KITTY'S KORNER
by Deborah Hansen
PROOF POSITIVE:
Felines Prefer
House-Call Grooming
I
still believe the best environment for almost all cats to be groomed is in their own home. At the time of writing this article, I had just begun seeing my clients in their homes after a year break, which was due to both covid restrictions and client comfort levels. I would like to share with you the story of three cats that are proof that house– call grooming is the best environment for felines.
CHUBBS’ STORY Chubbs is a shy six–year–old Domestic Short Hair. Shortly after the teenage daughter got Chubbs I began giving him lion cuts. Pre–covid I would sit on the bathroom floor, give him his lion cut while chatting with the daughter or mother. I did not use barriers such as a hard–sided muzzle or Kevlar sleeves. After I shaved him, we would go to the kitchen for a bath then return
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Groomer to Groomer • Vol 40 Ed 7 • July 2021
Sometimes even when cats have been groomed their entire life, they will all of a sudden decide they do not like or want to be groomed. to the bathroom for drying. Rarely he would urinate during drying. During the entire groom, he would just lie in my lap like a sack of potatoes without struggling, vocalizations, signs of aggression, panic or stress. During the covid restrictions, Chubbs was groomed in my home. I took the time to let him explore and settle into the grooming area. I groomed him in a bathroom of similar size and layout. I used the exact same procedures with the only variables being my home instead of his home and his humans were not chatting with me during the grooming process. Things GroomertoGroomer.com
did not go well. He urinated in the car every trip to my house. He tended to flail during his lion cut. Drying was impossible because he would pant. I had to use barriers because I was concerned he was going to bite or scratch. Sometimes even when cats have been groomed their entire life, they will all of a sudden decide they do not like or want to be groomed. I was beginning to come to this conclusion with Chubbs—then the family invited me back into their home for his grooming. Even though a family member did not sit in the bathroom with me while I was grooming, Chubbs’ grooming behavior