It’s that time of year when cats are shedding and owners are fretting! As I meet more and more people while cat grooming in the East Valley, I’m seeing there’s some major misguided ideas on what regular cat grooming actually means.

What is Maintenance Cat Grooming?

Maintenance cat grooming is regular preventative care. It is regular bathing, regular thorough brush-outs, regular nails clipping–the works.

The two most common misconceptions I come across are what “regular” means and the definition of “grooming”.

Regular is defined as every four to six weeks.

Grooming is defined as intentional, thorough, and effective services being performed on your cat.

Stroking your cat with a brush or large tooth comb does not equate effective hair removal. Some first time clients report to me that they brush their cat “every other day”, but upon inspection they have significant dead coat build up. They’re brushing and brushing and brushing, but they’re still encountering an excessive amount of shed-out.

Now–I’m not trying to say that home grooming is impossible. It is absolutely possible with the right techniques and tools. But one cannot claim regular maintenance if the ‘regular’ brushing is inconsequential. I don’t say this to be rude. I don’t want people to think that grooming is ineffective, impossible, or pointless because they’re not getting the results that they want at home. I also want people to be able to accurately communicate with their groomer about what type of maintenance schedule their cat has been on so they can more effectively solve coat concerns, assess previous triggers, gauge handling history, and distribute the right amount and type of care.

Don’t even get me started on “waterless shampoos”, “cat wipes”, or any of the numerous marketed products claiming to get your cat ‘clean and smelling fresh’. Because the only thing that’s going to genuinely clean your cat and successfully get rid of all that grease/saliva/dirt –is soap and water.

It’s for this reason that a bath is the rule–not the exception. Now, as a holistic Fear-Free groomer, there’s no way I’m going to force a cat to do something they’re not physically or mentally prepared to do.

But bathing is always the end game goal. Getting to that goal takes time, a positive relationship, and more importantly a positive association with water.

Frequency Is Key

Grooming can be a stressful event and power struggle for both cat and human. Early exposure, proper handling techniques, confident and experienced handling, trained temperament assessments, and appropriate methods of grooming all work together to make it a successful and enjoyable experience.

Most cats struggle with the baths not because they “naturally hate water”, but because their hygiene needs and requirements have been neglected and they have not been exposed. By the time individuals start searching out for a cat groomer in Mesa, a cat groomer in Gilbert, a cat groomer in Phoenix—- wherever you live, it’s usually because a major issue has arrived that they are trying to fix.

We Do The Best We Can With What We Can

Society has told us for so long that “cat’s take care of themselves”—heck, Martha Stewart wrote an article last year talking about how “cat’s groom themselves”. So it is no surprise that first time clients are finding me because they’re in desperate need of help.

I can’t speak for other groomers, but I never show judgement when someone comes to me with a cat in a very poor and unfortunate condition. People love their animals and want to do what is right by them. People want to give their cats the care they deserve and need.

The problem here, is most people don’t realize the care that cats actually need. Cats in bad condition come from a lack of knowledge and support.

The question then becomes, what you do with that knowledge.