options.

Questions 3 and 4:

3. What do you find is most cats’ tolerance limit on time?

4. If a cat gets really upset do you put them up and try later or is it a one shot deal and it only gets worse?

Answer:

Cats definitely have a tolerance limit. Working within that time frame is best for both groomer and cat. Most grooms can and should be finished within 1 hour when working straight through. That means a mobile groomer, working on a single cat, should have the groom finished and kitty delivered back to the owner within a 1-hour time frame. Many cats can be completed in approximately 45 minutes.

For years I groomed cats solo, and then with employees working beside me. Either way, owners were given a 2-hour turn-around pick up time. This allowed for interruptions from clients/phone calls and overlapping appointments as well as additional time for cats to be initially dried in a cage dryer. Even so, the actual hands-on groom time for each cat was about 40-60 minutes. While some of the cats I handled on a daily basis were less-than-agreeable about their time at the “spa,” each and every one went home completely groomed and looking and feeling mighty fine.

Years ago, when I started doing personalized training with other groomers from around the world who came to learn cat grooming (before the National Cat Groomers School existed), I learned a valuable lesson about a cat’s time limits. Sometimes students, being new to grooming, would end up taking 2 and 3 times longer than normal to complete a groom. The result was an ordinarily compliant and easy cat becoming aggressive or stressed due to the increased hands-on groom time. I saw this happen time and time again, which showed me very clearly that cats do have a time limit. Our job, as professional cat groomers, is to make sure we do not stretch them past that limit.

So how is this done? Well, there are a number of things that must be understood in order for this to happen.

1. Understand feline temperaments and how to recognize what type of cat is being worked with.

2. Know how to confidently and safely handle cats in a way that makes the groom possible in the shortest amount of time.

3. Know what grooming elements can/cannot or should/should not be done on certain cats, based on age, health, coat type, breed, condition, and temperament. There is no hard, fast method that works on every cat, every time. Making an educated decision about how to go about a groom on a specific cat is fundamental to success,

4. Know what order to perform each element based on a variety of factors, but mainly based on a cat’s temperament and personality.

Struggling with a cat is not good for the cat or the groomer. The end result could be devastating and even end with the death of a cat. Performing inappropriate grooming elements on a cat can also be disastrous. And spending too much time handling a cat will almost always have a negative result.

Chapters 3 and 4 of my book, The Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia, cover, in great detail, various cat temperaments and handling techniques (with photos). Chapter 5 goes on to explain (and demonstrate with photos) the different grooming elements that can be done on cats. This same chapter also includes a section that explains in what order to perform the groom, as well as how long it should take to complete each step of the process. (see pages 87-88)

Yes, this is my shameless promotion of my own book. But, folks, there is a reason I wrote this book. And there is a reason it contains the information that it contains. If you are grooming cats or want to groom cats or are being forced to groom cats, get the Encyclopedia!

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it again and again and again – probably until the day I die: if you are going to groom a cat, make sure you know EVERYTHING there is to know about these creatures and how to handle them safely and effectively! They deserve it! Our industry deserves it (and ought to require it!!). The book and the DVDs are a good place to start. And now there is a real school where further, in-depth training that takes place each month. Take advantage of this – improve your ability to groom felines so that time no longer is an issue. Whether or not a cat’s groom is completed is never a question. Instead, confidence, efficiency, and excellent grooming rule! Don’t settle for anything less.

To answer Q4………putting a cat away for a while with the hope it will settle down will rarely work. In fact, most of the time, it will only make matters worse. The cat doesn’t want to be away from home. It is reacting out of either fear or anger, none of which will be lessened by the cat remaining in a place that is making it fearful or mad. But does this mean the cat can’t be groomed or shouldn’t be groomed? Probably not. Most likely not. Knowing the information listed above can make all the difference in the world and provide the skills to finesse a cat into the place it needs to be to receive the grooming attention it so desperately requires.

I say this with confidence because I KNOW it’s true. I’ve been living it for over 13 years, with over 32,000 cat grooms thus far. And now others are living it, too! Proof’s in the pudding

(Again, thanks to Cattledawg from the PetGroomer forums for asking such great questions!)

The questions below were recently posted on the cat grooming forum on the GroomerTalk message forum. I wanted to address each question individually and decided to do so in my blog.

These are excellent questions, each deserving of its own answer. I will address each of the 9 questions in a separate post over the next week or two.

Thank you to Cattledawg for asking and for allowing me to use these in my blog.

I hope readers find this information helpful.

Questions are:

1. Should you do all [of] the clip you can before the bath and then just neaten up after?

2. Or bath first?

3. What do you find is most cats’ tolerance limit on time?

4. If a cat gets really upset do you put them up and try later or is it a one shot deal and it only gets worse?

5. Lion clips – blend the mane into the neck but leave the ruff kinda natural or scissor it all?

6. Boots – leave the front legs higher than back or try to have them the same height or [vary on a] cat to cat basis?

7. Boots- blend into legs or just take off the long scraggly hair?

8. Feet- take the long tufts off of the pads or leave them sticking out? which I’d rather not.

9. Price should I charge a lower fee until I feel confident in what I am doing?

Question 1 & 2:

Should you do all of the clip you can before the bath and then neaten up afterward?

Or bath first?

Answer:

Clip first, before the bath. There are a couple of good reasons for this.

1. There is no need to wash and blow dry hair that will ultimately be shaved off. Removing the coat before the bath and blow dry makes for a much faster groom and less stress for the cat. Additionally, there may be times that the coat must be shaved due to severe matting or a pelted coat. If this is the case, the matted/pelted coat MUST be removed before bathing in order to adequately clean the cat during the bathing process.

2. Another reason to shave before the bath/blow dry is the Dirty Hair Project ™. Any Certified Feline Master Groomer (CFMG™) can sell their dirty cat hair for $113/lb to a laboratory that uses it to extract dander and make human allergy shots. If the hair is washed, it is useless for this purpose and, therefore, monetarily worthless. Once washed, it must be thrown away and eventually ends up in a landfill somewhere. Dirty cat hair, however, reaps a big reward and is part of a wonderful recycling process that helps people with allergies AND puts a lot of money in a CFMG’s pocket!

Nearly 14lbs of dirty cat hair that we shipped off last week. Net: $1565

When shaving a cat into a lion cut, do a rough shave first. This means getting a fairly smooth finish, but not putting a whole lot of effort into setting neat lines at the neck, legs and tail lines. This will come later, when the cat is clean and degreased. I typically try to have my lion cuts about 95% finished before the bath. Then, after the cat is clean and thoroughly dried, I do the final work, creating straight, neat lines at the edges and making sure the finish over the entire cat is velvety smooth.

I just received this letter from Kenny Sin, Hong Kong’s first Certified Feline Master Groomer.

“Dear Danelle,

I would like to express my utmost appreciation to you and your team in providing me with the necessary and professional skills to be a proper cat groomer. I thought I knew a lot about cats but you have opened my eyes to how much more I did not know. I have learned a great deal not just in grooming but also in feline health, business management and interpersonal skills. Having to fly across the world, two weeks might sound like a long time, but it was definitely well worth the traveling. You and your team have made it so welcoming, it felt just like going home.

Thank you very much to you, Olivia, Liz and Dana.

With much love, Kenny”

Dear Diary,

I have no cats to groom today. It’s cat day at the salon, but I have no appointments. Not to worry though. I become so busy during the week that I have found it difficult to work on promoting A. B. Grooming’s new cat grooming services. So, since I have no cats to groom on cat day, I worked to change that.

Most of Mom’s clients find her one of three ways: a vet refers them, another client refers them, or they stumble upon her website. The easiest for me utilize today is her website. I spent the day organizing my before and after photographs, writing content, and rearranging the layout to accommodate the new cat grooming information.

I would have rather purchased the website content from NCGIA and adjusted it accordingly, but that will likely have to wait until I’m a separate business with a separate website. Oh, and until I have some money. The thing about not having many clients is that I also have limited income, so I have to keep the cost of everything in mind.

It would be easier and less time consuming for me to pay someone else, but then I would require the money to pay them. One day that won’t be a problem. For now, though, I have to work with what I have.

What I have is a very supportive mother who has graciously given me the freedom to use her business to promote cat grooming. Also, what I have is time. No clients today means no money, but it also means I had all day to write myself a bio, list and explain my services along with their prices, post pictures, and address a few of the concerns owners have regarding cat grooming.

While I was at it, I added a blog to the website as well. Yes Diary, this means I will be writing to more than just you. I have more than enough to keep me busy already, but I can find time to write something at least once a month.

For the first blog post, I decided to finally get around to that press release that I’ve been meaning to write, announcing my graduation from the school and our new cat grooming services. As I published the press release, I was prompted to announce the update via Facebook, but we don’t have a Facebook page for A. B. Grooming, which led me to creating one.

All in all, it’s been a rather productive day. One thing has been leading to another, and now the website is updated, a new blog is started, and a Facebook page has been established. I guess not having any cats to groom wasn’t such a bad thing.

http://www.abgroomingservices.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-B-Grooming-Spa-Services/164298226963089

Why do we groom cats?  After all, don’t they groom themselves?

Then how do you explain this?

Brown Mac Tabby & White before his groom

This cat is greasy, smelly, matted, and has hardened poop stuck to his behind.

He needs a bath and a blow dry.
He needs a sanitary clip.

He needs his nails trimmed and his ears cleaned.
He definitely needs his mats and tangles removed.
And he could benefit from a belly shave.

So this is why we do what we do.  Because cats don’t really groom themselves at all.

We, as professional groomers, groom them.

The bathing process can and should remove all grease and debris from the cat's coat.

Using the best products, tools, equipment, and techniques can produce stunning results that make a tremendous difference for the cat and the people that live with it.

Using waterless shampoo will not produce good results.  Spritzing a cat with some type of spray will certainly not produce good results. And merely brushing the cat’s coat out will not produce good results.

In fact, doing any of those things can create more of a problem for both the cat and its owner.  Since we are professional pet groomers, making things worse is not option.  Fixing the problem and preventing it in the future is what we are all about.  All for the sake of the animal, because it is in their best interest.

This is why we do what we do.

It is a rewarding job, one that I love very much!

Contact the NCGIA if you want to learn more.

Touching up the edges on the belly shave, after the bath

The final comb out, showing the sanitary clip

A groomed cat truly is a happy cat!

Dear Diary,

Today, Mom visited our local veterinarian’s office to leave them with some brochures and business cards for A. B. Grooming & Spa. This is not the same vet whose cat I’ve groomed. In fact, I have been thinking I should pay them a visit, but I don’t really know any of the employees there, so I’ve been procrastinating it. Shame on me for doing so.

You see, Mom took them a handful of each of NCGIA’s brochures in addition to her dog grooming literature. When she asked if they wouldn’t mind distributing that cat grooming information as well, the receptionists excitedly told her ‘not at all!’

Then, Dr. M. came to the front desk to have a chat with Mom as well and noticed the brochures. They discussed it for quite a bit; he was surprised to learn that I am grooming cats without sedating them. “That says a lot about her training,” he stated.

Mom inquired about the clinic cat, Punkin’ Kitty, a red tabby domestic longhair and about whether they wouldn’t mind me grooming her. It turns out, though, that she was sedated and shaved only one week earlier. One week. If only I had been brave enough to visit them myself, I could have groomed her before they resorted to shaving her.

Oh well. I cannot dwell on what I didn’t do; I just have to plan a strategy for what I can do in the future. On one hand, I’d like to give them a call and ask to re-groom her completely, giving her a nice lion cut. On the other hand, she’s not kept in a lion cut – it was a last resort groom – so perhaps I should wait a few weeks and then offer to give her a long hair full coat groom. Of course, if her coat is noticeably uneven, I won’t be able to stand it and may have to give her a comb cut. I am not currently offering comb cuts, since I want to wait until I have a clipper vac, but I could make an exception.

I think I’ll make an appointment for her in 4-5 weeks and give them a call as it approaches. I don’t want to forget, and I certainly can’t procrastinate… not again, anyway.