Does Your Cat Need a Professional Groomer?

The Pet Parent Hotline  |  Amy Castro with Amanda Henry, CFMG

EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00   Does Your Cat Need a Professional Groomer?

01:43   Matting, Shedding, and Hairballs

04:03   When Home Grooming Becomes Unsafe

06:46   Overgrown Nails and Hidden Grooming Problems

08:36   Hygiene Trims and Caring for Cats Who Cannot Reach

12:50   Safe Grooming Between Appointments

16:08   Stud Tail and Painful Coat Problems

18:18   Why Consider a Cat-Only Grooming Salon?

20:45   What Happens During a Grooming Appointment

22:32   How to Choose a Qualified Cat Groomer

26:17   Health Concerns a Groomer May Notice

30:56   An Unexpected Use for Collected Cat Hair

33:19   Grooming Guidance for New Cat Parents

35:58   Where to Find a Cat Groomer

37:20   Final Takeaways and Next Week’s Episode

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Timestamps are based on the edited episode transcript, including its opening teaser. This transcript has been formatted for readability and may retain minor transcription errors or spoken-language repetitions.

00:00  Does Your Cat Need a Professional Groomer?

Amy Castro  [00:00]

Most cats are pretty good at keeping themselves clean, but what happens when they're not? Matted fur, overgrown nails, and grooming problems that are difficult or downright dangerous to handle on your own. So how do you know when it's time to call in a professional? And how do you find someone you can trust with your cat? Today we're talking about what cat groomers actually do, when your cat might need one, and what you should know before booking an appointment.

Reached the pet parent hotline. I'm Amy Castro, and today we're talking about something I honestly didn't know a whole lot about until recently, and that's professional cat grooming. I've spent years working with cats through rescue, and I know there's a lot we can do at home, but I've also seen what happens when cats develop mats, can't keep themselves clean, or have grooming needs that their people aren't equipped to handle. So I sat down with Amanda Henry, a certified feline master groomer and owner of Chatty Cats, a cat-only grooming salon in Indiana.

We talked about when professional help makes sense, what happens during a grooming appointment, and how to find someone qualified, and also some pretty surprising things that she's discovered while grooming cats. So here's our conversation. Amanda, welcome to the show.

Amanda Henry  [01:07]

Hi, nice to meet you. Thank you so much for having me on.

Amy Castro  [01:11]

Well, I'm glad to have you here because I don't think a lot of people well, I didn't really think that cat only grooming was a thing and that there were certifications in cat grooming, but I'm glad to find out more about it. So in my experience, most cats do a pretty good job of keeping themselves clean, but I realize some need extra help, whether it's because of their coat or their age or in my case doing rescue

some type of medical problem that they have developed. So what kind of grooming issues are you seeing that cat parents are having trouble managing on their own?

01:43  Matting, Shedding, and Hairballs

Amanda Henry  [01:43]

On top of our cats already needing to shed, on top of them like, you know, rolling around in their cat box and under the bed and just getting dusty and and dirty naturally as cats do being all over the house. All of that combined helps contribute to what causes matting. So it turns into clumps and knots and tangles. And then before you know it, it gets out of hand. And some of the common places that starts matting is

around the neck where the collar is at, where it's creating friction, the armpits where it's also creating friction as we naturally move. And then around our back pants area where we're loafing constantly. So like, you know, that impaction and friction that that all causes matting. And then some owners are trying to groom at home, which I understand why and and I strongly encourage that. But we gotta get all that matting and deshedding and all that loose coat out first. And

Cats can only do so much with their tongue. Like a short haired cat doesn't really get matted until they start getting up there until their senior years and the matting starts forming around the back and along the spine because we're not turning so much to reach those hard to get areas. And then also with our long haired cats, some of our cats, like our Persians and our mancoons and our ragdolls, their hair is very long and their tongues are like this big. So we're really not able to actually get through to the skin.

get all of that hair brushed out and combed out like it should be. So

Amy Castro  [03:14]

You know, it's it's interesting you said too, because another thing that came to mind was the whole hairball issue. You know, there's a lot of people out there that think hairballs are normal and they're they're normal to an extent, but they shouldn't be happening daily or even weekly or anything like that. And it I think that all kind of points back to the need for cats to be groomed. Yes.

Amanda Henry  [03:34]

Absolutely. And that hairball impacts surgery is not only very expensive, but also like very painful for the cat. And then think about us when I mean we're all pet owners here. Occasionally we get a hair in our mouth and it's uncomfortable for us. So imagine how it feels for our cats or even our dogs who are licking that hair that's shedding out and then we have to swallow it. And it's making us hard for us to digest our food now. It's making it hard for us to pass things and one problem leads to another. And that hair has to come out, it has to shed.

04:03  When Home Grooming Becomes Unsafe

Amy Castro  [04:03]

Mm-hmm. Yeah. One of the things I always worry about is people trying to deal with the problem themselves and accidentally making it worse. So at what point should somebody stop trying to groom their cat at home and get professional help?

Amanda Henry  [04:16]

I think so one of the the biggest problems I see is people starting too late and then waiting for it to turn into a problem before they start asking for help. In my salon, I always want people to feel comfortable being honest and open and you know, having that open line of communication. I want people to trust me. So they often come to me when they have a problem that they need me to help solve, whether it's matting, you know, a a stinky butt, this cat's got, you know, then intacted, it's shedding or

they're trying to cut the cat's nails at home and it's just not working out for them that it's getting kind of be a dangerous situation. So they need help or or tips or or tricks or stuff like that. Or even with our brassophalics breeds like our British short hairs or our Persians where we're having, you know, crusty eyes and we don't know how to handle our cat or hold our cat to help clean our cat's faces and then it's turning into a problem and we got infections and and sores around here or you know, I'm I'm always willing to

have people come back into the salon and I can teach you how to hold your cat or how to wrap your cat in a towel and you can do this safely at home. You don't have to waste your time coming out to me all the time, you know. So I'm very happy to do little things like that at home. But when people should should stop is like when your cat's getting matted and it's getting super close to the skin. Definitely do not take scissors out to try to clip that out because cat skin is super, super thin. Cats are just super wiggly.

Cats are like contortionists, so they can turn in ways that dogs cannot. And it's super easy to make a mistake and accidentally hurt them and nobody wants that. So when you start getting matting and our cat wiggling and you're not really comfortable or sure on how to hold this cat or remove it, it's always best to just pack a professional.

And then the types of tools that I would also recommend is definitely a comb. I like combs for cats over brushes. Also a common mistake I see pet owners making is they'll get a comb with tines that are like super, super tiny. Think of like a little guinea pig kind of comb or brush when they need something longer. Think of like a poodle comb where it could actually get to the skin and actually comb through all of that long hair.

Amy Castro  [06:37]

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it's not just about brushing or dealing with mats. What are some of the other grooming problems you see that people might not even realize are happening with their pet?

06:46  Overgrown Nails and Hidden Grooming Problems

Amanda Henry  [06:46]

One interesting thing I could talk about that happened this past week in my salon. And this is really common with like our senior cats, just because, you know, as you get older and arthritic, we're not really so much using our scratching posts anymore. So we're kind of just living more of a sedentary kind of bed ornament lifestyle. And so we're not really paying attention to our cats movement and activity. And I often see cats coming in with their nails growing into their paw pads.

And that can absolutely definitely a hundred and ten percent be avoidable. You can definitely cut your cat's nails at home. I'm more than happy to like, you know, show my clients how to do that. Or if you're uncomfortable doing it because, you know, maybe your cat's spicy or wiggly or hard to handle or they're senior, or maybe you're just not confident in yourself, then you can go and seek a professional. But that is an issue that can be avoided at home where cat's nails are going into their paw pads and it's

as simple as like less than sixty seconds of your time usually is what it takes to cut your cat's nails at home.

Amy Castro  [07:44]

I was gonna say, and you can avoid that nail growing into the pad, because not only is it painful for your cat when it starts to do that and it impacts their ability to walk and all of those things, even when the nails are just overgrown. But once it gets Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [07:57]

And and stuff like that.

Amy Castro  [07:59]

Yeah, and and once it gets to that point, you're not gonna be able to bust out your little cat scissors, 'cause I like to use and you can tell me if this is wrong, but I like to use the little scissors and just tip off the nails on a regular basis. But once it's grown into the pad

You're not gonna get scissors on there. And if you start trying to mess with that yourself, you could really hurt your cat, right? Yep. Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [08:20]

And then you know, they they have an open wound and it could be bleeding and oozing and and pushing and leading to an infection, which and as you mentioned earlier, like, you know, when our nails are going into our paw pads, it's gonna be kinda hard when we walk too, so they're gonna be doing a lot less of that.

08:36  Hygiene Trims and Caring for Cats Who Cannot Reach

Amy Castro  [08:36]

Yeah, one of the things that I've noticed, you mentioned about older cats and getting arthritic and things like that. One of the things that I have noticed about it it's not just the older ones, sadly, it's the ones that have gotten a little chubby, is that they can't clean their butts like they should be able to. So do you see a lot of people that have a problem with cats with poopy butts?

Amanda Henry  [08:56]

yeah. I got some I got some dirty starfishes that come to me solely for that. And and

Amy Castro  [09:02]

Nice.

Amanda Henry  [09:02]

I mean, honestly I I don't really blame my cat because it wants to lick that area when it's in that condition. You know, no one really does, but it's also really hard for them to reach back there and kinda maintain the situation. And then it starts getting red and raw and irritated and infected and then our cat's in a bad mood.

quite frequently now because they're in pain and uncomfortable over it.

Amy Castro  [09:26]

Yeah. So what can pet parents do at home to kind of maintain that if they've got a cat that I mean, obviously with my overweight cat, I need to get her to lose some weight, but let's say it's an old cat, it's an arthritic cat, and you mentioned they don't, you know, groom themselves as much. Obviously we can clean that at home. Can we trim hair at home? Is that not safe? What are our options there?

Amanda Henry  [09:48]

Yeah, so I th that's kind of a difficult question 'cause I definitely don't want any pet parents to take scissors to their cats. That's like the the biggest injury at home I see cats coming into my salon with. So I would definitely at that point reach out to a professional and maybe get on a every two to four week plan and have that professional, you know, kind of shave a nice wide standing back there for you. So that way in between your appointments at home you can

take a wipe and wipe it down or some warm soap and water on a cloth and kinda help clean that area because it's it's gonna be harder to clean and maintain when we got all this long hair and it's gonna be hard to keep it short and smooth and as short as like what you would have shaved at like a doctor's office or events, you know, that's kinda hard for one pet parent to do at home and to do quickly and professionally. So I would say definitely you can get that done at a local groomer that you trust.

Amy Castro  [10:47]

Yeah. So it sounds like if we get to a point where we're having an issue with something, going to a professional and having like starting a baseline, because you're absolutely right. As much as sometimes people will think, it's easy, I'll just cut that hair. I don't think people realize two things. Number one, it's very hard to tell where hair ends and skin begins. And I think many people, myself included, I've done it before where you nick the skin.

The other thing I think is that people I've I've run into a couple of people who, you know, rather than using regular scissors, what do they do? They go out and they buy some real grooming scissors. And those things are a razor sharp. Like that you're just like I just think of Edward scissor hands and you know, and that and that kind of thing. You're just you're gonna be making a

a mess of your cat and really putting them at risk if you start trying to use some of those tools. I mean a comb is one thing, a a pair of scissors or clippers is a whole nother thing. Absolutely.

Amanda Henry  [11:48]

And then your cat groomer is also gonna have the PPE to protect them from like getting scratched and getting bit, which, as you know, getting bit by a cat is not ideal and very, very dangerous situation if that happens. So we have the PPE and a lot of the handling techniques and confidence to be able to like, you know, quickly and safely handle this cat and get it done. I've ran into some pet parents where when their cats can be kind of dramatic and vocal, they find it really upsetting. Like they just really can't handle their

cat reacting this way. You know, they don't want anyone back there messing around with their private areas and hey, I get that, but you got a problem, girlfriend. I'm here to help you. You gotta, you know, let me let me do this. Some yeah some owners don't want to feel like they're hurting their cat or like they're ruining the relationship that they have with their cat. And I can definitely understand that. So if that's something you're worried about, bring it to us. You know, I understand how you feel and and I can relate with you. So I can go ahead and take that stress off of you and your cat and get it done.

quickly and and cleanly and professionally and safely. So that way it's easier for you to maintain it at home.

12:50  Safe Grooming Between Appointments

Amy Castro  [12:50]

Right. So beyond keeping them combed out to you know, to keep the the mats down, get rid of that dead hair. You said we could do nail trimming. Obviously you want to learn how to do it and do it properly. You also talked about the the Persians. Like I would assume that there are special wipes that we can use or like you said, a warm washcloth to I've never had a squishy faced cat, just squishy faced dogs, but to to keep their faces clean. What about their ears? Do we need to do anything to maintain ears? Yes, or are they usually pretty clean?

Amanda Henry  [13:18]

Yes, I I recently myself just got a Persian a couple of months ago so that way I can help teach keep other people how to take care of their cats. And what I do for my Persian space is I get just some basic cotton balls and some saline solution and I put the saline solution on the cotton balls and that's what I use to clean around the face, the nose. I kinda like, you know, pull the skin back this way and I pick the little boogers out from around their nose 'cause, you know, everything's so smushed up today. I wanna make sure that our our breathing airways are

are nice and open and as clean as possible and that we can see everything around us, no funky buildup causing irritation or infections or like, you know, little skin irritations and hair loss and stuff. So about their ears, yeah, definitely cleaning their ears. Some cats have dirtier ears than others. Like my Persian, I have to clean his ears about once a week.

Amy Castro  [14:06]

Yeah. And that's also something you want to be careful about doing, using a a wipe or four ears, obviously, or a a cotton ball, but not sticking q tips down into their ears to their ears.

Amanda Henry  [14:17]

I personally

don't use Q tips for anything in ears, not for my ears, not for dog's ears, not for cat's ears. I always use cotton balls, but if you're not comfortable with using a cotton ball, you can use one of those circular makeup rounds too.

Amy Castro  [14:32]

there you go. Okay. Yeah. So at least there's some things we can be doing in between grooming. And so where it crosses that line then is obviously when something is going on like matting that's matted to the skin where we don't want to get out scissors and cut our animal. And I like that you mentioned the idea of

Some people don't really know what they're doing. They don't feel comfortable doing it. They feel like they're holding them too tight. And so it might just be easier to let somebody else do it. And well, and I think the bottom line of this is is that the grooming needs to be done to maintain your cat's well being, health, your health, you know, everything else. And so if you're not comfortable doing it or you could do some things but you can't do other things, then allowing a professional to do it is probably the smartest thing that you can do.

And I would assume that the frequency would depend on how much you are confident in doing at home, but also the type of cat that you have. You know, certain cats are gonna need more grooming more frequently. Is that pretty accurate to say?

Amanda Henry  [15:31]

Yes, definitely.

Amy Castro  [15:33]

Yeah, and sometimes you think, like I know with mine, I'm I'm notoriously not good about keeping up with the brushing. But when I do brush, I feel like I just did it. And then I I've been starting to try to track it a little bit l to to just get on a better schedule of doing it for my dogs and cats at home.

Not only because they love it, I mean it feels good when you're doing it the right way, but it's shocking to me, even with short haired animals, how much hair comes off and then you feel like you just did it and it was like two or three weeks ago and there's it just continues to come, continues to come and it's like, yeah, they have a never ending supply of hair. Guess what? Yeah. It's not like you could do it once and expect it's gonna be gone.

16:08  Stud Tail and Painful Coat Problems

Amanda Henry  [16:08]

stud tail too, I forgot to mention that, but washing your your cat regularly can help contribute to getting rid of that excess oil that that causes stud tail on your cats. And a lot of people don't know what stud tail is or how to manage it or how to get rid of it or what causes it or like I had to be taught all of this stuff.

Amy Castro  [16:26]

Yeah. So briefly what is that? Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [16:29]

So stud tail is like it's an oil gland at the base of their tail and it can kind of come up their back too. And nothing really causes it. It's kind of just to genetics, and like if your cat is neutered, that can kind of help get rid of it. So, you know, altering your cat that helps. But it's kind of just genetics. And you'll know your cat has stud tail because it'll be like a waxy, kind of filmy buildup.

And it'll look like a lot of blackheads at the skin at the base of the tail. And it also causes matting because it's like a sticky waxy substance that's like holding and clumping this hair together. And then we start trying to comb it out, it's like pulling the hair from the follicle and it's pretty painful. So then our cats are trying to r run and hide and squirm and and wiggle from us. And then we're like, man, this is turning into a big mess. What do I do?

Amy Castro  [17:21]

Yeah. Well and I I think I think a lot of people do that. They don't you know, they don't really think about the fact when they're whether they're brushing in that situation or just in any situation as they're pulling like my grandmother used to say as she was ripping knots out of my hair when I was a kid, you know, It takes pain to be beautiful was her saying and it's like it shouldn't have to. It

Amanda Henry  [17:41]

Yeah, no.

Amy Castro  [17:41]

shouldn't be better

Amanda Henry  [17:43]

granny, there's a plot of ways, baby.

Amy Castro  [17:46]

Yeah, that's right.

That's right. Yeah. So it's, you know, and it and part of that is technique, which a groomer can certainly help you learn to do better because it's not like brushing your own hair, you know, it's it's a different technique. So let's talk about groomers in general, because when you and I were first communicating, I don't number one, I didn't realize there were people that focused specifically on cats or that there was more than a handful of cat groomers in the world. So

What's the advantage of going to a cat only groomer?

18:18  Why Consider a Cat-Only Grooming Salon?

Amanda Henry  [18:18]

So this is a very good question. I'm glad you asked. The main differences between a cat only groomer and a dog groomer or a dog groomer that says that they can groom cats is so since my facility is cat only, when you walk in, there's not gonna be any dog smells, there's not gonna be any barking or any of that. There's not gonna be somebody walking in after you, tying their leash around you, jumping on everything, mocking everything over.

You're not gonna accidentally step in something a dog left behind when you're walking into my facility. So it already makes our cat owners and our cats feel more comfortable because some of my cat clients have dogs at home and that's cool. Like I have dogs at home too, but some of them have never owned a dog in their life. They are uncomfortable around dogs, or their cat has never been around dogs, or their cat might not like dogs, which is totally fine. That's why I want all of my cats and cat people to feel comfortable because

I don't want to say there's a dog grooming salon on every corner, but it's a lot easier to find a dog groomer. There's a lot of dogs than it is to find a cat groomer. And I know because I used to be a dog groomer and I still have a lot of dog groomer friends. They're wonderful people. They're amazed at what they do. I I love them. I refer dogs to them and they refer cats to me. So it's a beautiful relationship that we have. But I want my cat.

people to feel safe and comfortable and confident coming to me and knowing that their cats are gonna be safe and comfortable and out of harm's way. Not that they would be in harm's way being with a dog, but it's it's scary when you got barking dogs next to you.

Amy Castro  [19:48]

I would think it's a lot more stress. Because dogs people tend to socialize them more, they take them out more. You know, cats, they're not used to going in the car, they're not used to going into a place

Amanda Henry  [19:59]

Our cats are our precious pride and joy. Like this is our little gem that we have at home that never leaves the house. So already when we have to corral our cat and get them in a carrier and leave the house, it's stressful for the owner and they don't know what to expect. They don't know what's gonna happen. And, you know, they might have taken their cat somewhere else and they've had a bad experience. And dog groomers who don't know how to handle a cat, they tend to try to use

Two people to hold and wrangle and manage this cat when you don't need two people. I've worked on a mobile for eight years, grooming cats just me and the cat and in the truck. And then now with me having my own salon, it's just me and the cat back there for each appointment.

Amy Castro  [20:39]

Mm. So you just kinda do one cat at a time and there's not a a bunch of cats in the room.

20:45  What Happens During a Grooming Appointment

Amanda Henry  [20:45]

Nope. My salon is only like four hundred square feet. So I don't have a whole big cage bank full of barking dogs or like meowing cats or anything. So it's one on one by appointment only. And you know, I I let my clients see every square inch of my salon. For my new clients, we get the cat out on the table and check the cat over. I go through all the skin and the coat and the nails and look at the ears and

I point out any problem areas or any matting and I I always ask my clients, like, hey, is there any questions that you have for me? Is there anything that you're worried about? Is there anything that you want to say to me or ask or anything that you want to go over before I begin? And I I think that that also helps build the relationship and make them feel more calm and comfortable and and confident because they're worried that something's gonna go wrong and then they don't know what to expect when that happens. So I always tell them.

If your cat reacts this way, then this is what's gonna happen. And if your cat reacts this way, then this is gonna be plan B and then this is how we will handle this. And that that

Amy Castro  [21:44]

Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [21:44]

really reassures them and makes them feel better because when they go to a dog room and they're like, Okay, well, I'm already scared here. It's loud and and and upsetting and there's a lot of people and and a lot of activity and a lot of stuff going on, you know.

Amy Castro  [21:57]

Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, I always think that going to a dog groomer or a lot of the grooming salons that I've been in is stressful for dogs, let alone cats. You know, it's like 'cause it's chaos, you know, the barking and the hairdryers and the, you know, some of them let have dogs running all over the place. I mean it obviously there's all different kinds, but I like the idea of individual one on one appointment because you can take your time and let the cat get acclimated, things like that.

It would help make your job easier and make the cat more at ease and the outcome better for the animal. Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [22:31]

Absolutely.

22:32  How to Choose a Qualified Cat Groomer

Amy Castro  [22:32]

Yeah. So if somebody is listening to this now and they're thinking, I have never s in my life seen a cat grooming salon, how do I find one and how do I find a good one?

Amanda Henry  [22:42]

This is an excellent question and thank you so much for asking. So I always recommend finding your professional, and this goes across any board, you know, be it a vet, a a surgeon, a dog groomer, a cat groomer, a roofer, look for the highest in the industry. So I am a CFMG and what that stands for is a certified feline master groomer. So just look in your area for your nearest master cat groomer because they're gonna have top-tier handling techniques.

They're gonna have top tier safety techniques, they know your cat's critical signs of stress, they know your cat's anatomy, they know how to talk to you confidently, they know when to start, when to stop, how to handle any problems that you might bring to them. Whereas somebody who's just been shaving down dogs the same way for forty years, they're not really gonna have the experience as you would handling a a cat. Doing one thing the same way for so long doesn't make you any better than somebody who's like

trying to keep up with the industry and learn better ways of doing things and learning what better products and tools and techniques and equipment is out there for doing our job. Like my cat dryer alone cost almost five thousand dollars. That's why I was able to dry cats successfully and and safely and calmly and quietly and make it a whole overall better experience because that's where a lot of dog runners fail is they would rather not wash a cat because they think how am I going to dry it?

Every cat that comes into my salon gets washed and dried.

Amy Castro  [24:12]

I'd love to see that cat dryer because I can't imagine busting out a blow dryer on my cat.

Amanda Henry  [24:17]

Listen, if you are ever in the Chicagoland area, I would love for you to come by and stop at my salon and see it and check it out.

Amy Castro  [24:23]

Come check it out. Yeah. Absolutely. And and I'm glad you brought that up because I have a lot of people who reach out to me to be on the show and I always ask about what certifications that they carry. And it's not about being a snob. And it's not that that somebody couldn't be like you could be the you could be, possibly, the world's best dog trainer, for example, without having any certifications. You could be. But you could also be somebody who's been doing the wrong thing for forty years. And so I feel like

I feel like certification pushes people to another level of staying current because usually you have to take a certain number of courses or whatever to maintain certification. And I think just so much has changed in animal handling and animal care over the years that to at least be made aware of what the latest and greatest I feel more confident having somebody on my show giving advice that has some type of legitimate

certification just because it it lends a level of expertise and there's and and credibility, I think, is is another thing too. And I would assume that if I went out and I looked up, like there's probably a directory of certified cat groomers. Yep. Okay. Is there a is is there a cat groomers association? I know I should know this answer already.

Amanda Henry  [25:40]

Yes, absolutely. So I got my certification, my CFMG through the National Attack Groomers Institute. And I'm very happy that I did because they gave me a lot of knowledge and really helped encourage and educate me to open up my own business to get my certification. My certification alone, I had to pass four written tests and then five hands on practical tests. So it's very rigorous and chalk full of information.

And I'm glad it is because the more I know, the more I can teach my clients and the better they trust me and the more confidence that gives me as a skilled professional.

26:17  Health Concerns a Groomer May Notice

Amy Castro  [26:17]

Yeah. And I think that kind of training and experience is exactly what gives pet parents confidence that they're putting their cats in good hands. We did an episode on dog grooming where we talked about how groomers are often the ones that are the first line of defense in finding issues with pets like skin conditions or tumors. So have you ever discovered something during your grooming that turned out to be a real health concern for a cat? Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [26:42]

Your cat comes to the groomer once a month, whereas your cat goes to the vet once a year. So I'm usually the first line of defense. I can usually notice like when there's a lump or a bump or a growth and the cat's behaving in a way they normally wouldn't behave. So for example, one thing that I usually find out about cats that I'm able to communicate with the owner at home where the cat can't communicate with that is cats sometimes pee during the grooming process. And when they pee, that lets me see what color it is.

And I can often detect like if there's blood in the urine when I'm cleaning it up with a paper towel or a towel. So then I can write that down, document that and communicate that with the mom, like, hey, Fluffy went potty and when I cleaned it up, it looked like there was some blood in the urine. So I want you to go ahead and call your vet and see what's going on and maybe pay attention to to what's going on at home. I could also, you know, wrap this towel up for you for you to take to the vet if you want, if that helps you, you know, communicate with them. And I'm always very appreciative of that. And there's also been a cat.

Lucy that has came into my salon and I noticed like a little kind of mole growth on her tail. So I was like I was like, hey mom, there's there's something going on right here. And I don't normally see moles grow in this spot on cats or normally in other areas of the body. So this is kind of peculiar for me. You know, next time you have her at the at the vet, can you kind of just, you know, point it out and ask them about it? So she did that and turns out that it was cancerous and she got the mask removed and she was able to send the longevity.

That she had with her cat. And I'm happy that I was able to give that to her. One of my most interesting favorite stories is so before I started my grooming business, I worked for someone else and it was a new client to me. And you know, they have some matting on the back and stuff like that. And I'm shaving this cat, and on this cat's belly, there's a staple in its belly. And I'm like, holy cow, what is going on here? So I call his dad and I was like, Hey, did this cat have surgery?

recently and he's like, Not recently. I was like, Well when did this surgery happen? He's like, we had abdominal surgery a couple of years ago for, you know, hair balls. And I was like, I think you need to have a conversation with your vet because there's a staple left in your cat and it's starting to rust and I'm just gonna stop services because I don't wanna break this staple open and it's snag on anything and and rip out of your cat and I really

I don't I don't know what to do with this situation 'cause I've never seen this before. So I I just stopped services and sent the cat home.

Amy Castro  [29:09]

Yeah. Well, and a lot of times it goes it it happens because the owner waited too long to go back to get staples removed and they get kind of under the skin. Sometimes they'll just leave and let work out, but sometimes they also get missed. Because if you think about it, we pet our animals. Obviously we give them love, we cuddle them, but very few now I I because I work for a vet for eight years, I tend to

it work my cats from head to toe and you know, I'm checking things out and feeling for lumps and bumps, but your average person is kinda skimming the surface literally and figuratively when it comes to their pet. Whereas a groomer's gonna be really in there and touching everything and down to the skin and looking at things. Yeah, it's it's it again goes back to my comment about it being a partnership in your pet's health and well being for sure.

Amanda Henry  [29:56]

Absolutely.

Even with the the grouper and and the vet too, 'cause I'm referred by a lot of the vets in my area and I'm super thankful for that. And I'm able to send cats to the vet and they're able to refer them back to me 'cause a lot of times this matting is painful. So when my vets are getting cats that are super matted, they really can't handle them safely and they're like, I need you to go to Amanda to get all this matting removed so that way I can s you know, safely handle your cat and get them the medical care that they need prior. So it's also, you know

working with them and as you know, the skin is the largest organ on the body and it's the one that the vets spend the least amount of time working on. So us higher in the grooming industry, we're really trying to kind of take that load off of you guys because we're supposed to be working from the skin and coat out going in and you guys are supposed to work from the inside coming out. So, you know, we're trying to like help bridge that divide and that gap and come together and

Help solving these issues for cats and and their owners.

30:56  An Unexpected Use for Collected Cat Hair

Amy Castro  [30:56]

Yeah. So you had mentioned and I'm it was very intrigued by it that you had some stories or some of the ideas or whatever of what people do with their cat hair. Was that right? Well

Amanda Henry  [31:10]

So it's not what the

Amy Castro  [31:12]

Saving it in a baggie or what you're doing with it? Okay.

Amanda Henry  [31:15]

And I actually am saving it in a baggie. When do you say that? So I work with a lab that because I'm a cat only groomer, they have asked to come out to my facility and they've audited me. So they wanted to see the cleaning products I'm using, they wanted to see the tools I'm using. They wanted to look at my facility overall. And so what I do with like my matted cats or people who just don't want to deal with the hair in their house or anything is when I shave a cat.

I can and this is on certain cats, not on every single cat that comes through my door. But on some of the cats that come through my door, I can collect that hair, save it, label it, and then I send it off to a lab that extracts the dander off of it, and they use that to make allergy shots for people that are already allergic to cats. So when you bring your cat to a cat groomer, they are literally

contributing to the medicine of society. They are contributing to their own problem in society. Go get those allergy chats. I'm helping contribute to them. So is your cats who see me. Like they're they are back here saving lives and they you guys just don't even realize it. I I love it. I love sharing that information with people.

Amy Castro  [32:25]

Yeah. That's good. Well then that's how else would they do that research? That's that's very

Amanda Henry  [32:30]

Interesting.

So my lab even bought me like little like a little freezer for my salon where I keep the cat hair in.

Amy Castro  [32:39]

Crazy. But it's interesting though. Yeah. Isn't it?

Amanda Henry  [32:42]

So fascinating, I love it.

Amy Castro  [32:44]

Yeah. Well, I mean, that's that it's a great opportunity for them too, because otherwise they gotta go around, you know, chasing down cats or something to get it to get hair. Okay. so I know when somebody's just adopted a cat and it depends on where they got it from, whether they inherited it from a family member, got it from a shelter, or got it from a rescue, I know for a fact that cats can come in various conditions when it comes to their grooming. They can either be well groomed and very clean or they can need a lot of work.

And many new owners may not have any idea what type of grooming that their pet needs. Can a groomer help them figure out where to get started? I have

33:19  Grooming Guidance for New Cat Parents

Amanda Henry  [33:19]

Of

seeing in my salon a lot, and this has happened to myself included, is a lot of people never thought that they would be a cat owner. And how they acquired their cat is somebody, either a friend, a family, a loved one, has passed away. And then they're taking care of a cat. And they're like, I they they call me up. They're Hey, Amanda, I see you're highly rated. This is the situation. I have this cat. I never wanted a cat. I don't even like cats, but

So and so passed away and I'm trying to be a good person and I'm trying to do right by this and I'm overwhelmed and I don't know what to do. And I'm like, baby, that's okay. First of all, thank you for calling me. Second of all, you are absolutely wonderful for taking on this problem that you did not want to take on. And I see that you're trying to do the right thing. And kudos to you. Let's start there. You know, you're a new cat owner. You did not expect this. You got a lot to learn. Do you have any questions? Do you want to get started on an appointment so I can

Flip your cat over and and I can clean this cat for you and you can get started on your brand new happily ever after and you know write down all the questions you want to ask me. And if I can't answer them for you, I can help you find the resources to answer these questions for you. So a lot of people they don't know what they don't know. So they don't know what to ask or how to ask or who to ask. And I feel that way often. And yeah, I wish I had resources or someone to tell me what I don't know and come to me, baby. I will help you. I I will baby you through this.

Amy Castro  [34:44]

Yeah. Well and I'm glad I'm glad people do that because I think that you know, whether you're inheriting an animal from a relative or getting an animal from a rescue or a shelter, checking that grooming status and getting that taken care of up front, whether it's fleas or ringworm or or just a cleanliness issue, it's good to start off on that kind of clean, positive note so you have that good experience with the pet.

'Cause I've seen this a lot. Somebody gets an animal from a shelter, they tell they put flea medicine on Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. Maybe they didn't do it at the right timing. And so then they come home, suddenly everybody's itching, and the cat's loaded with fleas, they go to the vet and it costs them a a gazillion dollars. And then it creates a bad association with the animal. And and I and it's shocking to me how many people they have that bad association, and then they get rid of the animal.

And so between all of the things that we're doing, whether it's the education or just helping people get off to a good start, if we can get people off to a good start with a new pet and answer those questions, then it just increases the odds that that's gonna be a lifelong home for that pet. So kudos to you for you know, for taking the time to answer those questions and be a resource beyond just the physical act of grooming people's cats.

Amanda Henry  [35:56]

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that.

35:58  Where to Find a Cat Groomer

Amy Castro  [35:58]

All right. Well, Amanda, thank you so much for being on the show and enlightening us on the importance of cat grooming and knowing that cat groomers are out there. I am definitely gonna put your contact information, if it's okay, in the show notes so that people, if they are in the Chicago land area, that they could reach out. But what's the best like is there one place I can go if I'm sitting in New Jersey and I'm looking for a cat groomer? Is there s one particular website that you would recommend? Yeah.

Amanda Henry  [36:26]

So absolutely. It's actually funny that you mentioned New Jersey, because I have a cat only grooming friend out in New Jersey, Lynn Paleo. I hope I didn't mess up her last name. Sorry, Lynn, if you're listening. but she owns she owns Catnaps Cattery in New Jersey and she's wonderful. And she's one of the leaders of the National Cat Groomers Institute. so definitely go on their website and there's a list of certifiers and then there's a list of like master cat groomers.

Not only in the United States. I have cat groomer friends in Mexico, in Canada, in Australia, in Malaysia. Yeah, there's a lot of

Amy Castro  [37:00]

Because we do have we have listeners in all those places. So we'll definitely put links up to the institute as well. All right. Well again, thank you so much for for being on the show and sharing your information and knowledge. And I know our cat parents appreciate it and I appreciate it because I'm a cat parent to three. So

Amanda Henry  [37:16]

Thank you so much for having me on, Amy. It was it was a pleasure. Thank again.

37:20  Final Takeaways and Next Week’s Episode

Amy Castro  [37:20]

One of my biggest takeaways from talking with Amanda is that professional grooming isn't something that every cat needs, but many do, and having the right person to turn to when you do need help can make a real difference. And remember, a certification is a good starting point, but don't be afraid to ask questions. How does the groomer handle a cat that's frightened or resistant? What happens if the cat becomes too stressed to continue? And when would they stop grooming and recommend veterinary care instead?

Those are all important questions because getting the grooming done shouldn't come at the expense of your cat's comfort or safety. I'll put Amanda's information and a link to the National Cat Groomers Institute in the show notes so you can explore your options. And coming up next Sunday, we're going to take a closer look at fear free care and what it really means for your pets at the vet, the groomer, and beyond. So thanks for listening and we'll talk again soon.

Thanks for listening to the Pet Parent Hotline. If you enjoyed the show, text a friend right now and tell them I've got a show that you need to hear. And remember, your pet's best life starts with you living yours. So take good care of yourself this week and your pets.