Groomers Helper and Cat grooming?

[Chihuahuafan]

I've been really really wanting to buy a deluxe set so I'm saving up my money. I groom atleast one cat it seems a day (lion cut) and most of them hate every minute of it and I need to ask for help holding the kitty. Does a groomers helper even work with cat grooming? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I can't really picture a cat all tethered up in a groomers helper safely. Do any of you cat groomers use this on kitties as well or is this way out of the question? There's gotta be a way I can safely do all of these lion cuts on cats by myself. Most of the cats I groom are extremly bad cats that other shops have turned down. They tend to end up at the Vet hospital where I work for grooming (lucky me) NOT! I'm getting pretty darn good at lion cuts though now thats for sure. We really need a device that makes Cat Grooming easier don't ya think.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

We really need a device that makes Cat Grooming easier don't ya think.

Yeah, they have one, it's called TDK (a sedative), LOLOLOLOL...

Just kidding!!!

In reality, the Groomers Helper DOES work with kitties, but if mine NEED the groomers Helper, I usually like them sleeping fitfully when I groom them. LOL, that's ONLY because of my fear of kitties. Most of my kitties are either really good, or really bad, not many "in betweeners".

How's your mom, Chi? Hopefully good news. I've been wondering about you lately, I nearly PM'd you just today.

Tammy in Utah

[mskittylitter]

I groom alot of cats and I do not use any restraints except another person when needed. I can do most of the cats myself but there is the occasionally upset meow. Its always better to have someone to help not because of a bad cat but because of the webs of skin that cut VERY easy ie: the armpits, inside rear legs. Alot of the cats "ball up" and its hard to get them stretched out with one arm and groom with the other. I would never use a neck restraint of any kind on a cat. I really don't see how a GH is going to stretch a cat out or hold it on its side.

[HoundLover]

i believe you can use the deluxe set of the groomers helper for cats. i do believe its mentioned on the website (www.groomershelper.com) i believe thats the website???
Hound

[sheilabgroomer]

There is a "cat" hold for the GH. If you order it, you get the cd and it has a clip on how to do it. I have made my own hold w/the GH for cats though. I will have the neck loop on them around a front leg and attached to the grooming arm, and I have the tether down low by the table attached to the neck loop. This way they can't turn around and get me as easily and it is not directly around the neck. They also don't feel very restrained and panic like kitty's tend to do!!

I have had pretty good success w/this. The hold illustrated for cats on the video I haven't had as much success with (I guess need to practice it more). If you ask Chuck though (I have about other holds) he will tell you to make the GH your GH. So, what ever holds work for you is best! You just need to experiment w/it. If you have any questions, call or email Chuck, he is awsome at his customer service!

Hey Chuck, when do I get my comission for that plug....lol..ya know I am kidding!!!

[Helly]

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

So to answer your not stupid question, yes the Groomer's Helper can be used on cats. You just have to adjust how you hook it up. Never around the neck, of course.

I like to combine mine with a figure 8 harness, which I devise from a kennel lead. Once I get the cat into the figure 8 harness, I snap the free end of the lead to my grooming arm, overhead. I use a panic snap, so if I need to release kitty quickly, it's one quick pull and kitty is released. I then snap the tether to the ring on the harness, which is positioned between kitty's shoulder blades. I adjust the tension so that kitty can hook her toes over the side of the table, but can go no further.

That's usually enough restraint for most cats. If I need more, I use my second tether on my other post, and have kitty in a three point restraint...both ends or the table and overhead.

[DAPER DAWG]

No I wouldn't use it on cats.

You are not supposed to hook cats up to a loop just around their necks because their necks are too fragile and can break too easily. We were always shown to hook part of the loop under their front leg as to not put pressure on the neck. I read somewhere but have never tried that you could use a harness on cats and hook the up with that but they could still spin around and stuff A lot of people use the E-collars for the head to lessen the chance of gettting bit and wrap the feet with vet wrap to help with not being scratched.

Another suggestion they gave in grooming school was to put them on something like a cage grate that they can dig their claws into while your working on them.

Personally I haven't don't any cats since grooming school so a lot of others who do them regulary may have better suggestions. I have mostly seen them done with two people also.

Lori

[Chihuahuafan]

Thanks for the suggestions on how to effectively use a groomers helper on a cat. I know what ya mean by not really being able to stretch the kitty though. It really does help alot when I have an experienced cat holder around. I knew about never putting a leash around the neck on a kitty, I always loor it under an arm pit or use a figure eight harness in tub. That's kind of why I was trying to picture a groomers helper safely working or not. Sounds like a great idea Helly how you are doing it. I need to break down and just order a deluxe kit soon. I did see that they are marked down to 49.99 off the normal price right now. I do a heck of alot of cats wether I like it not that's for sure!

P.S. About my mom....she has alot of spirit and HOPE. She is an amazing woman. I went for two weeks to visit her in Arizona and it was very difficult to see her that way but I'm glad I got in some quality time with her. Unfortunately though while I was there visiting I picked up a terrible illness called VALLEY FEVER which causes alot of respiratory problems and tiredness. I have been working alot since I got back from my trip and its really hard to kick this crud. I'm on the antifungal meds and slowly getting my energy back. Very very expensive medication even with insurance coverage though. I guess about 1 out of 35 people get Valley fever when traveling to the southwest. Lucky me (NOT!!!) bad stuff let me tell ya! Next time I will dbl. the neosporin in my nose and stay totally inside haha!
Anyways....my mom is doing well for her late stage 4 breast cancer and her docters are great. Thanks for all the Pm's everyone that was asking.

I'm glad to be back online again I missed chatting with you all.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Oh, about putting the loop around the neck:

I once saw a groomer put a loop around a cat's neck. The cat was sitting there peacefully in it's "balled up" position, but nevertheless just sitting there. The groomer was talking to someone or doing something (I can't recall now), but she was standing RIGHT THERE, and that cat somehow fell/rolled off the edge of the table and all of the cat's dead weight must have hit the cat at the end of the "bungee" cord (the loop), because I heard the "thunk" across the HUGE groom room and ran over there.

Thankfully the cat was fine, but it could have been VERY serious.

Tammy in Utah

[MindysMuddyPaws]

sometimes im asked if I groom cats.. I reply, "no ma'am/sir!"
sometimes they asked what I would recommend for gooming a cat!
I reply, "a suite of armor!"

I worked with a lady who did cat's. She got bit on the .. to the bone!
got infected, ended up with (sp)gangreen and a stint in her heart befor it was all over.

No ma'am/sir, I dont do cat's! but thats just me

[kayc]

mew cat by ruby

jeffers pet has a cat restraint that has holes for the legs to go through and velcro straps go over the neck and back, its for grooming, bathing, I am gonna order one when I am done with my apprenticeship. I think the web is www.jefferspet.com

[Luvkitties]

I just got back this afternoon from the Atlanta Pet Fair and actually bought my Groomers Helper and got to speak to Chuck about grooming kitties. He showed us some things to help with the kitties but said that there is going to be that percentage of kitties that no matter what hold you try to configure, you are going to need a second person to help hold for the safety of the cat and yourself. I thought that was good to keep in mind, b/c I think as groomers we often feel that we should be able to do everything ourselves and are too hard on ourselves if we can't.

[hummingbird]

I'm a cat freak. been told I was a feline in a fomer life more than once. Been in cat rescue for 30 yrs plus. Alot of time spent with ferals.
One thing I know about cats is that they seem to do better when they are unable to see what is going on. I don't restrain them, I muzzle them, if need be, with the cat muzzles that cover the eyes. They seem to give it up, I can, at the very least, get the mats out and make them more comfortable. The good ones I can make pretty.
I ask for someone to help stretch and sometimes scruff. If they don't know how I show them fast!
My fave is a cat named Pookie that is more dog- and a good dog LOL than a cat! He loves to be groomed, loves the clipper, head butts all the time, sits for the dryer, walks on a leash, if there ever was a pefect cat it is Pookie! I wish just half the dogs were as good as him!

[HoundLover]

i have found that some cats tend to freak out even worse with the muzzle on than off. another thing...the two shops i worked for...the first one i only washed i think...maybe one or two cats? i honestly cannot tell you if we used a restraint in the tub or not. i honestly dont think we did because the cat was used to being bathed and we cage dried them. the second shop i worked for...well now..she ALWAYS put the loop around the cats neck! i didnt know any better until someone suggested the harness idea to me on this board. i remember when i first started there...we had some nutty cats come in and they would start freaking out once you turned the water on. so someone always had to stand there...but try to grab a cat thats freaking out at the water without getting sliced and diced or bitten yourself? thats when id have to call her in to help me...i cannot for the life of me wash a cat one handed while holding it with the other! dosnt work for me! LOL! i dont know if this was what they taught her in grooming school (yes i know which one she went to also...it was the one I was going to go to), but i started using the harness idea...bath and dry...the cat CAN sometimes get out of it...but i find using a loop with the bulldog clip on it works better than a regular grooming loop with the clip that just slides up and down...but this greatly reduces the risk of the cat breaking its neck because it decides its going to spazz out on you...but whenever i brought the cat out to be groomed...ON went the loop around the neck...i dont even think she KNEW how to make a grooming loop into a harness...her only comment...well if it works for you then go for it. ooookay....she wanted to get cat bags to make bathing easier...oh well i cannot afford that right now...yeah well lady your not the one risking getting scratched because YOU didnt ask the owner if the cat was declawed or not! i would ask her...is the cat declawed? oh i dont know...guess your gonna find out soon with a stupid smirk on her face. i also was never given the option of not bathing cats...guess she would have had a fit if i was ever allergic to kitties heh heh heh. the first shop i worked for she DID tell me if i didnt want to wash a cat then tell her and she would come and do it herself no questions asked. i think my last boss was just money greedy about the money she could make off of cats.
ah well...
id def. do a harness with these cats. it helps tremedasouly...one grooming loop under one armpit and around neck and the other grooming loop going the same way except in the diffrent direction as its the other leg. worked wonderfully for me...the cats would freak out and id just stand back and eventually they would just tire themselves out and either hang there like little acrobats by their armpits or just lay there calmy then.
JMHO
Hound

[OneGroovyGroomer]

Helly...

I use a panic snap, so if I need to release kitty quickly, it's one quick pull and kitty is released.

Please what is this panic snap you speak of? I worked somewhere and they had a velcro release but dogs and cats could so easily tear away with them so now I just use a regular lead with metal snap. I was curious about alternatives...