19/07/2025
I had a cat shave yesterday.
When we have a cat client - that is the only pet in our salon. There are no other cats, there are no dogs.
That means three employees went home early so I could shave a cat.
That means three employees could have been grooming dogs - which would make the business more money, but instead I sent them home early so Shuri could have a quiet and safe experience.
That means out of the 25+ dogs on my waiting list we could have groomed at least 6 of them yesterday, but instead I groomed 1 cat.
I was told a story from a cat client recently that made me consider not grooming cats at all -
Her cat was at a routine grooming appointment and it died from a heart attack while at the salon.
Feline Cardiomyopathy is quite common, and often goes unnoticed until the condition is advanced.
Basically- your cat is at a much higher risk of having a heart attack during stressful situations than your dogs.
That is why I empty the salon for cats. That is why I have an assistant help me the entire time. Safety will always be my #1 concern. If an animal died in my salon - that would be the end of The Groomery. The trauma involved in that would be too much. I know groomers who have experienced this. I do not wish that on anyone.
Another cat client tried to cut matting out of their cat and injured their cat so badly it had to be humanely put down by their vet.
Cats have extremely thin skin, and a tiny cut can become a major injury very fast.
My salon takes a loss every time I groom a cat. Because safety is more important to me.
The cats we groom regularly are wonderful and comfortable with the grooming process because they are on a schedule. They are not coming in to get shaved once a year because of a pelted coat that wasn't maintained. These cats are at a much lower risk of a stress-induced heart attack because they are used to coming into our salon.
Cat grooming is high risk - and you should ensure your cat is calm and comfortable with where they are going.
*We do not accept new cat clients for grooming*
