WHY WOULD I WANT TO ADD CAT GROOMING TO MY DOG GROOMING BUSINESS?

Understanding the “Why” Can Sometimes Be a Journey

FIVE YEARS AGO, I WAS “FELINE” CONFUSED!

I was a dog groomer with a dog grooming salon & a fleet of mobiles called Zoom Zoom Groom in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  At this time, Zoom Zoom Groom included 16 staff members and a strong repeat dog clientele.

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I wasn’t confused in the least about my dog grooming business.  I was confused by the possibilities of adding cat grooming to my dog grooming business. For me when confusion exists, my curiosity is heightened!

The universe has a funny way of getting one’s attention.  Maybe it was unexpectedly reading an article written by Danelle German of the National Cat Groomers Institute on the importance and need for cat grooming that triggered my curiosity. Or maybe it was the fact Zoom Zoom Groom was receiving a sudden influx of phone calls from cat owners inquiring if we would groom their feline. It became evident the Universe was sending me a deliberate message. There was a significant cat demographic looking for solutions to their many cat problems.  Cat problems such as:

  •  there were no cat groomers available
  •  their cats were shedding, matted, pelted, greasy, flakey, and smelly
  •  their only option was to have their cat sedated and groomed by a veterinarian (or more often the assistant)

I LOVE DOGS AND I LOVE CATS.

The question in front of me was whether or not I wanted to tap into this untapped feline demographic and offer an entirely new service.

Whenever I have a new opportunity presented, I always want to align it with my “Why.”  Being a visionary, I often need grounding, and this process enables me to stay focused on my mission or endgame.  I always have my “Why” visible in my office!

to better the health and lives of dogs, through the identification & facilitation of best practices for grooming and skin care. (1).png

My “Why” for doing the canine grooming services was clear. Would it not be logical to incorporate cat grooming under the same “Why”?

I wasn’t convinced yet.

As a dog groomer and business owner, I needed to answer these questions:

  • Can I financially and physically integrate cat grooming into my dog grooming business?
  • What about safety?  Cat grooming can be dangerous!.
  • Do I have enough knowledge and skills from my dog grooming expertise to add this service on my own, without an investment of further training?
  • Would it be a profitable business decision?

THROUGH DUE DILIGENCE AND ANALYSIS, I ANSWERED EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS AS FOLLOWS:

Can I integrate cat grooming in my dog grooming business?

In answering this question, I knew there was a calling for this service.  Clients were knocking on our door.  We already had a significant portion of our dog clientele that owned cats too, and the best thing about this was we had already developed trusting relationships with them!  We also had a whole new, untouched cat owner demographic just waiting to be clients. I felt we could make it work in our facility with creative scheduling.

What about safety?  Cat grooming can be dangerous.

This question can be a deal breaker.  To address this issue, it was important I answered the following one first.

Did I have enough knowledge and skills from my dog grooming to add a cat grooming service to my business without an investment in further training?

As a skeptical dog groomer, there were still some facts that just didn’t make sense.  In knowing the following:

  • statistically there were more pet cats than pet dogs on this earth,
  • there was an expressed need for cat groomers,
  • there was a massive shortage of cat groomers,
  • & the information stated that cat groomers could charge a significantly higher rate than dog groomers-

 …where were all the cat groomers?

All these facts created a disconnect in my mind as to why there were not cat groomers everywhere!

It became clear to me that part of the blame rests on the shoulders of the grooming industry in general.  Over the years the focus has been on dog grooming.  It has been a long-time myth that cats don’t require grooming because they supposedly groom themselves.  With an emphasis on the “pet” grooming world being on educating dog groomers, cat grooming seemed bypassed.

I have always been a strong advocate for only hiring Certified Canine Groomers in my business.  I feel it is instrumental both in their success and my company that they are knowledgeable, skilled, and equipped with techniques that are in line with best practices of the industry.  With this in mind, how could I possibly not expect the same of a cat groomer?  Cats come with their own set of needs that require specific skills.  I feel too many dog groomers fail to recognize this, thus setting themselves up for failure, and the negative cat grooming cycle continues.

So, the answer is a loud NO!  A dog groomer is NOT equipped with enough knowledge and skills to transfer to cat grooming, in fact, many of the skills suitable for dogs can be detrimental to cats!   This point leads me back to the question of safety.  The purpose of proper training is so a groomer can groom a cat safely and confidently!

I wasn’t going to be a statistic or one of those dog groomers that claims cat grooming is crazy! Professional training was the direction I needed to go.

Would adding cat grooming to my dog grooming business be a profitable  decision?

My industrious father always taught his children the importance of diversifying one’s business.  He owned a flourishing dairy farm, but also had revenue streams coming from grain and his mechanical skills.  With his advice, grooming cats along with dogs would be one way to diversify Zoom Zoom Groom. I knew it was a logical decision, but I also knew it was one that I had to research, gather knowledge, and learn and practice specific cat-exclusive skills to create the best opportunity for success and prosperity.

SO HERE’S MY END RESULT.

After analyzing all my questions, I am proud to share with you my new “Why”!

to better the health and lives of dogs, through the identification & facilitation of best practices for grooming and skin care. (4).png

Clarifying my “Why” is always a journey and in this case a journey worth traveling.

Please join me, and I will share with you through my FREE Ebook, not only why adding cat grooming to my dog grooming business has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, but also the process I went through to be trained and equipped to be a successful cat groomer!

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