Catology Feline Grooming

03/12/2024

🥳 Happy birthday Bluey!! Was lovely giving you your extra special birthday groom 💕

02/12/2024

🎄 ❄️ 🗓️ December is almost full! Just a few spaces left to get your pre-Christmas groom in.

But never fear, I have a little secret for January... more spaces opening up! 😺

📣 I'll be offering extra grooming hours on Mondays from 6th January, so if the festive season gets all a bit much then don't worry, you can book a groom just after all the Christmas, New Year hubbub.

January is otherwise full too, so get in for those Mondays before they get booked up too.

📞 Call Cherise and we can have a chit chat with cat.

30/11/2024

April 12, 2024 Lucy Hoile Five signs you're an amazing cat caregiver April 12, 2024 Lucy Hoile Watch the video here - https://youtu.be/Zc6Ue4VHBcA?si=zy6TwFB4Zk00alixHave you ever wondered if you are a good cat owner? Or whether you are doing the right things for you cat? Or questioned whether your....

29/11/2024

🎂🎉Lots of kitty birthdays this month. This is magnificent Max! Happy birthday buddy. Hope you got some extra zzz's and treaties.🐟😽

29/11/2024

📢For all my Catology Cats, if your kitty struggles to get out to the magic medicine people 🩺🩹💊💉, either stressed in the crate or the car; or if you find it difficult to get to the vet for what ever reason, then guess what... there is a dedicated feline team that can come to YOU.

Vet2Cat are based in and around the Portsmouth area on the South Coast and have your furry friend's health and wellbeing at the top of their priority list. All moggy, no doggy. 🐱

29/11/2024

🎊🧡Happy birthday to this sweet ginger GIRL. She's in her retirement and enjoying naps and cuddles. Hope you had an amazing day Heidi!🐟🧶

28/11/2024

Lovely old chappie, Finn is 18! Wow. 🖤🤍💝 HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Hope you had an amazing day! 🐟🎂🧶

26/11/2024

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25/11/2024

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The importance of grooming your cat!

Regular grooming is crucial for your cat's health, helping to maintain a shiny coat, aid shedding, and prevent painful mats. It also allows early detection of health issues and strengthens the bond between you and your pet.

Why do cats develop mats?
Even though most cats groom themselves regularly, mats can still form, especially in long-haired breeds.

Common reasons for matting include:
-Shedding: Loose fur that is not brushed out can become trapped in the coat, leading to tangles and mats.
-Friction areas: High-friction zones such as the underarms, belly, and around the collar area are prone to matting due to constant movement.
-Moisture: Wet fur is more likely to clump together, so cats that drool, get rained on, or play in water may develop mats.
-Health conditions: Cats that are sick, overweight, or suffering from arthritis may struggle to groom themselves properly, leading to mats. Cats with dental pain may also avoid grooming.
-Stress or anxiety: Cats need to feel safe and secure enough to indulge in grooming, so this will be reduced in stressful environments & situations.
-Age: Senior cats may become less diligent in grooming as they age, either due to discomfort, reduced energy or dementia.

If your cat is starting to develop mats when they never used to, get in touch with your veterinary team to arrange an assessment.

23/11/2024

23/11/2024

🖤 This beautiful boy saw me for his third grooming session yesterday. He was completely different to our first meet. And isn’t he gorgeous??!

1️⃣ On our first meeting, Bertie had extensive matts to remove. He growled at me before I was even able to approach him, so I knew he needed the upmost care and sensitivity to help him. 🧘‍♀️ ☮️ His owners had tried to brush him, but being fairly new to the family he still needed to build up his own acceptance of that type of interaction. His coat is full and complex and not surprising that his owners struggled to help him, despite trying very hard to 💕

✍️ Matts are formed for a number of reasons (greasy coats, dandruff and dander, undercoat shedding and getting trapped, outside elements, moisture, health, diet etc.) and can form quite quickly, become tight and cause discomfort, pain and even wounds.

✂️ To remove them kitty needs to stay still, calm and have flat skin to prevent cutting. (There’s no clipper emoji, we DONT use scissors). It’s what all professional cat groomers are taught…cat skin is thin and delicate! So I had to use my best skills and wits, for both his physical and emotional health. Yes, this is equally as important; how kitty experiences their world “umwelt”.

We managed to shave what was needed, but needed to adopt some of my specialist feline protective gear and a simple towel. Bertie was given breaks but still became stressed, and needed that extra time to rest ⏰ (thus why I allocate extra time for new clients). I’m sure he was glad to see me leave that day. 😞

2️⃣ The next session was completely different, letting me approach and do much more with him, even enjoying a head scratch too, without him panting or hissing or biting. No protective equipment on Bertie, just my trusty arm guards in case. (These types of behaviours don’t mean kitty is being bad, they mean kitty needs understanding: scared, fearful, nervous).

🍪 🦐 He had a delicious creamy treat to distract him from some of the parts of grooming he didn’t like. It worked!

And then, yesterday…as you can see, he was a different Bertie. He hissed a couple of times, and was definitely finished at the end, but he let me shave his bottom for a little sanitary trim, clipped his paw pad tufts and I even trimmed his bib safely. Admittedly he started to tell me he didn’t like that, so I stopped. His communications were softer and less worried, and he even chirped his way through chatting to me and his owner who expertly fed him his favourite creamy treat again 🦐

He was laying comfortably, still, only two feet down, and even rested his head on my “calm” blanky. At the end he sat contentedly in the room and let me say goodbye. Maybe we are friends now 🤔 I know I love him. (Hope he feels the same 😉)

23/11/2024

🤍 🩶 🩵 A new Catology Cat, Jasmine. She’s little. She’s fluffy. She’s wriggly and SCRUMMY! I could have snuck her away.

🪮 🪥 🍪 She had her first Kitten Groom and was a delight. We introduced some simple training, the feeling of different grooming tools, general handling and health checking and even teeth cleaning. Her owner would like to maintain good dental care at home, so we introduced the taste of cat toothpaste and the sensation of teeth brushing. She was excellent and let me brush all her little teethies!

🦷 🧑‍⚕️ Nothing replaces good dental hygiene inspection and advice from your veterinary professional, but home care can help prevent teeth and gum problems from developing and prevent the need for intensive dental procedures.

Jasmine will see me for Kitten Grooms up to 10-months old, and then can move onto Full Grooms. Her “mini” grooms are designed to help her develop trust in the process, so that when the more full-on grooming is required she’s calm and ready.

Being a Ragdoll her coat may be quite full and complex, and professional grooming could be required as she grows. But even without her personal pampurr partner (me!), the trust she would have built-up in this process should also help her and her owner develop a bond and trust in the process at home, for her owner to maintain her coat too.

See you soon little princess 💎 💕

23/11/2024

🖤 Love seeing this little old lady.

🛁 🧴 Bonnie is on a Wet Groom schedule, where she has a degreasing treatment, degreasing shampoo and facial wash then a blow dry and full deshed. She gets excess oils in her coat and dandruff that cause multiple clumps that could turn to matting. Bathing cleanses her coat and helps keep her soft and smooth.

🪮 For such a little kitty she has the MOST amount of hair to come out. (And that’s after she’s made clouds of it from the drying process)!

😾 😸 She grumbles throughout the process, but equally nudges her little nose into me for snuggles. 💕 She’s very good in the shower and on my lap drying her. And let me kiss her little shmoopie head. Being older, her joints are understandably a bit stiff, so she’s not a fan of me drying or brushing her legs. With a few breaks we got there.

I absolutely love seeing her, and yesterday got to meet her little (but bigger) brother, Rooster 🐈 🧡 for his first kitten groom. Being a nervous kitty he evaded us at first, but once on my lap for a snuggy he looked up at me lovingly and seemed quite settled. Well done buddy!

Not stopping there, a sweet, curious guy snuck into the bathroom to see what was going on. Bonnie quickly scolded him for the intrusion, but unphased he came for a head scratch. He had a quick claw trim too.

A super end to a Friday. Lovely kitties and lovely home. 💜

14/11/2024

Some simple things to help strengthen your interactions with your cat. At each grooming session I’m trying my best to do just this, trying to read the communication cues kitty is giving to know how best to perform my grooms

12/11/2024

As it's so often asked in industry, I thought I'd highlight a common question posed to fellow groomers...

These are just a few reasons why professional cat grooming is so niche and often more expensive than a human haircut (or even a dog groom):

🐾 🧘‍♀️ 🔮 hairdressers don't need to be savvy to the risks of handling a potentially dangerous, weaponised client, who may become distressed or aggressive making them a safety concern to themselves or others. Cat groomers do.

🐾 🐈‍⬛ 📚 💰 💰 human hairstylists don't require training in the biology of a different species. Specialist cat groomer training and the appropriate professional development ensures the best protection for your pet and for the groomer, and is often few and far between (and expensive).

🐾 🦠 🩹 ‼️ humans don't carry harmful parasites or diseases that could infect the stylist or other customers, or have sharpened claws or needle-like teeth that could pe*****te deep into the soft tissues introducing serious infection, putting the groomer out of work, out of earnings and even ending their career (yes, a bad cat bite or scratch can do that)

🐾 🛁 🧴 💩 humans don't get their bottom washed (or even a full body wash), whilst at the hair salon and don't urinate, defecate or express a**l glands on the stylist

🐾 🩹 ⛑️ hairdressers don't tend to operate dangerous tools near delicate areas of the body on clients that are wriggly, pro contortionists with paper-thin skin (which is at high risk of serious injury if cut). Cat groomers require the right training to know what tools to use and how to use them and must be able to perform emergency first aid

🐾 🪮 ✂️ 🧤 🧴 human styling tools, equipment and cosmetics are widely available, compared to true cat-specific products that are really hard to find in an industry that is very dog-focussed, and often expensive. Lots of grooming products (from cosmetics, to tools to PPE) may also require importation from overseas.

Ultimately, getting the best for your pet means equipping the groomer with the best in both their practical and mental toolkits. 📝 💭 👩‍🎓 🐈

Despite all this, we still love working with cats! 🐈 🧡 And find it even more rewarding because we know our service is valued and deserved by all our feline friends.

11/11/2024

For some festive feline fun 🐱 🎄

🎄Meowy Catmas Quiz Evening🎄

Join us for an evening of festive fun on Monday 23rd December 6:30pm-8:30pm ☃️

🎅🏼We will be holding a Christmas Quiz with a winning prize up for grabs

🎅🏼We will be holding a Gingerbread Biscuit decorating competition 😋

🎅🏼And there will be a festive drink on arrival for everyone, plus a little treat to take away with you.

Our normal menu will be available on the evening and the cats will be rocking around the Christmas tree to add a little more festive fun☃️🎅🏼🎄

Tickets are £18pp and £15pp for members and the evening is 6:30pm-8:30pm

Please note this for ADULTS ONLY☃️

Book online now or call us on 01794 511424

09/11/2024

📝 Another wonderful review (the 2nd from the same person), and I'm so pleased. Thank you.

This session, did indeed go much better than expected.

🛁 🪮 I had recommended a Wet Groom to Fuschia's owners, because her coat really needed it. She was matting quite quickly between sessions and her coat to touch is very unique, making it difficult for her owners to manage on their own, despite their best attempts. (Including that fact Fuchsia can be a little "spicy" in mood).

🐱 Fuschia is a British Longhair, and her hair is long, full, thick and very complex. This kitty also loves wandering out and about 🍃 🌳 , and often comes back having "pocketed" some of nature's debris (on a previous occasion I pricked my fingers on a thorny bit of branch stuck in her tail!).

A bath fully cleans away any natural debris or excess sebum or dandruff on the skin and coat. It also helps remove all that undercoat that's been shed. These are all contributors to matt formation.

To bring Fuschia's coat "back to base" a full bath and blow dry was required. Maintenance grooms will follow until the time comes to cleanse her coat again. Grooming Plans are individual to each cat. For some kitties, bathing may be every 8-weeks or less.

✨ Thanks for being such a good girl! See you in the new year Fuschia.