Going to the groomer for the first time can be a rather harrowing experience for many cats, especially since many cats don’t get taken in until old age makes it hard for them to groom themselves.
Many groomers refer to cats having a “kitty timer”. Meaning that there is a certain amount of fussing with them that they can handle before they get overwhelmed and can’t handle having more work done with them. Most cats will start hissing and biting if pushed past this point, so groomers will try to complete the grooming process before the cat runs out of patience. Something that can help make the groom run smoother, is if as little of this timer has been used up as possible before the cat is brought in. This means minimizing their stress during the process of getting them loaded up and brought into the groom shop.
A big help to this is getting your cat thoroughly comfortable with being in their crate. One way is to leave the crate out, preferably sitting in one of your cat’s favorite spots to curl up, and make it as inviting as possible. Hopefully the cat will start hanging out in the crate of their own volition and start to feel like the crate is their space. Another option is to feed your cat their meals in the crate. This will give them positive associations with the crate, and hopefully give you an easy way to get them into it before their appointment.
It can also help if the cat has seen some of the grooming tools in a calmer environment before going to the groomers. This could include getting a few brushes and running them over the cat at home. If the cat is needing grooming due to coat tangling or lots of shedding brushing them out regularly will also extend how long they can comfortably go in between grooms. A win-win, since they’ll need fewer grooms and the grooms they go to will feel more familiar and less scary.
Once your cat makes it to the groomer, most of the work to keep them calm is on the groomer’s shoulders. The bare minimum of this is ensuring the cat isn’t around any dog clients. This is usually done by scheduling cats for a specific time of the day when there are no dogs in the shop, often first thing in the morning. Groomers can also make sure the cat is gently introduced to all of the tools they will be using, and that tasks are done as efficiently as possible to avoid running out that kitty timer. If a cat is particularly nervous or has a very short timer, it will sometimes help to do the groom in multiple sessions. Always stopping before the cat reaches their limit.
Grooming can be an important part of many cats’ care. Some cats love the excitement and the attention, others not so much. Getting to know your cat, and making sure they are feeling confident about the crate and brushes can do a lot towards making their trips to the groomer pleasant experiences. In the end it’s all about keeping them healthy, clean, and safe.
Little Critters Grooming 