The Feline Advantage

The past decade has seen the dog-grooming business grow by leaps and bounds. As the American public has continued to elevate canine companions to family-member status, the demand for grooming services for these pets has skyrocketed. This, of course, is good news for dog groomers, who are reaping the rewards of this ongoing trend. However, along with the uptick in demand for their services, groomers have also seen a lot more competition.

In such a hot competitive climate, grooming businesses must look for any and every advantage they can get over the salon down the street, and a growing number are looking in a direction that just a few years ago may have seemed surprising—cat grooming.

Just as dogs (and their groomers) have benefited from the ongoing pet humanization trend, so too have cats—and businesses that cater to our feline friends. In fact, one could argue that cat-related services actually hold more profit potential than their canine counterparts. The latest American Pet Products Association Pet Owners Survey indicates that while there were more dog-owning households in the U.S. in 2008 (45.6 million versus 38.2 million), Americans actually owned more cats than dogs (93.6 million versus 77.5 million).

“Every one of those cats is shedding, its nails are growing and its ears are getting dirty, at the very least,” points out Danelle German, president of the National Cat Groomers Institute of America, Inc. “Many of them are running around with mats or fleas or dandruff and dander, and a bunch of other potential issues, and their owners are wondering what in the world they can do about it.”

While growing cat ownership trends indicate the potential for a lucrative market for feline-grooming services, cat owners have largely been underserved by the grooming industry. This lack of competition from other grooming businesses makes catering to cats an attractive option for adventurous groomers looking to fortify their bottom line.


The Right Fit?
Of course, the addition of cat-grooming services isn’t going to be the right choice for every groomer. However, it seems that the decision of whether or not to expand a salon’s menu to include feline-specific services will depend more on the groomer’s interest and comfort level in working with cats, and less on whether or not there is a market for these services in the local area—a fact that German says is pretty much a slam-dunk.

“Many of [a groomer’s] dog-owning clients probably also have a cat—or two or three—at home,” she says. “So they already have potential customers walking in the door. If these customers knew that the groomer also offered cat-grooming services, nothing else would have to be done to solicit that business.”

Kim Raisanen, president of Professional Cat Groomers of America, agrees that determining whether or not a salon would have a customer base for cat-grooming services shouldn’t be too difficult in most cases. “If the cat business is there, the groomer already knows about it,” she says. “Their dog customers are probably already asking,  ‘Hey, can you do my cat too?’”

Groomers who want to gauge what kind of potential cat-grooming services hold for their business can simply canvas their existing client base about their level of interest in such offerings. It is also a good idea to speak with local veterinarians, as well as other groomers in the area who do not want to work with cats.

Grooming a dog and grooming a cat are very different undertakings—so much so that a groomer will really need to think about whether or not it’s something they want to pursue. To Raisanen, the most important question that groomers must ask themselves is, “Am I a cat person?”

“Don’t become a cat groomer unless you thoroughly enjoy the animal,” she says. “Because a cat can sense whether or not you like them in about two seconds on your table. The last thing you want is a cat on the defensive right from the start. Every groom will be a battle, so do yourself a favor and don’t groom cats.”


Bolstering the Bottom Line
Another thing that groomers must consider when deciding whether or not to cater to felines is whether or not there is room in the appointment book for this new class of clientele. But with today’s economy driving many clients to spread their pets’ grooming appointments further apart, finding some time for cat grooming shouldn’t be very difficult for a lot of salons.

“[Many of our students] have seen a slight but noticeable downturn in their dog-grooming business, but they’re still getting calls about grooming cats,” says German. “In the past, they have been more likely to say no [to cat grooming], because they didn’t need the business. Now they’re saying, ‘How am I going to make up for the income I’ve lost because of the economy? I’d be a fool to keep turning [this cat business] away.’”

Working on just a few cats a week can go a long way in making up for a downturn in a salon’s dog-grooming business, as grooming services for these pets typically come with a premium price tag and take just a fraction of the time needed to groom dogs. This premium price tag, says German, is the result of a simple case of supply and demand. “You may have 20 dog groomers in your town, but you’re probably the only one who does cats.”

This has certainly been the case for Julie Anderson, owner of Anam Cara Pet Spa Inc., a mobile grooming salon based in Pennington, N.J. “I start at $85 for a basic, short-hair groom,” she says. “You can compare that to a pug, where I would start at $70. A long-haired cat would start at $115, whereas a miniature poodle would be $80. And, on average, it’s much faster to work with cats.”


Getting an Education
As with dog grooming, anyone getting into the business of cat grooming should start with the foundation of a good education. This education should comprise topics such as feline anatomy, breed standards and proper grooming techniques. However, because of the temperamental nature of felines, probably the most important aspect of a good training program will be learning safe handling techniques.

“It is so important that groomers who don’t have experience with handling cats get some training,” suggests Anderson. “If you [try to groom a cat] without proper training, you and the cat can both be harmed permanently.”

While safety, of course, is also a major concern in dog grooming, cats bring a unique set of potential risks, even beyond the often-unpredictable nature of the feline. For example, physiological differences in cats’ skin make them more prone to complications from even a small nick. “A dog’s skin is attached to its tendons, so when a dog is cut, you can stitch them up,” explains Raisanen. “When you cut a cat, the skin is not attached to the tendons, so it rips.”

Feline clients aren’t the only ones that face danger from an untrained groomer; the groomers themselves also risk major injury. “Cats have fangs and claws, and they will use them,” says Daryl Conner, a stylist at Yankee Clipper Pet Grooming in Rockport, Maine, and member of the PCGA board of directors. “Cat bites can be very dangerous to groomers. A cat’s fangs are narrow at the tip and wide at the base, and if they bite and puncture deeply, they inject bacteria. Because the wound is deep and narrow, it is quickly sealed over and the bacteria has a warm, moist environment to have a party. If you get a cat bite, you pretty much have to go to the doctor.”

For groomers who want a comprehensive education on all aspects of cat grooming, there are two cat-grooming organizations that offer this type of training–the National Cat Groomers Institute of America, Inc., and Professional Cat Groomers of America [see sidebar entitled “Cat Grooming 101”]. In addition to offering formal training and certification programs, both organizations regularly conduct seminars at many of grooming industry’s conferences and trade shows.


Preparing the Salon
Once a groomer has decided to take the plunge into cat grooming and has obtained a good education on the subject, it’s time to equip the salon for its new class of clientele. Luckily, there is plenty of overlap between the equipment needed for cat grooming and the tools that are already probably being used for dog grooming. However, there are some notable differences; for example, the experts stress that sharp implements, such as shears, should never be used on feline clients because of the injury risk they present. “Everything can be done with clippers–it’s much safer that way,” says German.

Restraining devices, such as grooming loops, should also never be used when grooming cats, nor should heated dryers. “Cats and heat don’t go together,” says Raisanen. In addition, she says, the dryers used in cat grooming should be gentle and relatively quiet, so that the feline client does not become frightened.

Another important consideration that must be made when incorporating cat clients into an existing dog-grooming business is the potential danger that certain products can pose to felines. Whether it’s the essential oils that are often used in aromatherapy or heavy-duty cleaning products, groomers must take a careful look at all of the products being used in the salon to be sure that they are safe for cats.

“Cats can easily have an adverse reaction to many of the chemicals that are commonly used on dogs,” says Conner. “Even items that are assumed to be safe because they are labeled ‘natural’ can be toxic to cats.”

The final, and probably biggest, change that must be made to a salon when cat grooming is incorporated is to establish a separate section or–better yet–separate days for the new clients. Mixing customers of a feline and canine persuasion simply isn’t a good idea, as it is likely to unnerve the cats in the salon’s care. “Any barking puts a cat on edge,” says Anderson. “Even if a cat lives with a dog, it’s different because dogs in the grooming salon tend to have a heightened energy level.”

German agrees. “It’s important to keep the environment as peaceful as possible,” she says.

With this in mind, Anderson notes that being a mobile groomer has proven to be particularly beneficial when working with cats. “Many of the cats that were somewhat tempermental in the salon environment have been great to work with in a one-on-one situation,” she says.


The Cat-Grooming Menu
Building a menu of grooming services for cats should be a relatively simple process. Many salons start with basic packages– with pricing differences for long- or short-haired cats–that includes a bath, nail clipping and ear cleaning. Often, these packages are accompanied by some manner of shave-down (lion cuts, comb cuts, sanitary clips, belly shaves).

While the add-on services available for cats aren’t as extensive as what is offered for canine clients today–most cats will not enjoy message therapy or a whirlpool bath–a-la-carte menu items, such as like nail caps, teeth cleaning, de-shedding treatments and creative details (like pom-poms or stenciling), can be offered, for an additional charge, of course.


Finding Customers
By all accounts, building up a feline following shouldn’t be too difficult once a groomer has properly set up their establishment and started producing satisfied clients. “Once somebody establishes themselves as the cat expert in town, there is a snowball effect,” says German, noting that the groomer’s reputation is quickly spread from cat owner to cat owner by word-of-mouth. “Once people find out what you’re doing and that you’re doing it well, they will refer their friends, family and co-workers.”

Local veterinarians are another great source of referrals, as are humane societies. “You can go to a local animal shelter and do some free grooming; and, in return, they can post your business card or a little flier about your business on the cages or in their lobby,” says Conner. “That has really worked well for me.”

Sometimes business will even be sent from what seems like the unlikeliest of directions, as Anderson explains. “Right now, the big-box shops refer clients to me, and so do a lot of the other mobile groomers,” she says. “They figure that if they send me the cats, I will have less room for dogs, and that works out for everyone.”