Question about long-haired cats & professional groomers

I have the Furminator and LOVE it. Even so, I would like to take Matilda to a professional groomer. She doesn't have mats or anything (I brush her every day with a wide toothed comb and one of those slicker brushes).

Can the groomer get to all that undercoat that the Furminator gets to? What do I ask for specifically? I like that it gets out all the undercoat but I am not very good at using it.

I took Matilda to a groomer back in December so they could give her a bath (I didn't want to attempt that on my own and she needed it because of a prescription ointment that was really messy). So basically I am clueless about professional cat grooming and what they can do and what is typical.

IMO if you are keeping up with the combing and there is no tangles/knots in the coat, I don't understand WHY you feel you need to take the cat to a groomer.

If its to give a bath, then do it for that reason - tho I would learn how to wash them yourself - its not that hard to give a cat a bath

I've never taken my cats (or dog) to a groomer but I have a friend that does all the time. She also owns a newf and is just not comfortable trimming her, nor does she have the time to groom her properly. In her opinion they do a very good job with the undercoat.

I know from experience with brushing my own Newf and Newf-mix that getting the undercoat out is a daunting task (especially on a 100-pound-plus dog) but is made easier with the right tools. We use a slicker brush and a rake... I like the rake the best. Chewy likes it all

i took chloe to a groomer once (at petsmart) and decided i would never take her again. i dont know what they did to her but they were supposed to wash her, trim her, brush her and blow her out by hand.
when i picked her up she'd been washed and trimmed but she acted traumatized (for literally WEEKS) and i dont think they even combed her because she shed so bad for the next month or so that i lintrolled her several times a day. i wondered if theyd put her in one of those boxes to dry her.

i zoom groom her and use a slicker brush, along with a shed ender--i have since she was a kitten. patchy, however, hates it. i was trying to brush her last nite and now one half of her looks gorgeous and the other half looks like a ratty ragamuffin

That reminds me of another important consideration.

You might want to consider developing a relationship with your groomer, check into their reputation. My aforementioned friend took her dog to a cheaper groomer once and paid the price. She got her newf back all cut up. Apparently they had an apprentice brushing her with a RAZOR comb....

I dont even want to think about it. Poor thing. Of course they felt horrible and the newf healed fine, but still dont know what the newbie was thinking.

sorry i should have mentioned that mine was at the recommendation of chloe's vet. he was none too happy about how she was done either (he was at banfield and left about a month after)

If you do take her to a groomer DO NOT go to a chain pet store, I recently had a co-worker who took her shih-tzu in for grooming and the dog came back with it's eye almost hanging out of it's head, it had to be rushed to the emergency room for surgery and ended up loosing the eye. Petsmart denied anything happend to the dog and it was a "routine grooming" Anyway, for my long haired kitties I use an undercoat rake and it works great ! Gets tons of hair out, I recently saw and up close demonstration of the FURMINATOR and it looks to me as it just cuts the hair, not removes the undercoat. I would try a rake, you will be amazed at the amount of fur you get out.

I took my long haired cat for lioncuts every other month for awhile. I did it for my other cat who was having chronic digestive problems and I thought getting that done would cut down on the amount of hair my other cat was swallowing. She did a good job and she always seemed fine after having it done. I got a groomer recommendation from their vet and she wasn't connected to a petstore.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

IMO if you are keeping up with the combing and there is no tangles/knots in the coat, I don't understand WHY you feel you need to take the cat to a groomer.

If its to give a bath, then do it for that reason - tho I would learn how to wash them yourself - its not that hard to give a cat a bath

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I'm not taking her for a bath (although she will get one there). I'm sure it's not that hard to give a cat a bath, but that doesn't mean I want to do it when I can pay a professional to do it. I am taking her for them to get rid of the undercoat. She has no tangles/matts because I comb her everyday & use a slicker brush but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a bunch of loose fur to get rid of underneath it. She is a very long-haired cat.

Originally Posted by Marianjela

I've never taken my cats (or dog) to a groomer but I have a friend that does all the time. She also owns a newf and is just not comfortable trimming her, nor does she have the time to groom her properly. In her opinion they do a very good job with the undercoat.

I know from experience with brushing my own Newf and Newf-mix that getting the undercoat out is a daunting task (especially on a 100-pound-plus dog) but is made easier with the right tools. We use a slicker brush and a rake... I like the rake the best. Chewy likes it all

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It is a daunting task! Matilda is only 9 lbs but whenever I do it I have hair all over me and the bathroom, the undercoat sticks like static cling. I haven't heard of rakes until reading replies to this thread, I will definitely pick one up next time I am at the pet store.

Originally Posted by courtney_ou

i took chloe to a groomer once (at petsmart) and decided i would never take her again. i dont know what they did to her but they were supposed to wash her, trim her, brush her and blow her out by hand.
when i picked her up she'd been washed and trimmed but she acted traumatized (for literally WEEKS) and i dont think they even combed her because she shed so bad for the next month or so that i lintrolled her several times a day. i wondered if theyd put her in one of those boxes to dry her.

i zoom groom her and use a slicker brush, along with a shed ender--i have since she was a kitten. patchy, however, hates it. i was trying to brush her last nite and now one half of her looks gorgeous and the other half looks like a ratty ragamuffin

Click to expand...

I have a Chloe too! My PetSmart doesn't do cat grooming, neither does my Petco. Matilda didn't seem that phased by going to the groomer, I wouldn't do it otherwise. For some reason the Zoom Groom doesn't work well for me, it seems like it pulls the skin too tightly? Chloe doesn't mind the slicker brush but *hates* the Zoom Groom.

Originally Posted by kittycorner

If you do take her to a groomer DO NOT go to a chian pet store, I recently had a co-worker who took her shih-tzu in for grooming and the dog came back with it's eye almost hanging out of it's head, it had to be rushed to the emergency room for surgery and ended up loosing the eye. Petsmart denied anything happend to the dog and it was a "routine grooming" Anyway, for my long haired kitties I use an undercoat rake and it works great ! Gets tons of hair out, I recently saw and up close demonstration of the FURMINATOR and it looks to me as it just cuts the hair, not removes the undercoat. I would try a rake, you will be amazed at the amount of fur you get out.

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I am going to buy a rake for sure! I'm so glad I asked about the undercoat here because I'd never heard of rakes. I was just using a slicker brush for daily brushing and then I saw the Furminator and thought it looked great, so I bought that.

Originally Posted by Denice

I took my long haired cat for lioncuts every other month for awhile. I did it for my other cat who was having chronic digestive problems and I thought getting that done would cut down on the amount of hair my other cat was swallowing. She did a good job and she always seemed fine after having it done. I got a groomer recommendation from their vet and she wasn't connected to a petstore.

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I thought about a lion cut because I've seen long-haired cats' personalities change so much (for the better) after having one (and no, these weren't cats with matted coats to begin with). I don't think I'm going to go that route though, I would miss having my fluffy kitty!

Thank you everyone for your help! I am going to buy a rake and do the best I can. When I do find a good groomer with enough experience with cats, I'll just have to be very clear about wanting them to *remove* the undercoat the best they can, not just loosen it.

I was a professional groomer for a long time. I had gone to school for a year and recieved a certificate for grooming both cats and dogs to breed standard.

The one thing that is important to remember is that groomers don't have to be schooled at all. Most groomers, when making reference to being licensed, mean that they have a business license. There is no professional licensing in the Pet Grooming industry now although there are groups that are trying to get that done.

Now, just because one didnt go to school doesnt mean they arent great. I've met some FANTASTIC groomers who learned through apprentiship and some awful ones who went to school.

Most groomers who are really interested in their trade will attend trade shows and seminars. There are also certifications through the major professional grooming groups that groomers can work towards.

The majority of groomers won't touch cats with a ten foot pole. A lot of this is because of fear. As you can well imagine, cats are not an easy job. When looking for a grooming shop to take your cat to you need to grill them on their practices. And find out if they REALLY want to do them. Some shops will groom for the money but dont have the skill or the desire to really groom cats well.

Ask to talk to the groomer who would be working on your cat. In most shops only one groomer will do the cats. Get comfortable with them. Get comfortable with their techniques. And ask for references from other cat owners that have been groomed there.

Oh, and keep in mind that if your cat comes home traumatized that doesnt always mean that there were questionable practices performed. In a grooming shop there are loud noises, dryers, water, dogs barking, door buzzers and all kinds of things that our indoor cats are not used to. The only way to try to ease this is to ask to bring your cat in on a slow day. Dont book on Fridays or Saturdays as they are the busiest.

I hope this helped a bit...I rambled!

everyone should have a chloe <333; i saw this week on gma that chloe was #8 on female dog names, but it didnt mention kitties.

i admit i get a little rough when brushing my kitties. i cant help it. its genetic. i come from a generations of mothers who pull their daughters 4 inches off the ground while combing their hair and told them to quit crying or theyd give them something to cry about and then hit them with the hair brush although im not quite that bad with the cats haha

the zoom groom feels pretty good. ive used it on my own head. ive used the shed ender(i think its kinds like the furminator, only different shape) to get rid of my split ends and the build up of silicone product in my hair -- works well! lol i get strange looks from the cats (and my ex) when i do it tho

Originally Posted by courtney_ou

everyone should have a chloe <333; i saw this week on gma that chloe was #8 on female dog names, but it didnt mention kitties.

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Chloe is the #1 female cat name on catster.com

LOL figures. when i picked it, i didnt realize it was that popular; it just seemed to fit her. she came *extremely* close to being cornflake the kitty hahaha

Maybe the brush or grooming equipment you are using is not long enough to get to the undercoat - its only going on the surface and not much below it.

I highly recommend using a medium and fine toothed comb for any longhairs. Most brushes are not made with long enough teeth. And comb the fur backwards to get to the undercoat.

Easier then taking the cat to a groomer in my opinion

Originally Posted by courtney_ou

i took chloe to a groomer once (at petsmart) and decided i would never take her again. i dont know what they did to her but they were supposed to wash her, trim her, brush her and blow her out by hand.
when i picked her up she'd been washed and trimmed but she acted traumatized (for literally WEEKS) and i dont think they even combed her because she shed so bad for the next month or so that i lintrolled her several times a day. i wondered if theyd put her in one of those boxes to dry her.

i zoom groom her and use a slicker brush, along with a shed ender--i have since she was a kitten. patchy, however, hates it. i was trying to brush her last nite and now one half of her looks gorgeous and the other half looks like a ratty ragamuffin

Click to expand...

I would never take my cat to Petsmart for grooming. Maybe a dog, but never a cat.

A good, reputable groomer should be able to do a brush out and get all that undercoat out. Ask for references and check them. See if the groomer has a book with other cats pictures they've done.