Adding Cat Grooming to Your Portfolio in 2025!
Here are five reasons why working with cats is worth considering for 2025. By Katie Gwilt, The Kat Lady.
I love working exclusively with cats and have spent a lot of time learning about their behaviour, nutritional needs, anatomy and physiology as well as their grooming needs. I spend a lot of time educating people about these wonderful animals and disbanding as many stereotypes as possible. Once we start to understand cats more, we can truly appreciate them and their quirks.
An Emerging Field
It is still relatively difficult to find a cat groomer and the public is still just learning about the benefits of grooming their cats. There is such potential and you can specialise in so many different fields as competition increases.
I work a lot with elderly and anxious cats who find grooming difficult and I love this aspect of my job the most. I find so much satisfaction in seeing an elderly matted cat be able to stretch and play again once those lumps have been removed.
It’s like they become a kitten again. You could specialise in working with kittens or one of the many breeds like Maine Coons or Persians who need regular grooming.
Consider being a Mobile Groomer
I work as a mobile groomer who does house calls. Many cats do not travel well and many of their owners really struggle to get them into a carrier making house call a great option. It takes so much stress out of the whole appointment for the cat and their owner before you have even started.
A lot of my customers are also elderly and find having a cat a lovely companion that they do not need to go out and walk etc so may not drive or have the best mobility themselves. Likewise, a few of my clients have physical or mental health conditions that make cats a much more suitable companion than a dog that requires more physical care. I love the flexibility being mobile gives me as I am not really suited to being in one place all day. It’s a win-win for me, the cats and their owners.
Cat Owners
I have found so much variety among cat owners but anyone who looks for a cat groomer genuinely really cares about the welfare and wellbeing of their felines.
All of my customers are a delight to work with and all understand the way that I work. I take a holistic approach and work out what is best for the cat and their humans which is not always the prettiest end result initially.
I spend time introducing the cat to the grooming process as often they don’t come to me until they are elderly and have never been groomed before. We go at their pace and work on the priorities first, desensitising them, counter-conditioning any negative associations and getting them comfortable.
Later grooms will build from there and I am so glad that all of my customers understand this and appreciate this approach. For any who don’t, I can refer to another cat groomer who is more of a show cat specialist and is a better fit for them.
Continued Learning
If you are looking to expand your grooming knowledge in general and try something new then cat grooming is a great avenue to pursue. There is a whole new set of skills to learn including handling and behaviour which varies significantly from working with dogs.
Maybe you have been working with dogs for many years and just need a little change in your routine to reignite that spark for the work. I redo my feline first aid training every couple of years and will be topping this up again in 2025 to make sure I am current in my knowledge.
There are different poisons that affect cats than dogs, especially plants. Remembering that anything a cat steps in or brushes against it can ingest when they groom themselves is always worth bearing in mind.
This is also important when thinking about the products you are using with cats. A little more research is needed about their senses as well. Cats have so many little habits and quirks that you don’t find out until you start to work closely with them which will really make you smile.
Profit and Increased Pricing
This is the last and least reason for me to work with cats but it is worth mentioning for those looking to increase their revenue. As working with cats is still a very specialist field and requires extra training, you can charge more than you can for grooming dogs.
It is still a premium service with few cat specialist groomers out there. The price also hasn’t been driven down by over-saturation and people trying to underbid each other for clients. You can really know your worth and charge accordingly if this is something you love and are good at.
I always recommend doing a specific cat grooming course and taking the time to learn some cat behaviour and handling techniques before working with cats. Have a look for cat grooming courses local to you if you would like to learn more and you are welcome to reach out to me to chat about the wonderful world of cat grooming.
