Anyone have their cat groomed regularly?

There is finally a cat groomer in the city I believe she charges $40 for a full groom, but what I'm mainly intrested in is the sanitary. I talked to her about it & she said because of my work with the shelter she'd do the sanitary for free, but when I started to think about it he will not let me brush him. So I'm wondering is it worth it to have a full grooming & what's involved so I can get an idea of how he might react. He's got all his claws & I would feel horrible if he hurt someone.

I take my 2 longer haired kitties once or twice a year, they get badly matted despite the fact i brush them all the time.

They actually muzzle them in a lot of places to stop getting bitten (and it covers the eyes so they get scratched less too) and some places will also use a drug to calm them so check before going!

Mine get a bath, dry, brush and cut and they are usually quite well behaved. magnum was an angel last time I took him which was surprising as they had dogs there that day too and he hates dogs (but he does like being pampered), the first time we took Scully he had to be bathed 8 times as he kept having 'accidents' he was so scared.

I sedate and shave my longhaired cats once a year when they have their dentals. They love it! (when they wake up )

I have both of my cats groomed every 4 - 6 weeks. I have been doing this since adopting Ellie (she was 1 years old at the time) this past March and bringing Smokey (he was 12 weeks at the time, now he is 8 months old) home in July. Both of them love taking a bath, I think because they are use to it by now. When I turn the shower on, Smokey goes in there, he is so funny. $40 for a full groom, is a great deal. I pay $76 for each cat.

Absolutely not.

I used to work at a vet office that offered grooming as well. The screams that came from the cats being groomed could have peeled the paint off the wall. The experience was pretty much pure torture for them, and I can say that the groomers were *not* abusive to the animals. But I often wished that people who were thinking about getting a Persian could be a fly on the wall in there for a few hours. Honestly, the stress of just having to listen to that was one of the big reasons I quit that job.

No way would I ever put my cats through that. If I had a cat with a high maintenance coat like a Persian, I'd learn to groom him myself where at least he doesn't have the extra stress of barking dogs, being handled by strangers, all the weird smells, etc. My longhaired guy does get matts on occasion but I have never had a problem trimming them out myself.

Cats are often sedated for grooming but these anesthesia drugs are not risk free. Muzzling is *not* a fun experience for a cat at all. I would absolutely not put my cats through this unless it was medically necessary.

I have to say Magnum loves it (but he needs neither sedation nor a muzzle), the first time I had him groomed, I stayed there while he was done and he was nicer to them than he ever is to me, the worst trouble they had was getting him back in the carrier (I guess he likes it there more). I also bathe him at home once a month though so he is well used to being groomed.

Scully was scared the first time and they muzzled him in case, but he has been fine since then, and not needed muzzling since then, although I did call and find places that do not use sedation - I know they are used to grooming and don't need it and I am not having some over zealous groomer sedate them without need.

Thanks for the info, it gives me something to think about. I really don't think he would do well with a bath. I definately wouldn't want anyone but a vet giving my cat any kind of sedation, so I may just stick with the sanitary shave. He does a pretty good job of keeping his coat mat free, but when he gets them I have to cut them out because he will not let me brush him.

I groom my own cats. However, I have taken them to a groomer on occassion. I've never heard of them muzzling them though. The place I took them to, they would have 2 people so one could just calm the cats and hold them pretty much. You just have to ask a lot of questions about how they handle it. Many times cats are much better for a groomer then they are for their owners. But like I said... I groom my own now! Really, they get used to it if you have the patience and stay calm yourself. And there are a few tricks of the trade!

He just absolutely hates being brushed or combed or anything. I've got so many differnt combs and brushes. I try to brush him even once with something & he takes off running. I've tried restraining him so he will stay put, but he just won't let me groom him. It's a struggle when he gets a mat that I need to get rid of. Most of the time I just cut them out to save on the struggle. He does a preety good job taking care of him self now, he's not even 2, but my concern is as he gets older.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

There is finally a cat groomer in the city

I believe she charges $40 for a full groom, but what I'm mainly intrested in is the sanitary. I talked to her about it & she said because of my work with the shelter she'd do the sanitary for free, but when I started to think about it he will not let me brush him. So I'm wondering is it worth it to have a full grooming & what's involved so I can get an idea of how he might react. He's got all his claws & I would feel horrible if he hurt someone.

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I would love to bathe my cats, but they seem fearful, even though they do like to touch the water in my sink or tub, after I'm done. Is there anyway to acclimate them slowly so I don't scare them for life?

Originally Posted by Nutmeg

I would love to bathe my cats, but they seem fearful, even though they do like to touch the water in my sink or tub, after I'm done. Is there anyway to acclimate them slowly so I don't scare them for life?

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because I am allergic to cats I have to "bathe" mine daily. Everyday I wipe her down with a soft damp warm washcloth all over. she squirmed like heck the first time but now accepts it as daily grooming. Once a week she gets a soap and water bath. This is how I do it:
I prepare everything before hand: soap, towels, a bucket of warm water and cotton balls. and Treats treats treats. I place her in the dry sink with towels lining the bottom for traction and give her a bit of a treat, I place cotton balls in her ears to avoid water in them. then holding her with the left hand I pour cupfuls of warm water over her back. if its done slowly slow she tolerates that well . then diluted shampoo and I start to lather her up with strokes - as if I were petting her, not circles. I continue this way all over her except her head. talking to her softly but keeping a really good hold on her. The rinsing is the hardest part because it requires more water and the sound of the faucet. but I stay in alpha mode and get her fully rinsed with the sink spray. then she gets wrapped in a large warm towel and taken to the bathroom where we have a space heater because she wont tolerate a blow dryer . she gets more treats and a quiet play time while i try to dry her off to only the damp stage and then I let her air dry.

The first time I did this it was crazy wild and I got scratched. but I am much better at it now and she understands that I am going to win the battle of the bath and accepts it.

As for trauma, she still climbs in my lap and is lovey dovey. I chalk it up to mothering, if I cant tolerate her dander, I cant keep her and that's bad for the both of us. Sorry this was so long a post.

Mine hated baths at first, but my family are allergic so I bathed them every time they visited) to begin with they cried to get out of the tub and looked at me like I killed them for a few hours after but they are always glad to be cradled in a nice warm fluffy towel and get the treats when they get out of the bath. Now mine will sit by the bath and ask for one (as in Magnum will whine for hours until he gets a bath) they actually like being bathed.

We got Scully as a 7 y/o and have had him for 1 1/2 years and even he is used to being bathed now so it shouldn't take long with a younger cat. Its funny, Boomer loves to soak himself with water if I am in the bath, I can rub him with water etc until he is dripping wet - but he is the one who gave me the most trouble bathing the first few times

Thank you so much. It gives me hope that I too, can do this!!
Happy New Year!

The community college where I go has a vet tech program and I've been told they offer a reduced rate for grooming services and I'm going to check into it, especially since it looks like I'm not going to be able to keep using the SoftClaws. They offer reduced rate services in most of their programs (like $5 for teeth cleaning and xrays in the dental hygeine program!) Just thought it might be an option for others if there are programs in your area.