7 Steps to Easier Cat Grooming With Better Results

7 Steps to Easier Cat Grooming With Better Results

7 Steps to Easier, Faster Cat Grooming With Better Results

Grooming a cat really is an art. And it is definitely not for everyone.

But when you know what you're doing, use the right tools and products, and follow a smart process, cat grooming becomes easier, faster, safer, and a whole lot more predictable.

The order matters.

Instead of flailing around hoping you eventually end up with a clean, finished cat, follow a process that makes each step set you up for the next one.

Here are seven steps to make the groom easier on you, easier on the cat, and produce a much better finished result.

1. Know What You're Dealing With

Before you start grooming, assess the cat.

What is the temperament? How tolerant is this cat of handling? What condition is the coat in? Are there mats? Grease? (There always is!) Excessive shedding? And, perhaps most importantly, what weapons are currently available?

We affectionately refer to a cat's claws as Weapons of Mass Destruction.

And for good reason.

A cat can deploy those WMDs with impressive speed and accuracy. If you are smart, you'll remove them at the beginning of the grooming process by trimming the nails.

There is one notable exception: the cat with serious anger management issues.

We'll get to that little ray of sunshine later.

2. Do the Preliminary Work

After trimming the nails, do any breed-specific face trimming needed for Persians, Himalayans, and Exotics.

Then move on to a rough cut of any shaving you'll be doing:

• Sanitary trim
• Belly shave
• Lion cut

The key word here is rough.

Do not spend valuable time trying to create perfectly smooth lines and a flawless finish on a dirty, greasy coat. Remove the bulk of the hair and establish your basic lines, aiming for approximately 90% completion at this point.

You'll perfect everything after the bath and dry, when the coat is actually prepared to give you the finish you want.

3. Get That Cat CLEAN

Now for one of the most important parts of the entire groom.

The bath.

A cat's coat needs to be thoroughly degreased and cleaned. Use an appropriate degreasing shampoo and bathe until the coat is truly clean.

There should be no oily residue remaining on the skin or hair.

This step is vital not only for producing a beautiful finished groom, but also for helping prevent the coat from matting again quickly.

And no, spraying something on top of a greasy coat and calling it good is not the same thing.

Professional cat groomer bathing a cat

A properly cleaned coat dries better, combs better, clips better, sheds out better, and produces the crisp, smooth finish we want from professional cat grooming.

If you want better results, start with a better bath.


4. Make a Kitty Burrito

Right after the bath, while the cat is securely wrapped in a towel, is a great time to clean the ears and eyes.

Around here, we call that towel-wrapped cat a kitty burrito.

Cat wrapped in a towel after a bath


Several breeds, particularly Persians and related breeds, can develop significant protein-based eye discharge. The water and bathing process help soften and loosen that buildup, making it much easier to remove afterward with an appropriate eye-cleaning product or basic saline solution.

Plus, you have the advantage of a wet cat tucked nicely into a towel. Use it.

Efficiency matters in professional grooming. Whenever you can accomplish necessary tasks safely while reducing extra handling and repositioning, you should.

5. Let Your Best Employee Get to Work

After the bath, it's time to dry.

But that doesn't necessarily mean standing there holding a dryer for the entire process.

A cage dryer using non-heated air can be one of the most valuable tools in your grooming salon. For a cat that is new to professional grooming, cage drying provides an opportunity to acclimate to the sound and feel of moving air before you introduce the high-velocity dryer up close.

It also saves something every professional groomer needs more of:

Hands-on time.

Time is money. If the dryer can safely do part of the work while you're doing something else, let it.

I always called my cage dryer “my best employee.” It was always on time, never called in sick, and always did its job without being asked. 😂

Once the cage dryer has done its part, finish with a high-velocity dryer, again using non-heated air.

The HV dryer removes loose coat, separates the hair, creates volume and smoothness, and does something else incredibly important:

It shows you what's hiding in that coat.

Forced air exposes tangles and mats that can be difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible, to see when the coat is lying flat.

Mats in a cat's coat exposed with an HV dryer

But here's the part groomers often don't believe until they see it for themselves: the HV dryer will frequently loosen and blow those tangles and mats completely out of the coat. No comb required.

Seriously.

I can tell students this all day long and they look at me like I've lost my mind. Then they see it happen. Or better yet, they experience it themselves while going through our training.

And they're blown away.

Pun absolutely intended. 😂

For anything that remains, when the coat is approximately 95% dry, use the forced air to separate and loosen the tangle as much as possible. Then use a metal comb to carefully flick out what's left.

And don't underestimate the importance of finding everything.

The tangle you miss is the one your client discovers that evening while petting the cat they just paid good money to have professionally groomed and have those exact problems removed.

That's not a good look.

Your finished groom is your reputation walking out the door.

6. Now Make It Pretty

Once the cat is 100% dry, go back to any clipper work you roughed in before the bath.

Now is when you worry about perfection.

Smooth out your shave. Clean up your lines. Fix transitions. Make everything crisp, even, and intentional.

lion cut leg line example

Shaving in reverse with a #10 blade creates that beautifully smooth, velvety finish in all areas.

Because we're not leaving random areas looking rough and uneven.

And because you're now working on a coat that is clean, degreased, and completely dry, getting that beautiful finish should be dramatically easier than trying to force perfection during your preliminary clip.

There's a reason for the order.

Work smarter. Finish prettier.

7. Your Signature Is on This Cat

Before that cat leaves your grooming table, inspect your work from head to tail.

And we mean all of it.

Don't forget:

• The head
• Bottoms of the feet
• Inside the back legs
• Armpits
• Chest and belly
• Tail
• Transitions between clipped and unclipped coat

A beautiful lion cut with fuzzy feet and a forgotten tangle behind one ear isn't a finished professional groom.

It's finished when every inch of the cat is perfection.

Because your signature is on every cat you groom.

Cat grooming is an art, and that cat is about to walk out your door carrying your work into the world.

What does your art say about you?

Your skill?
Your standards?
Your reputation?



Are you a master of your craft? Or a five-year-old with a box of crayons?

Make sure the finished product answers that question for you.

But What About the Cat With Anger Management Issues?

This is where the normal order of operations may go right out the window.

Some cats arrive ready to make it abundantly clear that grooming was not on their agenda today.

If you're dealing with a highly aggressive cat and cannot safely perform the preliminary work, taking the cat directly to the bath can often change the situation dramatically.

There is something about being wet that seems to take a surprising amount of fight out of many aggressive cats. I call this kryptonite for cats and actually shot a video of this exact effect on a highly aggressive cat in my grooming salon many years ago.

A wet cat will often allow you to safely accomplish things that were impossible five minutes earlier.

Take advantage of that opportunity.

While the cat is wet or securely wrapped in a kitty burrito, accomplish whatever grooming tasks you safely can. Trim the nails. Address necessary clipper work. Clean the ears. Do what the cat allows while you have the advantage.

Then proceed with drying as usual.

Just remember that your temporarily reformed feline citizen may rediscover his previous opinions once he's completely dry.

Plan accordingly.

The point isn't that every cat must be groomed using an identical sequence. The point is that you should understand the process well enough to know when, why, and how to change it.

That is the difference between simply performing grooming tasks and actually knowing how to groom cats. Read that again. It's a truth many people miss.

Better Procedures = Better Results

Professional cat grooming isn't a random collection of steps.

The right products, tools, handling techniques, and procedures all work together. And when you do them in the right order, the entire groom becomes easier and more efficient.

The transformation can be remarkable.

You can take a dirty, stinky, greasy, shedding, matted mess and turn it into a clean, comfortable, beautifully groomed cat.

And you should show it off.

Let the owner see and feel the difference. Explain what you accomplished and, more importantly, how you're going to keep those problems from coming back.

For most cats, a regular 4–6 week grooming schedule will help prevent problems and keep the cat looking and feeling its best.

That's real problem solving for your client.

And when you solve problems consistently, you build trust, create loyal clients, and grow a stronger grooming business.

Funny how doing what's best for the cat can also be pretty good for business.

- Danelle German, NCGI Founder and President


About the cat in our cover photo: This Persian belongs to Kendra Martinez, CFMG, owner of Fluffin' It Feline Grooming in Georgia. Ronald the cat lives the life of a beloved pet but is also currently being shown in CFA, where he is ranked #3 in Premiership. We're incredibly proud of Kendra and the standard of grooming her work represents.

At NCGI, we teach our students to groom every cat to show-quality standards, whether that cat ever sets a paw in a show ring or spends its life ruling the living-room sofa. Because every cat deserves that level of care. Every client deserves that level of work. And every cat groomer's reputation is reflected in the finished cat.

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