Show Grooming a Persian?

[itsgot2bme]

For all you cat grooming gods, I need your help!

I have a client that would like me to show groom her Persian before shows and in between to keep her well maintained. The cat is used to being groomed and am I told very docile. I have to questions for you wise brave soles. First, how do you groom a Persian for show?

Second, I have never fully groomed a cat myself, but I have bathed and dried one. From what I've read show grooming a cat is really just tidying them up after bathing and drying them properly. Am I psycho for even considering this? I groom by myself in my home so its quiet but I have no help, and although I did the bath and dry by myself, I've never seen a groomer do grooming on a cat by themselves. (I held cats for others often so I understand how to safely stretch and move a cat) Should I send this lady else where?

TIA

[doggydivas]

I would send them to someone with experience in show grooming......I would be skeered!

[Bearmtn]

My mom raised and show persians for a while. The biggest thing was making them look full coated and the coats in good condition. She made a few champions that I thought the coats were just terrible, from lack of grooming on her part. I did use a lot of degreaser shampoos on the cats that were greasey. Sometimes used conditioner on dry coats, but it is important to get the conditioner completely rinsed out, so the cat does not appear greasy. The biggest thing was to get them clean, the hair blown straight. No trimming, and no greasyness.

[itsgot2bme]

Well call me crazy...

I was completely honest with this client and explained all of my limited experience with cat grooming and told her that if she was comfortable I would try. So the ball is in her court now (corresponding via e-mail), I'll let you all know what happens and post pictures if get to groom the kitties.... I need to buy Mike Thingys!

[catgroomer]

there is a lot to show grooming a cat, especially a Persian. This is not something you should do unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you ruin the coat or ruin the face trim, the cat will not show well, and the owner could end up being embarrassed because of poor presentation. I have seen this happen.

I am wondering why someone who is showing would not be doing the grooming themselves. I would NEVER let anyone touch one of my show cats with a ten-foot pole. I don't know an exhibitor that would.

[itsgot2bme]

She is new to showing and this is a younger kitten. I'm not sure she is seriously showing, or more of a just for fun thing. She has another Persian that is not a show cat that I will be bathing for her first and we're going to go from there. I will have her talk to the breeder about what she plans with the grooming and if the breeder is willing I will come to her cattery so that she can show me the ropes. Does this sound reasonable to you or do you think its so far out of my experience level that I should turn the reins over to someone else?

[catgroomer]

I definitely think that is reasonable. It is a great idea, in fact.

Some things to keep in mind are to ask the breeder what sort of show awards they have won. I would ask first how many Grand Champions or Grand Premiers they have earned themselves. You should not be concerned with any bragging they do about CHampions as anyone can do that. But specifically ask how many Grands they have completed. This will say something about not only the quality of their breeding program, but also their grooming skills.

I say this because if you want to learn to do this well, you want to be sure your "teacher" knows what quality is. While many breeders do show and are very good at it, some are not so good. Knowing what their show accomplishments are can give you an idea.

Secondly, I would also recommend that you visit a cat show sometime soon. Preferably a CFA show. Pay particular attention to the long hair breeds, esp the Persians and Himis. Seeing what is in the ring will give you a good idea of what to strive toward. That visual, along with some instruction from the breeder (if they are also a good exhibitor) will help you in your efforts to do some show grooming.

On another note, I do have a dvd called "Here Kitty Kitty" that shows a full show groom on a show Persian. While having someone teaching you in person is a much better option, the dvd may help you out by giving some additional information that you can watch over again later on.

Let us know how it goes.

[catgroomer]

One more thing.....be sure to let your client know that when she is showing the cat, it will need at least 1 bath per week to keep it in top condition. 2 is better during the weeks that she has a show. 1 bath to pre-condition, the other to prep for the actual show.

This will be an ongoing thing as long as she is showing.

[itsgot2bme]

Thank you so much for all the information! I will be purchasing your "Here Kitty Kitty" DVD soon.

I have a question for you on bathing before a show, I read on a couple different sites that its bad to bath closer than a week before the show because the coat could be too soft or floppy? I assume good products and a proper job of drying the coat thoroughly would negate that issue. Just wondering if you've heard this too?

[catgroomer]

That is true for some short hair breeds (very short). But definitely not for a long hair. Your assumptions are correct.
Products, tools, and methods make all the difference in the world. You would never want to show a Persian that did not have a bath within at least 2 days prior to the show. And for most the best bathing time would be the night before or the morning of.