As one of only a few hundred Certified Feline Master Groomers worldwide, Lynn Paolillo does a lot more than just groom for the kitty population of central New Jersey. With more than 13 years of grooming experience, she’s obsessed with improving the lives of both cats and their owners by creating a positive relationship through grooming. Based in Hamilton, NJ, her cat-only business, Cat Naps Cattery, provides a quiet, calm (and bark-free) environment for cats of all ages and breeds. Lynn also travels and teaches cat grooming around the U.S. at trade show events, private workshops and seminars as a Certifier and Instructor for the National Cat Groomers Institute.
Shaving is one of those cat grooming skills that can look deceptively simple, especially if you’re already shaving dogs. Turn on the clippers, remove the hair and try not to cut the cat. In reality, safely shaving a cat has far more to do with…
Although we may be separated by oceans, connecting with cat groomers during conferences, competitions and online events have made our profession feel much smaller. A technique developed in one country can quickly find its way into salons around the world, giving all of us new…
O ne of the most common questions I hear from cat groomers is, “What should I charge?” And it’s usually followed by a list of prices from competitors, a screenshot from a Facebook group or a discussion about what dog groomers are charging in their…
One of the most common comments I hear as a professional cat groomer is, “But I thought cats groomed themselves.” Usually this comes from the owner of a cat sitting on my grooming table suffering from mats, dandruff, hairballs, overgrown nails or a crusty rear…
If you’ve ever wondered what house-call cat grooming was all about or whether it’s something that could work for you, the following real-life interview pulls back the curtain a bit and provides an honest look into one groomer’s journey to a business working with cats…
Anyone who works with cats long enough will eventually see a cat experience a meltdown. One moment the cat is tolerating the groom reasonably well, and the next moment you have a hissing, twisting chainsaw of claws and teeth. It can feel sudden and unpredictable—especially…
You brush your teeth every day (hopefully), and you probably see the dentist at least once or maybe twice a year for cleanings. But when it comes to your clients’ cats, how often are they receiving that same level of preventative care for their coat…
Cats are excellent at trying to maintain surface cleanliness, but they cannot manage everything their coats and bodies need, especially as they age or if they have longer coats, dense undercoats, mobility issues or medical concerns.
For all the time we spend learning shaving patterns, shopping for new tools and chasing the perfect fluffy finish, the real foundation of a great cat groom begins long before a comb ever hits the coat. It starts in the tub.
Cat grooming isn’t all cute toe beans and cuddly floofs. Sometimes it’s knowing when to stop—or not even start. For professional cat groomers, one of the hardest (and most important) skills to develop is recognizing when grooming isn’t safe or appropriate. And what’s even harder…
I hear it all the time: “You make it look so easy”—especially when one of my clients or students watches a calm, clean lion cut come together on a cat that, just minutes before, looked like an overgrown Muppet with an attitude problem. And while…
There’s a special kind of dread that creeps in when you see a once-a-year client’s name pop up on the schedule. You know the one—Fluffy, the sweet Persian who hasn’t seen a bath since last December, and her owner is hoping you can work a…