November 23, 2011, the day before Thanksgiving, marked the passing of a very special cat named Anna. The 7 lb red head with a feisty spirit decided that her life here on earth had come to an end.

I write this tribute to Ms. Anna because I had the pleasure of knowing her. She was an ambassador for the cat grooming movement, giving selflessly toward the efforts to train more pet grooming professionals to safely handle felines and groom them to perfection.

Anna, one of a few lucky felines to be a part of Melissa Verplank’s family, served on more than occasion as a demo cat for my lectures at various tradeshows. The first time Anna and I met was in Knoxville, TN at the first Pet Stylists Super Show. Anna was gracious enough to work her coat into a bit of a mess for the occasion, thus giving the attendees an opportunity to watch, up close and personal, how to turn twisted, tangled cat hair into a velvety smooth lion cut with crisp lines at the legs, neck and tail.

For added dramatic effect, as well as teaching opportunities, Anna brought her attitude to the stage. Cat groomer vs. angry flame point Himalayan. Clippers vs. mats. She was truly perfect for the event, eventually drawing blood and leaving me with some memorable wounds on my forearm. In the end, however, Anna looked spectacular and certainly felt a whole lot better. She responded to the handling exactly the way I had earlier explained to the audience. She helped teach a variety of handling techniques, cat behavior responses, and the importance of mat prevention when educating clients about their cat’s grooming needs.

Anna and I at a cat grooming demo - Hershey Groom Expo 2010

In addition to her work at tradeshows, Anna also served the grooming community at Paragon pet school for many years. Melissa writes, “Every feline we have is a rescue that wormed their way into our hearts and home. Anna just happened to be the fanciest kitty to cross our path. The care of that coat – and at times, a wealth of attitude – taught lots of students how to safely groom cats over the years, including me!”

Anna made her entrance into the Paragon family in 2001, where she first appeared at the local vet clinic. Anna had obviously been outdoors for sometime prior to being brought in as a “lost and found article,” as Melissa puts it. Her coat was a wreck, and she was in serious need of grooming. The staff at the vet clinic sent her over to Paragon for a make over. Melissa took one look at Anna. It was love at first sight! Never mind the fact that Melissa’s husband Marc was allergic to cats! Anna was moving to the farm.

Despite the fact that Anna was declawed and sported a long, fluffy Himi coat, she had a penchant for escaping outdoors. Foxes, coyotes, hawks, barbed wire, and all kids of prickly weeds and bushes posed real threats to Ms. Anna. She ignored all of this however. In her mind she was a skilled huntress and could hold her own. Fortunately Anna survived her various breakouts from the safety of the house and lived to a ripe old age. Melissa’s best guestimates put Anna somewhere between 16-19 years old at her passing.

Anna was a constant companion to Melissa during the three years it took her to write Notes From the Grooming Table. She would lounge on Melissa’s desk, rearranging piles of research papers to her liking. (So like a cat!) When it came time to create Melissa’s publishing company, Anna acted completely annoyed that it was named White Dog Enterprises, after Melissa’s Maremma Sheepdog. What an insult! After all, it was Anna who had worked so diligently to supervise every word and drawing that went into the project. The dog simply lounged on the floor the whole time, doing absolutely nothing!

Image of Anna - by Lisa Vansweden

Melissa shared a humorous Anna story with me, that I think sums up the personality of this diva feline. One morning Marc and Melissa were sitting at the dining room table enjoying their coffee. Their dining room is on an upper level overlooking a large great room. Melissa writes, “As we were chatting, Anna was feeling very fresh than morning. She was racing around like a crazy cat. We were both chuckling as we caught glimpses of her streaking by. On one of her passes, she cut sharply to the right – right through the railing – and was suddenly airborne, her creamy coat all poofed out along with all four feet. It was if she thought she was a flying squirrel. Marc and I both heard a thud. I raced to the railing and looked down expecting to see the worst. But instead, peering back at me, was my smooshed-face little cat. She clearly told me, ‘I meant to do that’ as she shook a front paw and walked away from her landing spot, tail up.”

Good bye, Ms. Anna. You are already missed!

Anna, Flame Point Himalayan

1992 (approx.) – November 23, 2011

Anna - 2009

WARNING: Some may find this offensive and/or be angered by what I write here. I make no apologies. This needs to be said. And I will keep saying it for as long as it is necessary.  Read at your own risk.

I am a cat groomer. I groom cats for a living. That means that I actually charge for this service and make money at it. And in doing so, I make life better for kitties and their owners.

I am also an advocate for cats. I do not like the fact that too many of them are living life severely matted, pelted to the skin, infested with fleas, covered in waste, or just generally dirty, greasy and smelly. I surely would hate to live that way myself!

Cats are narcissistic little creatures. They like to look good. They like to feel good. They were made to look and feel good.

Any cat, regardless of breed, has the potential to be kept in show condition.

Cats have skin and coat, which requires regular cleaning in order to maintain optimum health and condition. I can pretty much bet that not a single cat on the planet would choose to be matted, pelted, flea-infested or have dried excrement stuck to its hindquarters, if offered the choice.

Cats are also easily stressed and highly reactive to seemingly threatening situations. They tend to be fearful creatures, ready to take the offense than ever be put in the position of playing defense.

Understanding a cat’s reactive nature and disposition, as well as its individual skin and coat needs, are the first steps in providing humane treatment. Some believe that bathing a cat is inhumane, particularly if the cat is being disagreeable to the grooming in any way. But I believe that not bathing the cat (unless there are unusual, extenuating circumstances) is the inhumane option. Let me explain.

Let’s consider the facts of the situation:

Cats have skin and coat, which need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Cats are no different from a person or a dog or a horse. All need to be regularly bathed/cleaned. No bath = more grease, more filth, more hairballs, more mats, and unsanitary conditions overall.

Cats have greasy skin and coat.

Tangles and mats exposed by the HV dryer

Grease causes the hair to stick together rather than fall away during the shedding process. This, in turn, creates a tangle – or many tangles. And tangles grow up to be mats. Mats, if left alone for a time, will turn into a pelted mess. Tangles, mats and pelts must be removed, and the act of doing so is painful to the cat, or highly uncomfortable at best.

Thoroughly de-matted during the drying process, made easier by the forced air.

The coat restored to good condition, as it should remain with regular grooming

Cats have hair that sheds and will also felt together into a hard knot if left to air dry.

Handbag made from cat hair yarn

The shedding hair, if not removed on a regular basis, contributes to the matting/pelting process. Shedding hair is also the root cause of hairball problems, which are disgusting and bad for a cat’s health. And wet cat hair does felt! I can prove it. If you’ve ever seen the cat hair handbags I used to make back when I had more time for such things, you will know what I’m talking about. I’ve intentionally felted cat hair yarn to make these handbags. It felts easily (and rather tightly) simply by getting it wet and then letting it air dry. Bathing a cat and then not thoroughly drying it will produce the same results. Only, in that case, it is still attached to the cat, thus making the removal process a painful experience for the cat.

Mats are not good for a cat.

A cat with a pelt, which could have been prevented by regular bathing and blow drying.

Matted, tangled, or pelted hair creates discomfort, sores, infections, and even death. A pelted cat that cannot freely move about or potty because of blockage will die a miserable death. Even if none of the above occurs, the necessary removal of the pelts or mats causes undue pain and suffering for the animal. Prevention is always best. Prevention is the humane choice. Mat removal, although necessary when matting and pelting become a problem, is never the preferred course of action. Mats MUST be removed to avoid eventual death. Whether this is done with clippers or during the drying process with a comb, is determined by several factors, including the severity of the mats, the skin condition of the cat, age and health of the cat, and the cat’s temperament. When severe matting or pelting is present, shaving becomes the only option for removal. Shaving, for cats with certain skin or health conditions or those of an aggressive nature, is very dangerous. If it is the only option for rectifying the situation, it must be done. But it should only be done ONCE (because it has to)! Prevention is the key from that point forward.

Pelt removal. Not so pleasant for even the nicest of kitties.

Cats generally hate the process of having their hair ripped out by way of a comb or brush. I don’t like having my hair ripped out either.  If a cat is already stressed or on the defensive, it will only become more agitated by the act of placing it on a table and attempting to comb or brush its coat out, particularly if the coat is matted at all. This then produces an angrier cat and a more stressful situation for both cat and groomer. A stressed cat can become a dead cat very quickly. Repeating this process every few weeks (because the mats continue to present themselves when degreasing and blow-drying are not done) is a great way to torture a kitty and possibly kill it.

Cat is now free from the pelt that was attached to his body.

Cats are easily distracted. This works in our favor when de-matting. I use a Catty Shack Vac to dry every cat I groom. The circulating air movement causes most of the cats to totally relax, even the highly aggressive ones. Any de-matting that needs to be done, can then be accomplished with minimal effort on the part of the groomer and minimal discomfort for the cat, especially when the high velocity dryer does most of the work by blowing out or loosening the tangles and mats. I’m not making this up! Every student who has attended our school can attest to this as I have demonstrated it over and over again, and the students have experienced it personally on a wide variety of felines.

A tightly pelted coat now separated from the cat's body. Regular bath and blow dry is the key to prevention now that the pelt is removed.

Regular bathing and blow-drying will prevent mats and pelts. I know this to be true because I’ve lived it for the past 13 years. If a good degreasing bath is done on a regular basis (4-6 wks for most cats) and the coat is thoroughly blown out with a high velocity dryer, matting becomes a thing of the past. It is important to also comb out the coat thoroughly once it is dry, to remove any loose hair that is still hanging around. I have a guarantee that I offer all clients: if they allow me to groom their cat on the prescribed frequency (normally 4-6 weeks), I will guarantee their cat never gets matted or pelted. I offer a free groom if I am wrong. And in all these years, I have never had to give away a free groom because of that. If I did not bath and blow-dry the cats, this would not be the case. Grease would build up, dead coat would build up, and mats would form. Simply combing or brushing the cat’s coat out every few weeks does nothing to remove the mat-causing factors (grease and loose hair). Instead, I would be torturing the cats on a bi or tri-weekly basis and never solve any problems. In addition, combing or brushing a greasy, icky coat moves the grease and ick all over, creating an even bigger problem in time. I don’t believe in charging a customer money to send home a dirty, smelly cat. This is not professional grooming. This is inhumane. And really, when you get down to it, it’s a lot like stealing – charging money for something you’re not really doing.

The facts are the facts. If you don’t believe me, I will prove it to you.

Because these facts are true, it is easy to determine the most humane treatment of a cat during the grooming process.

Look at it this way:

Kitty is pelted. He has thin skin and is aggressive and hates clippers. He can’t be sedated because of his age. The pelt will only come off by using clippers to remove it. Shaving is dangerous because the cat’s skin is so thin from age and/or health issues. The risk of nicking or cutting the cat is very high. Shaving the pelt off requires using a clipper blade very close to the cat’s skin, and sometimes the ability to see what is underneath is inhibited by presence of the pelt. In addition, the cat’s temperament makes him very disagreeable to the shaving process under normal conditions. How much more stressful when it involves lifting and pulling on a tight pelt that has created open sores underneath!

Because of the cat’s age or health, anesthesia or sedation is too risky and will not be done by the client’s veterinarian. So what are we left with?

If the pelt isn’t removed the cat will die. It might take a few more weeks or months. But eventually the cat will die. And it will be a long, painful death, filled with tremendous suffering as the cat becomes septic. (I’ve actually seen this happen.)

Or the pelt can be removed. However, the risk of cutting or nicking the skin still exists. There is also a possibility that the cat will die from the stress of the pelt-removal shaving.

Which do we choose? It really is the lesser of two evils in this scenario. Neither option is a good one. On one side, certain death. On the other side, risk of harm or death. This is the reality of the situation.

Why does this happen?

Sometimes this happens because the cat owner is ignorant of their cat’s grooming needs. This is not the owner’s fault. We have heard for way too long the myths that “cats groom themselves” or “cats hate water.” Perpetuating these myths is a disservice to cats and their owners.

Sometimes this happens because owners don’t care.

And sometimes this happens because grooming professionals believe that bathing a cat is inhumane. If only groomers would advocate for the cat and offer preventative bathing and blow-drying to begin with! Prevention is humane! If we can work toward total avoidance of the “lesser of two evils” scenario – of a choice between certain death and risk of harm or death, why are we not doing this? Let’s stop being inhumane and make a concerted effort to work toward the betterment of these little fur balls we are supposed to be helping.

If anyone is telling you that cats don’t need grooms that consist of a real bath and blow-dry, then they do not know what they are talking about. One has to consider if one speaking such nonsense is afraid to actually groom non-feral, household cats or if they simply don’t know what they are doing and thus have had bad experiences.

Personally I am disheartened by the amount of misinformation floating about that ultimately makes a mess for cats and their owners and puts groomers in a position of having to make hard choices like the example above. That, my friends, is the epitome of inhumane. There are no excuses for this to continue.

I am all for humane treatment of felines. I’ve worked pretty hard over the past 13 years to dispel the myths and change the way of thinking about cats and their grooming needs, in an effort to prevent these bad scenarios from happening any longer. Education is the key to prevention. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, then how can it be effectively communicated to your clients so that they understand it?

Training is also vitally important. If a cat is mishandled, the outcome can be devastating. Education and training make all the difference! It can turn a bad scenario into a productive and hopeful one. It is our job to ensure that this is happening each and every time. Let’s make the industry better by being truly professional and humane. Let’s make the world better one cat groom at a time!

A groomed cat is a happy cat!

During this holiday season, I am reminded of so much that I have to be thankful for. My clients make that list! I just love my long-time clients! I truly appreciate their patronage over the years, but more than that, I love that they love their cats.

One of my clients recently adopted a new Persian kitten and called to ask if I could give her a lesson on how to care for her new baby at home, in between grooms, and specifically how to take care of his eyes in order to prevent tear staining.  I was happy to do so!  I am all about making life better for the cat and his family, which, in the end, also makes my job easier.

Another client asks regularly if I think her cat still looks healthy.  Years ago, while grooming her young Persian, I discovered some indicators of potentially serious health problems.  Due to the fact that the owner kept her cat on a monthly grooming schedule, I was easily able to identify new problems as soon as they appeared. Immediate veterinary care combined with diligence saved this little guy’s life.  Today he is back on track, maintaining good condition and sound health.  If things deteriorate, we will know right away because of the regular grooming that takes place every 4-6 weeks.

There are cats with special grooming needs that we work with on a regular basis. And those with special health problems that require extra attention every time they are groomed.  I know that this involves a great deal of trust on the part of my clients. I am honored that this is so, and will do my best to maintain that trust by providing the best care possible for my clients and their kitties.

Through the years, I have had the privilege of getting to know so many of these caring individuals. It has been a delight to provide grooming care for their felines, learning the stories of how each of these cats came to be a part of their families. I’ve been in business for so long, that some of the felines I groomed as kittens have passed away from old age.   While sad, it is also good to know that they were well taken care of during their lifetime.

I count it an honor to be able to give advice and offer recommendations to those who have asked about various aspects of their cat’s care.  I value the respect that has been shown by so many.  I am truly thankful.  This business has been an adventure and a blessing to me.  Thank you to all of our wonderful clients!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS. As I post this, there is a new client out front raving about how good her cat looks after we just groomed it. She is overwhelmed with how beautiful the groom turned out compared to previous grooms elsewhere. Although skeptical when she first came in this morning (rightly so), she is now very happy with services received and pre-booked for her next appt (which she didn’t think she needed this morning).  Yes, I love people who love their cats.

I am fascinated by history, especially the history of our great nation and specifically of places where I have lived. This past week I had the pleasure of visiting the Upcountry History Museum located in downtown Greenville, SC as a chaperone for my daughter’s class field trip.

Greenville was once known as the textile capital of the world, a bustling town with villages that centered around their own textile mills. When I married my husband 23 years ago and moved to Greenville, we purchased our 1st home not far from a still-operational textile mill. The house was built around 1904 and was known as one of the “bosses homes” of the mill village. Across the street sat a large structure that was originally built as a boarding house for the young schoolteachers of that era and has since been renovated and converted into an art gallery.

Some of our neighbors back then had grown up in the mill village and were all too happy to share experiences from their early days. I found their stories fascinating, envisioning the place that we lived as it was nearly 100 years before our time. The Upcountry History Museum offered a unique glimpse back in time when the textile industry was thriving.

Monaghan textile mill as it was around the turn of the century (1900).

During the museum tour, I came across this quote from John T. Woodside, owner of  Woodside Mills, 1933:

“In operating the cotton mills it is our chief aim to make the best possible product and the best possible people and the best return on the capital possible.”

I can’t help but think that Mr. Woodside’s goal from 1933 is not that far from today’s mission of the National Cat Groomers Institute of America. We are constantly striving to produce the best possible products and train pet professionals to be the best cat groomers possible. In addition, one of our objectives is to make the cat grooming industry into a thriving and lasting one. This not only benefits the NCGIA  as a company, but it also benefits individual groomers, the cats of this world, and the people who live with them.

If you know anything about the history of the textile mill industry from the early 1900s, you know that the mill owners eventually went on to take advantage of their workers. This eventually led to strikes, government intervention, and the passage of laws to protect children from forced labor as well as the overworking of employees for very little pay. Today, our local textile mills have either been converted into residential apartments, retail spaces, or they are left vacant and dilapidated.

Monaghan textile mill today - renovated into "The Lofts"

It is the way of things. A story with a good beginning, a tumultuous middle, and a sad ending. But, as with all history, lessons can be learned that make us better. May we always strive for the best, keeping our mission and philosophy always at the forefront of our minds. And may we always utilize the advancements of technology in our endeavor to be the best, rather than allowing such advancements to make us outdated and unneeded.

I’m all about showing people how to groom cats in a way that actually works. This is why, over the last 4 1/2 years, I’ve made it a point to bring live cat grooming demos to the trade shows. Before that, cat grooming had been talked about here and there, but never really demonstrated. What’s the point of talking about it? Let’s DO IT! I am fairly certain that the reason experts like Sue Zecco and Jodi Murphy groom real dogs in their lectures is because the demonstration and hands-on part is what is truly helpful to those who came to learn. Merely talking about how to clip and scissor a dog’s coat just isn’t the same as actually doing it.

I realize that attending a school in SC for two weeks is problematic for many. But, luckily for us, in this day and age we have technology at our fingertips. Videos and dvds are easily accessible and reasonably priced. And we can watch them over and over again.

Last spring, Melissa Verplank brought her crew in to film portions of one of our NCGIA school sessions. This included the live cat groom demo that I do on the first Wednesday of each class. The demonstration has been split into 3 segments and posted on the Learn2Groom website, which is offering some kind of free trial month special right now.

To watch a preview of the videos, click here and scroll down to find my name. Then click to see what videos are available. Feline Grooming Demos 1, 2, and 3 are particularly helpful for those that want to learn some useful cat grooming and handling tricks. I just watched them myself and learned a thing or two

In addition to the material found on Learn2GroomCats.com, the NCGIA offers 4 different DVDs that cover pretty much all of the various cat grooming elements along with demonstration of various handling techniques, including those for aggressive kitties. Each dvd is $49 or you can get all 4 for $170. The intial investment is a bargain if it allows you to improve in speed, efficiency, safety, or quality of groom (which I guarantee it will!).

With Learn2Groom’s free trail month special, it won’t cost you a thing. No more excuses! Get with the program and better your cat grooming skills!

Because I have a poodle who is always in creative design, I must always be prepared to answer the crazy questions with crazy answers.

What kind of dog is that?
Did you color it or was it born that way?
Is that a sweater or is that his real hair?
Did it grow that way?

I’ve had a Spanish Meat Dog (long story), a leopardoodle from Africa (very rare and also very fast), a candy canine, an argyle dog whose mother ate an argyle sock while she was pregnant (thus ensuring all puppies would be similarly patterned), and so on and so forth.

Now, though, I have a Pumpkinoodle.  He ate a pumpkin seed recently and then BAM! his hair started growing in pumpkin-y kinds of colors and patterns.  So cool really!

Tru’s latest design (always an on-going project) was transitioned from a recent blue swirly design into something more fitting for fall and with a significantly less-hairy butt.  (I don’t care for fuzzy butts, poodle or otherwise.)  He sported his new ‘do’ on Saturday at a local fundraising event to benefit a k-9 rescue.  He was a hit.  And some people even believed the pumpkin seed story.

A dream come true!  Last week I spent 5 days with my husband, some good friends, and our horses at Myrtle Beach for the 30th Annual Jack Monroe beach ride for the American Heart Association.  Only once before this had I ever ridden a horse on the beach.  And it had been someone else’s horse (a very bumpy one at that!). This time, however, I rode MY horse on the sands of the SC coastline.  What an amazing experience!!

Whit, my ever-so-smooth Paso Fino, had never seen the ocean before (at least not that i know of). At first, he wasn’t too sure about that white, foamy surf rushing up toward him. I’m sure he thought it might eat him up whole.  But eventually, with some work and a little trust between horse and rider, Whit had his feet in the surf as he pranced along the shore in his perfect Paso gait. What fun!

The four of us, along with our horses, camped beach-side at a lovely campground where about 1000 other campers and their horses stayed.  It was a lot like being in a little western town from long ago, except for the cars, campers, and other modern amenities.  It was easy to ignore the machinery of the 21st century as we sat around the campfire, with our horses penned next to us, and hearing the clop-clop of horse hooves as other riders passed by on their way to somewhere.  For 5 days we lived as if the only way to travel was by horseback.

We rode the beach every day, with Saturday’s event being the 20 mile fund raiser for the AHA.  What a beautiful site to gaze down the coastline and see nothing but horses and their riders!  We even played poker run on horseback, riding around the campground and along the beach to gather the 5 cards needed to make up a poker hand.  I almost got a straight.  Almost.  Riding my horse on the beach and playing a good game of cards could only have been made better if the game were blackjack

I’m glad to be back home and be done with all the traveling for 2011.  It has been an exciting year with all of the NCGIA business endeavors.  I have to say I am weary from all the travel and don’t really want to pack up my suitcase again anytime soon.  But I can’t think of a better way to end the year’s travels than with a beach ride on my beloved horse, Whit!  A perfect ending to a purrfect year!

Usually, greed is considered a bad thing.  But what if someone is greedy about bettering themselves?  Is that a good thing?  Maybe so……..

Here is a testimonial from a recent grad and CFMG from Utah:

“I’ve gotten certification greedy and I’m working on iscc and ndgaa at the same time. Also signed up for business classes at the local community college. Dirty hair project is paying for most of it. Thanks for the support and motivation. I gained so much more from ncgia than just cat grooming. It’s been life changing.”

Karen Drozd, CFMG

Being a cat groomer in a dog-grooming world, I sometimes feel a tad left out. Most of what goes on in a trade show hall simply doesn’t apply to me. Take Groom Team, for instance. Any pet stylist in the country can compete for a chance to earn a coveted spot on the team that represents the best of the best in the industry. Unless you are a cat groomer that doesn’t groom dogs. If you are one of those, you don’t get to compete or be on Groom Team. It is what it is. And despite my sadness about all of this, I do what I can do to support the efforts of my dog-grooming colleagues.

On Halloween weekend, at the NDGAA’s Fun in the Sun show in Orlando, I found myself setting up the NCGIA booth right next to the Groom Team booth. Cheryl Purcell was busy setting up the Groom Team booth and hanging a gorgeous quilt along the back of the booth. The quilt, crafted by her mother-in-law, was donated as the prize for the Groom Team raffle. I wanted that quilt!

While I admired the quilt, I told Cheryl that it would go perfectly in my house. She let me touch the quilt. It was luxuriously soft! Now I really wanted the quilt for myself! Cheryl informed me that I had to buy raffle tickets to have a chance at winning it. So I bought an arm’s length of raffle tickets, which Ron, Cheryl’s husband, measured out and handed to me.

Over the course of the weekend, many attendees stopped by to admire the quilt and feel its softness. Some purchased a strip of raffle tickets, hoping for the chance to take the quilt home. And all weekend long, I kept eyeing that beautiful piece of patched-together fabrics, telling Ron and Cheryl that I just knew it was going to be mine.

At last Sunday afternoon came. It would soon be time for the raffle drawing. Considering that the day was also my birthday, I was feeling extraordinarily lucky. But then, just when the drawing of the winning ticket was finally made and announced, I was busily engaged in a conversation with someone and missed the anticipated moment that I’d been waiting for all weekend. I could see that people were reading their ticket numbers, and so far no one had claimed to hold the winner. This gave me hope. I called out, asking those around me what the drawn number was. “263,” they told me. And there it was! Right there in my hand, near the very end of the strip of tickets that I had purchased the day before! Lucky number 263!

Happy birthday to me! I love Groom Team, even if they won’t let me be on it. And I really love my quilt – which does go perfectly in my living room! I don’t feel left out anymore.

Jodi Murphy’s new book, Mobile Pet Grooming, is now available!  I’ve read the book and loved it! Made me wish I’d gone mobile instead of salon
The book is full of useful and valuable information from a real pro in the grooming industry who has “been there, done that.”  Jodi writes a very organized, easy-to-follow book that can help both the seasoned groomer and the newbie.

I wrote a chapter for Jodi’s book that is all about mobile grooming for cats.  The chapter contains useful, practical tips as well as information on how to market and grow a cat clientele.

To order contact Jodi at Jodimurphyonline@yahoo.com