A New Career Could Be The Cat’s Meow

Cat grooming is something that many people don’t realize is an actual thing, much less a needed thing, until it becomes available in their area. Until the last 10-15 years, while dog grooming had long been widely recognized and accepted, the feline community did not have as many places to bring their cats for relief from matting, being skunked, or for regular maintenance. Often it was left to veterinarians to shave matts from cats, largely under sedation, because there was no salon alternative. Thankfully, in recent years, cat grooming has begun to spread across not just the country, but across the globe as well. There are certified cat groomers in Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, the UK, and throughout parts of Europe.

There’s even one right in the KeeneBrattleboro area that is looking to search out and train her replacement! That’s right, I have been established in this area since May, 2018, having previously groomed in Illinois since 2009, and I am looking to hang up my clippers and retire.

Now, no two days are alike in cat grooming! In any given day a variety of cat temperaments can be shuttled through my door in carriers. We get shy cats, inexperienced-to-grooming cats, totally chill cats, cats who will let you know that their appointment, which they had previously been unaware of, has completely thrown a wrench into their day, and cats that look at us as a challenge to be conquered. These cats are long or short haired, middle-aged, elderly, downright geriatric, or brand new kittens. All of them deserve to look and feel their best. For the new or young ones it’s all about training them on what to expect a grooming to look, sound and feel like. Those for whom a visit isn’t their first rodeo look forward to getting their extra hair combed out or clipped off of them. They look forward to being bathed so the grease and oil they have accumulated since their last groom can be washed off their coat so they can feel clean again. Bonus for their parents is Winter 2023

that they smell wonderful for weeks afterwards! My particular salon also offers an ozone spa treatment. Elderly cats, cats with various conditions which put stress on their joints, or cats who come in matted especially enjoy this 15-minute experience which has a side benefit of oftentimes releasing even more hair so that cats are sleeker coming out of it than when they went in.

There are cats for whom we know we made a marked difference in their life experience, having either shaved off pelts that were attached to them like a wool coat that they could not remove and that restricted their movement and caused them pain, or combing out so much hair from their coat that it looked like a second cat had appeared next to them. We’ve de-flea’d cats who had tried their best by scratching their skin to the point of hair loss to try and remove the little parasites but to no avail. On those days my assistant & I look at each other and know that yet another cat has had their day improved because their pet parent saw the need their cat had and wanted to relieve them of their predicament. And our very favorite cats? Those who come in regularly, whom we know well, who do not get to the point of grooming emergency status, whom we can simply clean up and get back to their living rooms all clean and fresh without a lot of muss and fuss.

Do you know someone who might like to help out the local cat community and learn how to propel cats into their best comfort and appearance? It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it does provide a clear purpose for the right person who is passionate about their love and respect for cats.

Requirements include not being allergic to cats, and not being afraid of them (even when some of them can be very scary!). The right candidate will be someone looking to run their own business on their terms, and do all the background work associated with that. A commitment to excellence in the form of training to Winter 2023 become certified will make your work stand out. There are expenses involved with gaining this knowledge in the form of training materials, tool purchases, and testing expenses. But for the right person, you would be fulfilling a great need and helping cats to live their best lives, all the while cultivating an informed clientele who become even more knowledgeable about their cat’s needs for having visited your establishment.

For more information, please contact me via email at Info@TheCatGroomer. com, or you can leave a voicemail expressing your interest at (603) 757-3578.