I wish that statement were true. Unfortunately, the amount of training, passion for the profession, commitment to continuing education and level of ethical decisions are not the same for all groomers. The grooming industry is not regulated in the State of California, or any state. The quality of one groomer to the next can and does vary greatly.
Kitty’s Purrfect Spa takes great pride in the high quality of each groom we perform, our ethical business practices and our dedication to the feline exclusive grooming industry. We go beyond the industry standard in the areas of education, professionalism and ethics. These qualities help make our safety record outstanding!
As a business, Kitty’s Purrfect Spa has completed almost 400 grooms to date. Not one of our feline clients had to receive medical treatment due to a groom performed by Kitty’s Purrfect Spa.
WHY ARE WE SO SAFE??? Simply put, due to our extensive training, our devotion to monthly continuing education and our commitment to provide the highest standard of service possible has given us an outstanding safety record. Some of the techniques and policies Kitty’s Purrfect Spa implements are listed below.
WE NEVER USE SCISSORS! Scissors lead to many problems, the first and most obvious is cut skin! Another undesired effect of using scissors, especially on mats, is that the cut hair actually causes the mats to get worse due to the random length of fur in the area trimmed.
WE NEVER USE GROOMING LOOPS (NOOSES)! Cats should never have anything around their necks that cannot easily break off with their own weight. This is why your cat probably wears a break away collar. It is too easy for a cat to hang itself from a grooming table if the kitty gets startled, mad or just tries to run away from the groomer. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa Groomers always use their body and work space as the only way to contain a Kitty during the grooming process.
WE NEVER PUT WATER IN A CAT’S FACE! This is why our Spa does not offer blueberry facials for our Kitty clients! We also never clean a cat’s face in the bath. Water in a cat’s face is a bad idea. Cats’ little noses and mouths can very easily be filled with water. Cats ARE NOT dogs! It is impossible to hold a cat’s face the same way you would hold a dog’s face during the grooming process. Once water is used to rinse a cat’s face, you risk the chance of filling Kitty’s breathing passages and lungs with water.
WE BATHE IN THE KITCHEN SINK! We NEVER dunk a cat in a bucket of water and call it a bath! In fact, Kitty’s Purrfect Spa never puts a cat in standing water for any reason. We never use a “dog tub” with water that comes out of a sprayer on a “dog setting”. Another thing we never do is use rinseless shampoo because it always leaves a residue on Kitty’s fur, in turn, causing worse problems than you started with.
WE ALMOST NEVER SCRUFF A CAT! We tell you if we do scruff your cat! Kitty’s Purrfect Spa believes in the most compassionate and least restrictive methods to groom all kitties!
IF and only IF, KITTY BITES AT US, DO WE USE AN AIR MUZZLE. An air muzzle looks like a hamster ball, goes on the head like packman and is easily thrown off by Kitty. It uses Velcro to stay in place and weighs 7 ounces. We NEVER use a traditional muzzle. Traditional muzzles are DANGEROUS for cats. Most were designed for dogs. In a traditional muzzle, a cat’s airway can be very easily blocked. Also, a cat cannot be accurately observed for possible medical issues while wearing a muzzle made from cloth.
WE MONITOR THE STRESS LEVEL AND HEALTH OF YOUR CAT DURING THE ENTIRE GROOMING PROCESS! We are NOT afraid to walk away and finish your groom on a different day if your Kitty shows any signs of distress! While we are not veterinarians, we are trained to look for warning signs of possible medical concerns and notify you immediately if we make any observations about your cat’s health. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa is not shy about referring you to your veterinarian if we have any concerns.
WE LEAVE YOU WITH A COMPLETE REPORT OF YOUR KITTY’S GROOMING EXPERENCE! Nothing is ever a secret! We put everything in writing before we leave!
YOU ARE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO WATCH, TAKE PICTURES AND ASK QUESESTIONS during our grooms! In fact, we encourage it! Your comfort with the grooming process is as important to us as your Kitty’s comfort!
WE TELL YOU EVERY LITTLE THING WE FIND DURING YOUR KITTY’S GROOM! We want all our clients to be well informed! If we find a lump, bump, excess wax in the ears, a bloody claw… We tell you!! Usually immediately! We will never sugarcoat how the groom proceeded.
WE ARE FULLY INSURED! If something goes wrong during the grooming process, we transport you and Kitty to the nearest vet. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa does everything in their power to assure there are no out of pocket expenses to you if we caused an injury to your Kitty! Please keep in mind, some vet’s require Kitty to be up to date on shots before they will treat your Kitty. We will not cover those expenses, however, OUR GOAL IS TO COVER EVERY EXPENSE DUE DIRECTLY TO AN INJURY WE CAUSED. If an undiagnosed life threatening health issue appears, we will transport you and kitty to the nearest vet.
WE GROOM AGGRESSIVE CATS! We have been specifically trained to handle highly aggressive cats. If Kitty’s Purrfect Spa believes it is in the best interest of Kitty, we will groom a highly aggressive cat. In fact, we groom many cats other groomers have turned away.
WE REMOVE PELTS! We are trained to remove fur that is one solid mat from Kitty’s skin. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa has done approximately 50 pelt removals with no injury to Kitty! Some of these Kitty’s even had skin twisted into the fur. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa successfully removed the fur without injury to the Kitty’s skin! If you do not find a Feline Master Groomer to remove your cat’s pelt, the only other option is to have a vet shave down your cat under anesthesia. That is costly. Additionally, not all cats can medically have anesthesia.
WE REFUSE TO GROOM MEDICATED CATS! (Cats who have been sedated just for a groom) No “Happy Pills” Allowed! If you give your Kitty sedation before we arrive, we will reschedule your appointment. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa believes that over 90% of cats can be groomed without medication or anesthesia!
WE REHABILITATE OWNERS AND KITTY! Currently we are working with approximately 10 families who had a “very bad” grooming experience. Kitty’s Purrfect Spa first makes sure the humans have all their questions answered and are comfortable with our techniques. Once the humans are comfortable, and that may take many phone calls and an in-home visit, we begin to work with Kitty. One of our Kitty clients took over four visits before he could have his first full spa day with Kitty’s Purrfect Spa. We are happy to invest all the time, you need, into you and your precious Kitty!
THIS IS WHY WE CLAIM TO BE EXTREMELY SAFE! Kitty’s Purrfect Spa has professionally groomed almost 400 cats in 15 months with no accidents! That is an outstanding safety record by anyone’s measures. When you hire Kitty’s Purrfect Spa to pamper your kitty, Kitty receives the high quality treatment you would expect from any human spa!
Published September 2014, Kitty's Purrfect Spa Newsletter
