April 19-21, 2012

Details heading to your email boxes.

Click here to see where we are staying! Awesome!

Pricing Structures and Special Fees Join us for a Webinar on January 16 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/457804590 Danelle German will discuss pricing structures and special fees applicable to a cat grooming business. Topics include: setting up a pricing structure, base prices, add-ons, special fees, surcharges, averages, and how to grow your bottom line. Many of the principals used also apply to a dog grooming business. Title: Pricing Structures and Special Fees Date: Monday, January 16, 2012 Time: 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

With a new year comes a fresh start. A chance to do things differently, make things better. I am excited about this new year because it gives us at the NCGIA an opportunity to do things bigger and better than ever before.

We are here for you!

What can we do to make you the best you can be and increase your profitability?

In essence, that is our mission.  It is why I started the NCGIA in the first place.

In the spring of 2006, I retired from a successful show career to focus on my “accidental” feline-grooming business that was built on a tremendous demand for my skills.  I had no idea such a need existed, and was later surprised to discover that the void was industry-wide. Someone had to change that!

In April of 2007, in the midst of a grooming forum discussion on the topic of certification, I decided that an association built specifically for the purposes of improving cat grooming was in order. And thus, the NCGIA was born. We have always been and will continue to be the first association for feline groomers and the author of the first set of cat grooming standards and accompanying certification program to ever exist within the industry.

I put a lot of money, time and planning into those first months of getting the association up and running. And I didn’t do it for fun or because I had nothing better to do. I did it to improve the industry that I was a vested partner in. The same industry that those of you reading this are vested partners in.

The mission statement, as written that spring of 2007 reads:

When I originally started this association, the main purpose was to make feline groomers the very best they could be and thus improve the grooming industry as a whole. That purpose has never changed. And it never will change.  We may change how we accomplish that mission and reach specific goals, but ultimately the mission of the National Cat Groomers Institute will remain what it was intended to be – a tool used for the betterment of the grooming industry and for YOU, an individual groomer that makes the industry exist in the first place.

So how do we help you be the best you can be?  Well, I’m asking you.  Let us know.  We want to hear from you – all of you.  Tell us what you need most of all.  We are listening.  How can we help you work smarter and become more successful?

I invite you to share with us your needs so we can better structure our programs and products to meet the needs that can and should be met.

At the NCGIA we are serious about quality and excellence. We will not willingly or intentionally compromise it.  Quality and excellence always require some degree of effort to achieve. So as we seek to meet your needs and help you be the best you can be as a feline groomer, we must always maintain the standards that have already been set.  To do anything less would be a disservice to you and to the pet grooming industry.

So with that at the forefront of our minds, let’s kick off a brand-new year with aspirations of being bigger and better than ever before. Let’s turn those aspirations into a profitable reality.

I cannot think of a better way to wrap up a year of cat grooming than by preparing a sweet, beautiful longhair Exotic van for his first cat show.  Cotn Hill Charleston’s King Cameron, otherwise known as Cam, traveled from Charleston to Charlotte with his mom, Shirley, stopping by the NCGIA for a show groom on the way.

I had never met Cam before. He was a delight to groom, just as any longhair Exotic should be. Before Shirley came back to pick him up, I was tempted to hide him,  telling his mother that he had accidentally jumped out the window and run away. After all, who couldn’t use an extra black and white van?

An hour and a half after he had been dropped off for grooming, Shirley and Cam drove away, headed north to Charlotte for an early morning Saturday show. I wished them good luck as they sped away. And luck they did have!  Cam made all 6 finals that Saturday, even securing a 3rd Best Cat in premiership and 10th Best Cat in premiership, right up there with the Grands. As an Open this was quite a feat!

Shirley and Cam headed back home to Charleston with the new Premiership title as well as more than half the points needed for a Grand title. Not bad for a days work!

Thank you, Shirley, for allowing me the pleasure of working with this magnificent boy! We hope to see you both very soon. Happy New Year!

We are so pleased to announce our first webinar “Marketing Your Cat Grooming Business.”
Registration is now available. Get your seat as space is limited!

Marketing Your Cat Grooming Business Join us for a Webinar on January 5 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/218859054 Learn how to effectively market new or existing cat grooming services.  We will discuss writing a press release, garnering media attention, soliciting new clients, defining that which makes you unique, and more! Bring your questions. We provide answers! Title: Marketing Your Cat Grooming Business Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012 Time: 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

I received an unexpected gift this Christmas: a “Best of Simpsonville” award for my feline-exclusive grooming salon and resort, The Catty Shack, Ltd.  What a surprise! I am honored. And I am truly thankful for the many thousands of cat owners who have patronized my business over the years!  Merry Christmas to you all and a blessed New Year!

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Catty Shack Receives 2011 Best of Simpsonville Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, December 12, 2011 — Catty Shack has been selected for the 2011 Best of Simpsonville Award in the Pet Grooming category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

CONTACT:

U.S. Commerce Association

Email: PublicRelations@uscaaward.com

URL: http://www.uscaaward.com

###

Recently I published an article entitled “What is Humane?” Within days, a client brought her cat in for grooming because grooming was essential to saving her cat’s life. This was not a case of a dirty, pelted cat or even one with minor tangles or mats. The main reason for this particular grooming visit was the prevention of life-threatening hairballs. The remedy: professional grooming whether the cat liked it or not. Case in point.

You see, weeks earlier, the domestic longhair named Haley, had been to the vet’s office for emergency surgery. The surgery was to remove the impacted hairball that was blocking Haley’s intestinal tract. Without the surgery Haley would have died.

I’m happy to report that Haley’s surgery was a success, and she is now free of any blockages. However, Haley must remain hairball free in order to maintain good health and avoid any future life-threatening intestinal blockages.

So how does Haley remain hairball free?

The most effective method for remaining hairball free, and the one preferred by her owner, is for Haley to receive a lion cut on a monthly basis. No hair = no hair ingestion = no more hairballs. However, Haley is not a fan of the clippers, even under sedation. Her disposition causes her to react rather aggressively to the use of clippers on her body. This, in turn, creates a stressful situation, which could be life-threatening.

If Haley ingests too much hair she is at risk of suffering another intestinal blockage, which could end her life. If Haley is shaved, she becomes rather aggressive and stressed, which could also end her life. She is very calm during the bathing and blow-drying, making regular grooming a non-stressful option as long as clippers are not used.

So where does this leave us? I believe the most humane option for Haley is a bath, blow dry, and de-shedding treatment without shaving of any kind. This must be done frequently (every 3-4 weeks at a minimum) in order to lessen the possibility that Haley will ingest too much hair and suffer another blockage.

Fortunately for Haley, her owner truly cares about her well-being and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that Haley lives a healthy life.

I could tell other stories very similar to this one. It just so happened that Haley made her visit to our salon right after I wrote the article about what is humane and what is not. I thought she illustrated my point purr-fectly.

We are excited to announce that webinars will be available the first week of January!

Topics and times are below. Most of the sessions are open to anyone. They are free to all attendees. Select sessions (as noted) are open only to CFMGs and graduates of the National Cat Groomers School.

Get ready to join us in January as we begin our webinar cat grooming adventure!

Marketing Your Cat Grooming Business
Thursday, January 5, 2012
8:00-9:00 PM EST

Pricing Structures and Special Fees
Monday, January 16, 2012
8:00 – 9:00 PM EST

Advanced Q&A Business Building – open to all NCGS grads and CFMGs only
Sunday, January 22, 2012
6:00-7:00 PM EST

Grooming the Aggressive Cat
Monday, January 30, 2012
8:00-9:00 PM EST

Open Line Q&A
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
8:00-9:00 EST

Advanced Q&A Business Building – open to NCGS grads and CFMGs only
Sunday, February 26, 2012
6:00-7:00 PM EST

So What Should I Do With This Cat?
(How to determine the best groom options for each individual cat)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
8:00-9:00 PM EST

Working Efficiently – Time is Money
Monday, March 19, 2012
8:00-9:00 PM EST

 
Advanced Q&A Business Building – open to NCGS grads and CFMGs only
Sunday, March 25, 2012
6:00-7:00 PM EST

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