12 months grooming cats.... the story so far.

So it has been 12 months since I returned from what some claim to be a crazy endeavour to the USA to learn how to groom cats, and what a 12 months it has been! There have been so many changes to our business in this time and I have learnt so much.

On returning I spent a lot of time working out what we needed to do to be able to provide a specialised cat grooming service like what I had been trained to provide. I knew that there was a huge gap in the grooming industry for cats, because who would be crazy enough to groom cats right?

On returning from the NCGIA I quickly put into practice the skills that I had been taught and started to develop my own techniques on handling and grooming the cats. The education I received was immensely important as it gave me the confidence and skills I needed to groom cats safely and to a high standard.  We started to offer cat exclusive grooming days in our Westlake store which gradually picked up as more and more people heard about what we had to offer.

Samson

One thing I felt was really important for a cat grooming salon was a salon cat. Well the search began to find the right mascot. We were so lucky to find our wonderful boy Samson through Little Paws Kitten Rescue. He has become a firm favourite with our customers, who are often enticed into a loving head butt from Samson as they make their purchase. We love Samson and he makes us all laugh many times through the day – especially when he is trying to get some attention so swats everything off the bench so we give him some J! He is a clown and it seems he was born to be in this role. We are so grateful that he is with us!

2011 was a tough year for the business and for our family and we had to make some really hard decisions, due to a number of circumstances that lead to massive changes for Nose 2 Tail Pet Care. By October we had decided that we needed to close our Oxley store and operate out of the one location in Westlake. As luck would have it, the store next to ours was vacant, so we were able to sign a lease and set in motion the plans to open Australia’s FIRST Cat Exclusive grooming salon.

As we really wanted to focus on this one location and simplify our lives, we also decided that the mobile grooming section of the business needed to be closed as well. This was a bitter sweet decision as this was how the business initially started back in 2003, but it was the right decision for us.

Some people think we are crazy – because seriously, who wants to groom cats AND who would open a cat only salon???? Well as of January 2012, our cat exclusive salon became a reality. We had Australia’s FIRST certified feline master groomer (CFMG) operating Australia’s FIRST cat exclusive grooming salon. The salon has become very popular and is gaining a reputation  for exceptional grooming that is specialised for cats.

We have so many regular customers who have seen the benefits of regular grooming for their cats. To these regular customers wer are a solution to the many issues they face with their cats grooming and maintenance. In many cases we have been told that we are life savers.

We also have a constant supply of new customers who are being introduced to this new world where their cats don’t need to be greasy, stinky or matted – EVER.

So what have I learnt over the past 12 months grooming cats?

-  To be quicker than the cats I am grooming

-  Cats really don’t mind the whole grooming process including the bath and blow dry

-  How to handle the small number of cats who don’t enjoy the process as much

 - We can handle many cats that vets can't or won’t touch! 

-  People want their cats to be groomed and have been looking for something like this for a very long time 

 - People need to see it before they will believe it.

  - Cats are greasy, they shed, they lick themselves and this is what causes matts and knots

  

- Cats appreciate it when we remove matts from them, they are often in pain which causes them to get cranky. I'd be cranky too if it hurt to move! 

 - I am quite capable of grooming cats on my own!

-   We transform cats from a mess to AMAZING! (see above before and after of Jewel!) 

- I really enjoy grooming cats!

- Cats really do need to be bathed regularly, whether long or short coat.

- Many cats fall asleep, or are much more relaxed while I am grooming them.

- Cats don't mind being bathed. In fact a lot actually enjoy it and relax through it. 

 - For many cat owners, we are an answer to their long suffering issues with their cats coat

 - Wet cats look funny

- Cats fall asleep while I groom them!

- There is a time limit for grooming cats, and a cat will tell you quickly once you have reached it.

- Cats fall asleep when we groom them!

- Going to America to learn how to groom cats is on of the best decisions I have made.

- And the main thing I have learnt is that there is always something new to learn.

If you had have told me 18 months ago that I would one day be grooming cats as Australia's first Certified Feline Master Groomer in Australia's First cat exclusive grooming salon, I would have laughed at you. Now looking back over the last year, the addition of specialised sedation free cat grooming to our business was one of the best decisions I have made!

People will always think I am crazy for grooming cats. I will forever be explaining why cats need to be groomed regularly. But this is ok. I have provided a service to many people in need. I have transformed hundreds of cats and improved their lives. I am grooming cats.... and this is a good thing!

Reeda Close
CFMG 1.1.66