Everyone around here thinks I’m nuts for opening a cat grooming school.  Furthermore, they can’t believe that students will travel from afar to attend.  But they can think anything they want. I know the truth of it all.  Students ARE coming from afar.  And lots of them.

We got our hands on this fabulous piece of property right in downtown Greenville, which is unlike any other downtown I’ve ever seen.  Very quaint, artsy – a perfect mix of old and new built around a river, a waterfall, and a hidden oasis in the middle of life’s busyness.

The school building is really a turn-of-the-century two-story home with a ton of character.  I love places like this.  I love the bumpy, imperfect walls, the creaky hardwood floors, the paned windows thick with layers of paint, and the smell of history that seeps from every corner.  Ahhhhh………I’m going to love my job. Not only because it involves grooming cats and teaching, but also because I get to spend my work day inside this old house, ripe with the charm of yesteryear.

Lindsay and I have been working diligently fixing the old place up.  I even managed to get my boys and my husband over there to do the really dirty work.  And it is coming along better than we could have ever hoped.

It won’t be long and the first batch of students will walk through the front door and be handed a specialized cat grooming tool kit before they head upstairs to the sun-filled grooming classrooms to get started on their new cat grooming venture.  Two weeks later, they’ll walk back out that same door, many, if not all, of them with a new title or two behind their name.  They will head back to their own towns fully inspired and ready to groom every cat within a hundred mile radius.  To top it off, they’ll be able to box up all the dirty cat hair they collect each day and sell it for $113 per lb.  In not time, they’ll have earned back every penny and then some that was spent on their cat grooming education.

Cat grooming school?  You better believe it!  And the best one you’ll find anywhere in this world.  I am sure of it!

Okay, here’s the scoop……The Dirty Hair Project – Helping People Breathe.

If you are a graduate of the NCGIA training and earn your CFMG certification, you will then be eligible to participate in the Dirty Hair Project.

Simply put, this means you will qualify to sell the dirty hair you collect while grooming cats for $113 per pound!  That’s right!  $113 per pound for dirty cat hair!  Who would’ve thought your dirty cat hair would be so valuable?  Imagine, something you would normally dispose of in the trash will now be worth its weight in gold!

As a CFMG you will be provided with the necessary paperwork to sell your cat hair to a lab we’ve been working with.  The folks at the lab use the dirty cat hair to extract the dander for making allergy shots for humans.  They are in need of lots of dirty cat hair.

Because of FDA regulations, each cat hair shipment must be accompanied by a signed health certificate.  Until recently, only a vet who had inspected every cat who donated hair to the pile, could sign the health certificate.  Now, however, the training and certification program through the NCGIA has been approved so that all who complete the training and obtain their CFMG title can sign their own health certificate.

We are excited about this project on so many levels.  Just think, the money you invest in your training and certification can now be recouped by selling your dirty cat hair for $110 per pound?  What could be better?

PS.  stay tuned………we will be bringing you the first NCGIA Grooming School in the very near future!!  We are interest forms for the first session in Feb 2010.  If you wish to enroll or learn more about it, let us know~

This is not a joke, I can assure you.  Exciting things are in the works for NCGIA members and especially for those who are certified!!  All I can say for now is that you should all save every shred of DIRTY CAT HAIR that you collect during grooming.  It has to be dirty.  No clean, freshly bathed hair accepted.  And yes it can have mats, tangles, and dandruff in it.

Just bag it up and set it aside. Add to it every chance you get!  Don’t worry, it won’t age or get old or become useless….at least not for what we are going to do with it.

When the time is right …hopefully soon…..I will tell you why you saved it up.  You will be amazed. Sometimes icky, dirty things are worth their weight in gold. Literally.

One of our Certified Members, Adrienne Kawamura, owns and operates a feline-exclusive salon in Seattle, WA area.  She has recently franchised her business, City Kitty, and is offering franchise opportunities to those wishing to own their own feline salon.  You can view her website and make contact with Adrienne at www.citykittygrooming.com