Don’t cats groom themselves? Yes, they do, and they are mostly very good at it: although the average cat could probably use a brush through from time to time, most of them will not need professional help. However, for those cats that are:

• long haired
• dense-coated
• elderly
• infirm or arthritic

or some combination of the above, and especially for some exotic breeds, grooming themselves adequately can be a struggle. As cats get older and less flexible they can find it difficult to twist all the way round to reach their back end, so this is often the area that will show the first signs of matting or clumping, indicating that a groom could be beneficial.

The majority of cat grooms involve a thorough once over of the whole body with a brush or comb, with no trimming required. Some cats will repeatedly get very dirty or matted on their bellies or around their bottoms, and in these cases partial clipping is recommended as the easiest and kindest way of keeping these areas clean and comfortable.

Bathing is not included in a standard cat groom but can be requested by owners as a way of reducing the allergens on a cat’s coat, or if the cat has gotten particularly dirty or greasy.

Nails will be trimmed on all cat grooms, to reduce the likelihood of injury (mine, not theirs!). I will do my best but if a cat is impossible for me to groom safely, I reserve the right to stop the groom and ask you to take them to the vet instead.