cat grooming question

[ferretlov]

I groomed my first cat today and have a question
how do you do it without help? I was alone in the shop today our real groomer doesnt do cats and Im still learning so I was alone .I have to Say this cat was really good but he dint want to stand up and he was huge like 25-30 pounds and would try to stay crouched down. I got him and he looked perfect ....on his back but his fat jiggley sides looked choppy whee the clippers tracked. what is the best way to do it . and also how far do you go down the legs .the whole thing ? I made him look like he has mitts it was cute the mom loved it. but whats nnormally done?

[PugLove]

As far as learning to hold the cat and groom it alone, for me it just took experience to get it down right. Plus, I'm not really one to ask for help much. As far as the cats sides and under belly, I roll the cat on its side, holding it down with my forearm and grooming with the other hand. then I just pull the legs out gently to shave the armpits and groin areas. Usually the cat will just kind of roll over for a second. You just have to get quick and efficient, they don't have much tolerance. I shave down to before the toes begin on the front feet, and on the rear feet, just below the hocks, and then scissor them to blend in with the leg and make the paws roundish.

[mylady]

cars don't stand up, LOL. You just learn to roll them around to get to what you need. I wouldn't work on a cat alone if I was inexperienced. I've been grooming them for almost 15 years and wouldn't do them alone until about 6 years ago. Well, I did them on my own, but there was someone available if I needed help. Course, when I worked for the vet many of the cats I did had been kicked out of other salons. They were tougher. The ones I do in the mobile have been great, but they are SO different from dogs. I would just make sure in the future you have some extra hands until you get more of an idea of different holds you can use to get to the different body parts on the cat.

[keyray]

I won't try unless I know the cat is 100% compliant.

[catgroomer]

You should get the cat grooming DVDs and the Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia from the National Cat Groomers Institute www.nationalcatgroomers.com

They will show you all of that and more.

[keyray]

You should get the cat grooming DVDs and the Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia from the National Cat Groomers Institute www.nationalcatgroomers.com

They will show you all of that and more.

The Encyclopedia is incredible!!! I love my flashcards too.

[catgroomer]

Keyray, out of curiosity what do you find most helpful in the Encyclopedia? And is there anything in there that you found not all that helpful. I would love some feedback for future projects.

Thank you for the kind words.

[country groomer]

cats

I have groomed cats off and on for years, cats like to crouch ,so i lay them on their side and pet them until they relax, most do well, you can shave their tummys by laying them on their back on your lap , that has worked for me. I never try and shave their entire leg, just shave to the hocks behind and half way down the leg of the front legs, they will look like they have high fluffy boots on, however the most important thing is to trim the toe nails short as you can without quicking them. dont forget the duclaws. never trim between the toes just use a rounded scissors to clip the hair flat to the pads, cats skin is very thin and will nick easily.

If you get a cat that wants to scratch , use cotton to pad the paws and wrap them with vet wrap or something that will stick but easy to remove, that has worked well for me. muzzel the cat if he is a biter and besure that the nose opening is where it should me.

Cat hair will show clipper marks depending on the hair , just clip the cat again after the bath and dry. They will not look perfect when clipped , but they sure will feel better. I hope that this has helped you some.