Does waterless shampoo work on cats?  That is a great question and one I am asked often.

It truly would be a godsend to have “miracle in a bottle” waterless shampoo to apply to a cat’s coat, leaving it clean, lustrous, mat-free, and rid of grease with very little effort.  But the reality of the situation is that nothing works to achieve the desired results like a good, old-fashioned bath with shampoo and water. Because cats are greasy, the shampoo used needs to be one that does a thorough job of removing grease and oily residue from both the skin and coat.

Many cat owners and groomers are under the impression that cats have dandruff because they have dry skin.  Unless a cat has some strange health issue that is causing dry skin (I’ve yet to encounter this in all my years of cat grooming), the dandruff is a result of dead, dirty, greasy skin that needs to be scrubbed with a good shampoo and lots of water.  Rubbing a waterless shampoo into the coat, whether it be in the form of a powder, mousse, or spray, does nothing to remove the grease, dandruff and filth from a cat’s coat.  Waterless shampoo, in any form, may mask bad odors but will do little else. And sometimes waterless shampoo can exacerbate any problems a cat already has, making mats or tangles worse or increasing the amount of dandruff (dead, flaky skin).

Think of it this way……..if you did not wash your hair for 6 years, would you consider your head/hair clean after simply applying a foam or mousse and then towel drying and combing out?  Would you consider your hair clean if you sprinkled some flowery-scented powder over your head and then combed out your hair?  What about after spritzing your head with a bottle of waterless shampoo spray?

Take it a step further and consider what it would be like to not bathe at all for 5 or 6 years (or even a whole decade!) and then take a “bath” by spritzing a little misty fragrance over your body.  I wouldn’t want to be around you, that’s for sure!!

Add to the scenario that a cat has been in a litter pan for all of those years, whether just stepping into the box several times a day or lying down in it for a nap.  Add a bit of petrified poo or some urine dribbled down the inside of the legs.  And then there’s the ear wax buildup, tear staining, gunk in the nails, and large mat on the back hip or behind the ears.  I don’t care what the claims are on a bottle of waterless shampoo, nothing short of shampoo, water, and a good scrub are going to get rid of the filth, grime, germs, oil, and dead skin.

So why is it that waterless shampoo is even considered for use on cats?  Most likely because it has been believed for so long that cats “groom” themselves and/or that they hate water.  Neither of these myths are true. (For more on dispelling these myths read the Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia.)

No cat grooms itself.  They lick a lot, which is nothing like true grooming whereby clippers, trimmers, shampoo, water, combs and such are used to actually clean the skin and coat, remove debris and mats and a whole lot more.  Define “groom”.  Is it cleaning, trimming, and rectifying problems with skin and coat or is it merely licking and applying saliva to an already dirty coat.  As a groom, I do the former.  I do not lick cats (gross!) and they do not groom themselves.  (Imagine if your hair dresser “groomed” you by licking your head while you sat in the chair and then sent you home all covered in saliva.  Or better yet, your hair stylist instructs you to sit in their chair and lick yourself before calling it a day and charging you a fee for the “groom” that was just performed.  Dog grooming = cat grooming…….in other words, the things you do to a dog to consider it “groomed” and ready to go home after the owner pays a fee should also apply to a cat.)

The majority of cats can be acclimated to the bathing process with very little difficulty.  Many will learn to enjoy the bathing process.  It’s true that a few cats will go nuts when faced with water, however, these are typically feral cats.  In my experience, even some of those crazy kitties can learn to go through the bathing process without incident if they are handled in such a manner that it is non-threatening and out of control.  This takes skill, strength, and understanding the nature of felines.  (and some might say, it also takes suicidal tendencies.)

When a cat is presented for grooming it is usually because there are issues that need to be taken care of. It might be that the cat is matted, dirty, smelly, shedding profusely, or covered in dandruff – to name just a few issues.  How will waterless shampoo (in mousse, powder or spray form) rectify any of these issues? Waterless shampoo with fragrance may cover up the smell, but the effects will only be temporary.  The products will do nothing for the other problems. Therefore, it is a disservice to the cat and the owner to even offer a “groom” of this type.  I believe that, as professional groomers, we have a duty and responsibility to be as educated as possible about the animals we handle and to offer our clients options that are truly effective.  Offering a “mask” that covers up a problem but doesn’t fix the problem is any easy out for the groomer but does nothing to show care for animal and the needs of the client. If you are giving your clients substandard options, stop doing so!

If you are offering substandard because it’s all you know to do, I can appreciate that. For too long, that was the way of things. Not anymore.  Today there are better options available to you and your clients.

So what about the special situations?  The elderly fragile cats with serious health concerns?  Aren’t they candidates for waterless shampoo?  These are both valid questions.The fact remains that waterless shampoo still doesn’t really fix anything.

I believe unusual situations call for creative solutions, good communication, special handling and a dose of resourcefulness.  There are effective ways of handling such scenarios without the use of a “shampoo” that isn’t really a shampoo.

Learn2Groomcats.com now has several videos available on business development and practical grooming, including several videos that are specific to cat grooming.

As a member of Learn2Groom you can view the “Basic Grooming Development for a Cat Clientele” video, which includes a segment from our 2-week school program.

Basic Grooming Development for a Cat Grooming Clientele How many clients are in your database? What is the average price for your grooms? What does it take to grow a business? In this presentation, Danelle gives you tips to work out these critical details. She discusses advertising options, cat owner value, the #1 goal of all service providers, plus, how to effectively fire a client. This presentation is geared towards cat grooming. However, it is filled with valuable information that crosses easily over into the dog world. If you are a business owner, or thinking about opening your own salon, this is a presentation not to miss.

For the past two years I’ve had the honor of judging the Cat Writer’s Association’s Hearts Puss Award competition. This year, as I reading through the fabulous entries submitted by veterinarians, pet enthusiasts, and various experts I discovered that one of the writers had done a previous piece on NCGIA member and CFMG, Adrienne Kawamura of City Kitty feline-exclusive grooming salon in Washington.

Here is the article by Sandy Robbins.

On another note, Adrienne has recently completed the overwhelming task of franchising her City Kitty business. Anyone interested can contact Adrienne at info@citykittygrooming.com.

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Many times, yes! A poorly captured photo can give the wrong impression, while a great photo can convey more than mere words could ever express.

Here are some tips for taking photos for web use, whether it’s for a website, email, or business-promoting social media page.

1. Remove all clutter! Nothing ruins a photo more than having the subject bogged down with background clutter. When taking BEFORE and AFTER photos or photos that show off a certain grooming style, remove the clutter on tabletops, background walls, floors, etc. Capture the subject and leave the clutter behind.

While the subject is up close in this photo, the grooming tools and products in the background create a cluttered look. Better to remove all background objects.

This photo would be better if angle was changed to remove all background clutter as well as the grooming tools/products that show up in the foreground.

This photo, showing demonstration of a sanitary clip, has way too much mess in the background. All of it makes for a very distracting photo and the impression of a cluttered environment.

The purpose of this photo was intended to show off the finished groom. However, with the tool caddy and groomers' hands/arms in the way, the photo looks very cluttered and messy. It does nothing to show off the finished groom.

2. Use natural lighting whenever possible. Flashes can be problematic, especially when trying to take pictures of black or dark-colored animals. If natural light is an option, use it. Try different camera positions as well as subject positions until the lighting is just right. (watch the background clutter when changing positions.)

A great example of a bad example. The natural lighting and shadows ruin this picture of a "before the groom" cat. The clutter in the background is also a distraction. If the cat was turned around, and the photographer took the photo with the natural light coming from behind the camera, the results would have been better.

This photo shows the poor quality of an image when the lighting is not right.

This shows the same cat, photographed only seconds later, with the lighting adjusted.

3. Make sure every hair is in its place. Check for fuzzies, stray hairs, eye boogers, etc., before snapping the photo. I learned this the hard way ☺  It’s easy to overlook that little flaw when taking the photo, but then THERE IT IS, captured forever in high resolution, for all of posterity to see and ponder upon.

4. Take multiple photos at different angles. The beauty of digital technology: use what you want, delete the rest. So much better than back in the day – snapping 36 photos, dashing off to the photo lab, and forking out 12 bucks only to find out that only 3 of the images actually turned out. And then there was the scanning and emailing……..

5. Take photos in hi-res, change to low-res for use on websites. Waiting for hi-res photos to load up on a website takes more patience than most web surfers are willing to invest these days.

6. Keep cropping and photo-shopping to a minimum. I’m not a fan of “fixing” photos. I prefer to take them the way I want them in the first place and save all the trouble of having to fix what’s already done. Some people may be into photo-shopping more than I am. But either way, time is money and photo-fixing takes time. It’s unnecessary time if you consider the photo could have been taken “correctly” and thus immediately ready for use. Of course, there are times when some cropping or correction is needed. Such is the way of things. Another plus for digital photography – we have that option.

7. Fill up the photo with the subject. Whether it’s the entire animal or only a specific portion of the animal, get up close when taking the shot. Zoom in – capture that image and make it fill up the screen. This also helps to eliminate unwanted background clutter and eliminates the need for cropping.

A clean background adds to the quality of this subject-filled photo.

Another example of a subject-filled photo that shows off the groom without the distraction of other objects in the picture.

Sometimes a photo is needed to show a certain part of an animal up close. Filling up the photo with the subject part helps create a clean image.

8. If possible, have a backdrop area available where all or most photos can be taken. This creates a uniform look to all website images and helps with the clutter part. If an area is set up just for photo taking (it doesn’t have to be a big area), then it’s always ready and waiting for those Kodak moments. No clearing, cleaning, moving stuff or checking out angles and lighting. It’s all done!

A black or dark-colored backdrop shows off light-colored cats really well. This Shaded Silver Persian really "pops" against this background.

The grooming table and wall are used as a backdrop in this photo. With the lighting just right and the subject centered and filling up the image space, the overall look is very clean and attractive.

With the internet available for free or low-cost marketing, photos are a must! Photos show off your work. They reveal the dramatic changes from before the groom to after the groom. Photos can also offer prospective clients a virtual tour of a salon and give a bigger, better picture (no pun intended) of what a business is all about.

Customers google. It’s a fact. Many times they find us on the web before they ever venture out to find us for real. Photos help deliver the goods on what you and your business are all about. What do your photos say?

Congratulations to CFMG, Janet Cantali of Janet’s Gentle Grooming, LLC in New Jersey.

Janet recently graduated from the National Cat Groomers School where she obtained her Certified Feline Master Groomer title.

It’s so nice to see groomers educating the public about a cat’s grooming needs.  Well done, Janet!

Read article here – on page 6 of the magazine.

Another question we are frequently asked is whether or not we allow taking practical exams via Skype. The answer is: no, we do not. As far as I know, none of the dog grooming certification associations offers practical testing via Skype. There are good reasons for this, I’m sure.

Although I can only guess why the NDGAA and other dog certifying groups do not offer Skype testing, I can explain why the NCGIA does not. Simply put, it is impossible to accurately judge a completed cat groom by way of a video image (and usually a poor quality one at that).

Our certifiers actually touch each cat that is being used for testing purposes. The certifier needs to check every part of the cat – the legs, tail, belly, face, etc- in order to determine if a groom was done correctly.  Critiquing a breed-specific face trim requires being up close and personal, combing through the top head in order to check the trim in all directions. In addition, our certifiers need to FEEL a cat to be sure the skin and coat are adequately degreased and completely free of mats and tangles. The certifier must be able to determine, by way of a comb through the coat, if the final finish is in keeping with our standards. It is impossible to determine these things without physically handling the test cat, much less doing so by relying on a video image that is often less-than-stellar. Allowing testing in such a manner leaves too much room for sub-standard results. In the end this only serves to lessen the value of the certification, which affects all who have invested in it thus far as well as those who plan to invest in it in the future.

All who work toward grooming certification need to be assured that the investment is going to retain a certain value over the long haul. One of our goals at the NCGIA is to do exactly that! I do understand that travel and cost are huge factors that often make obtaining certification a difficult task. One has to ask whether or not something more easily attained is something worth investing in at all.

I wish there was a way to make cat grooming certification more accessible while still maintaining high standards. Maybe the future will provide such an opportunity, but for now it simply isn’t possible.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. And the harder it is, the greater the value therein.

So many have asked about the CFMG certification testing process that I thought I’d take some time to address this topic in my blog.

First, here is the link to the Certification Process as published on our website.  In it is a detailed explanation of the costs, requirements and options.  There really are only two requirements for beginning the certification process: being a member of the NCGIA and purchasing the 4 Study Packets that correspond with the 4 written exams.  Any training or material we that we offer is meant to be an aid to assist in the certification process. It is up to each individual groomer to determine what, if any, training and material is required to help reach that goal.

It is NOT required that a groomer attend the National Cat Groomers School to obtain certification. However, the 2 week program helps tremendously in that endeavor. (It is also NOT required that students at the school take the certification exams. This is completely optional. So far 100% of our students have elected to take the certification exams, but whenever a student is unsure about reaching for this goal, they can wait and decide during the school course. It is NOT required that this decision be made prior to beginning the school course.)

On that note, let me explain how we administer the 9 exams during the 2 week school program.

The first 2 1/2 days of school are made up of lecture and class work.  The topics covered (in great detail) are some of the same topics that are covered in the 4 written exams.  We go beyond what is necessary for the 4 written exams.  There is a lot to cover!

At the end of the first week of class, the first written exam, Feline Temperament and Handling, is given (for those that elect to take it). At this point, we have had a detailed lecture on this topic, an instructor demonstration, and then the students have practiced this with each and every cat they groom during the first week of class.  Students are also learning breeds and colors (another written exam topic) along with the temperament part, as they identify each cat at the start of the groom.  Students are taught to accurately assess a particular cat’s breed, color, coat type, temperament, and grooming needs before doing any actual grooming.

Week two starts out with the Breeds & Colors written exam. The previous week, each student has done a report on a particular breed and presented it orally, thus giving the entire class an opportunity to learn in-depth about a variety of cat breeds. (yes, you need to know this stuff if you are grooming cats!  If you don’t know breed standards and coat types, how can you possibly do the job correctly?  We learn this stuff for the dogs, but often overlook the cats.)

By the end of week two, the remaining written exams have been administered, having covered the material in-depth and presented the material orally to the class.

The 5 practical exams are administered differently.  Each of the exams is broken down into “elements” that make up various cat grooms (i.e. sanitary clip, belly shave, full coat groom, face trim, etc).  Each element is treated individually and a student is required to master each one before it is scored and checked off the list.  Once all elements are mastered, a student is considered to have passed their practical exams.  The elements will be mastered on a whole variety of cats as we move into the 2nd week of class, which is mostly hands-on grooming.

As we get down to the remaining day or two of class, most students have only an element or two that needs some fine-tuning. It may be that the element is mastered, but speed must be improved in order to consider the element passed.  Because timing is so critical when working with cats, we consider not only neatness and precision to be a requirement, but also working in a safe and efficient manner.

We keep a list posted of what initially is mastered by each student and, later in the course, replace the mastered list with what is still needing to be learned.  The “needs to be mastered” list diminishes along the way until it is completely gone.  Provided the 4 writtens have already been passed at this point, the student is then a CFMG!

Some students do leave the two week course needing to still practice an element or two. Some of our students are very new to grooming, or new to feline grooming, and just need more practice and experience.  These students always have the option to return to class, during a future session, to take the missing practical/s.  Many have done this very thing and been rather successful.  The time it takes to master the unfinished skills is entirely up to the student.  The more cats they groom, the faster they will accomplish their goals.

I invite everyone to click on the link above to read more about the certification process.  If a groomer is in doubt about whether or not they are ready to take their practical exams, I always suggest getting the DVDs (“Here Kitty Kitty” at the very least) and measure their completed grooms against those in the DVDs.  If something is missing or lacking, some training or practice will be needed.  It is up to each individual groomer to decide if and when training is needed.  One thing I will say is that in all the years of offering a certification program, only 1 person has ever taken all 9 exams and passed them the first go-around, without any hands-on training.  This person has extensive show grooming experience and had attended some lectures as well as watched the DVDs prior to testing.

I hope this explanation is helpful.  I am happy to answer any other questions regarding certification and the exam process.