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Professional Grooming VS Shaving under Sedation at a Vet Clinic​
What is the difference .... Really ?!
The short answer is that the two procedures are not comparable in any way.
Professional Grooming and Vet Clinic Shaving result in very different outcomes!​
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While your vet is capable of removing the immediate matting by shaving the matting specific area or the entire cat, this process does not future proof your cats coat from re matting and sedation is often used. Most problem coats will start re matting in the shaved areas within 3 months and any areas which were not removed will be prone to matting immediately, your cat will be back to the vet many times a year with this procedure - this is a Band-Aid, treating the wound without treating the cause.
The root cause of the matting is not able to be removed by dry brushing and De shedding techniques alone.
A proper bathing process with the correct products and metal wet comb with a blow dryer is integral to the removal of matting which is not detectable to the groomer while the coat is dry.
Many sideline cat groomers are not aware of this and therefor do not realize the importance of providing this as part of their service. Furthermore, your cat will be instinctively more distressed if their groom is performed at a clinic where dogs are also being groomed or cared for.​
A Professional Groomer works to mitigate the cause of the matting as well taking care of the immediate problems - while your vet will return your cat looking more like a patch work quilt - most often using sedation to do this, a professional groomer will be able to offer a variety of options leaving your cat looking better than when it arrived in most cases - without the use of sedation!
Most people assume that the vets use sedation for the benefit of the cat - in some cases this can be true, in our experience of Grooming hundreds of cats, we can agree that we have come across 3 cases in the last few years where we would consider that sedation might be best for the cat. Usually, sedation is not required!
What is required, is to have an innate ability to work with cats in their most vulnerable and fierce state. This is a skillset which cannot be taught or acquired, it takes lots of experience, absolute confidence, enduring patience and time - you need to be prepared to put in the hours.
Cats are not willing participants at the best of times; they slither about like snakes and even the most docile of cats can become fiercely dangerous to the groomer and to itself during a groom.​
A qualified vet with a vet nurse in a vet clinic medical facility grooming for 2-6 hours without sedation would cost thousands of dollars - it is not cost affective for the clinic or for the owners.
These are the reasons for sedation, to do the job in an affordable timeframe in a way that the cat is easily managed.​The effects of sedation on the cat in most cases is far more concerning than money or time if we are considering the cats welfare as the top priority!​​​
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Matting & Shaving can be avoided with Regular Professional Grooming! ​
We aim to keep your cats coat in top condition following the initial groom with an initial 6 weekly regular maintenance groom. We make a long-term plan once we see how your cats coat is responding to regular grooming and try to extend time between grooms as much as possible.
We believe in a 'Less is More' approach and that prevention better than cure!​
We have found that the golden timeframe for cats prone to matting is 6 weekly maintenance grooms - this reduces ongoing stress and pain for your cat and removes the need for a more difficult and costly groom again in the future, with the bonus that your cat will become happier and healthier in everyday cat life at home!
This is a 'Win/Win" for everyone.​​
For owners who are not able to commit to a maintenance schedule or who cats are contraindicated for the maintenance program, we recommend a lions cut 3-4 times per year.