fantastic figment

We recently met up again with Figment in Bolton, Manchester.

Figment is a Persian Cross and as such has a very thick, long coat.  She is no longer able to tend to it herself – as she’ll be 22 years old in March !

Figment’s coat was extremely matted all around her back and lower regions, and ad-hoc elsewhere.  She lets mum comb her ruff and around her head to some extent, but everywhere else is a no-go zone.

We took the sessions real easy with Figment and broke them into manageable timeframes for her.  Overall we clipped away a large section of the coat.

Even though Figment has seen younger years, she still has all her faculties about her.  We’re sure she remembered our visit this time last year – and that she’d felt so much better afterwards.  She was much more mellow and co-operative this time around and lay patiently whilst we tackled those hard to reach areas underneath.  As an older lady, Figment’s skin really is like tissue paper, so it was no easy task.

This piccie of Figment was taken about 4 weeks after her lower back and flanks had been clipped.  You can see her coat is already growing back at a speed and is quite fluffy at the moment.  Mum is going to do her best to comb these areas whilst they are still tangle free.  Figment – please oblige !!

After the session, mum and dad Christine and Andy said :

“Thank you Sandra, for being so patient with our little old lady Figment.  I don’t know how, but you have the knack of totally relaxing her.  Once again she is like a spring chicken after her groom !  Thank you again x”

the knutsford bengals

Meet Josephine and Napoleon !  These 2 Bengal housemates are both 8 years old, and ex-breeding cats.  They’ve now lived with their new dad in Knutsford, Cheshire for around 2 years.

Napoleon, pictured right, is a Brown Marbled Bengal, whilst Josephine on the left is is Brown Spotted Bengal. Apologies for the piccies being a little blurred.

They are house cats, since an unfortunate incident with a car and have adapted perfectly to the new arrangement.

Fit, healthy cats that spend a lot of time outside generally naturally wear down their claws sufficiently.

However, indoor or elderly cats may need to have their claws trimmed regularly.  Also, some cats have an extra toe (polydactyl) which doesn’t touch the ground (just like the normal dew claw) and may overgrow.  If overgrown claws aren’t trimmed they can grow inwards into the pad and can be painful, and become infected.

Neither Josephine nor Napoleon were keen on the idea of a pedicure !  We worked with Napoleon first.  He’s a strong boy and he did his best to leave the situation.  Josephine was a little easier to work with as although quite a large girl, she succumbed a little easier.

Immediately after their sessions they were topping up at the filling station.

sweety sophie

This little lady is 9 months old cream Persian, Sophie. Remember her ?

It was nice to meet up with Sophie again today in Burnley, Lancashire. It’s only a matter of weeks since we last saw her, and mum has been brushing. However, Sophie’s coat really is high maintenance and requires a strict schedule to keep on top of it.

The coat was a little knotty in places, and required a good brush out. It was quite tough going in places, where it was tangly and brushable so ophie did well. She’s still only a baby really, and is still learning about the process. It’s important to introduce your cat to being groomed whilst at a young age.

After the session, Sophie was very interested once again in all the equipment and bags. Very nosey !

Well done Sophie, see you soon ….

did you know … ?

When walking, cats use a ‘pacing’ gait. This means they move both legs on one side of their body, then the two legs on the other side – which is uncommon in most mammals.

However as cats speed up to a trot or a run, the gait becomes the more common ‘diagonal’ (opposite foreleg and hind legs moving at the same time).

zebedee

Who remembers 14 year old Zebedee ?  Zebedee lives in Altrincham, Cheshire with his dad.

As on our previous visit, when we arrived Zebedee was ever so friendly, and came to meet and greet.  Zebedee is blind.  He lost his sight last year.  Before the session, we talked to him, and had a stroke before getting on with the job in hand.

Zebedee goes out in the back garden, but doesn’t play out like he used to.  It’s about 4 months since we last met up and his nails were in need of a trim as they were extremely long and sharp.  Trips to the vets surgery are difficult as Zebedee becomes distressed in the car.  However, he fared really well during today’s session and it was over before he knew it.

Have you ever known a cat to enjoy his medication ?  Well, Zebedee does !  He takes the tablet right out of dad’s hand and eats it up !  Come over to our facebook page where you can see a short video clip of Zebedee in action, taking his pill.

pretty eloise

At almost 2 years old, Eloise is a large brown tabby Maine Coon who lives with her mum and dad in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Eloise is now used to her grooming sessions and although a little fidgety, she is very amenable to the process.

We worked through Eloise’s long coat and removed a couple of tangles and knots here and there. Eloise plays in the woods and comes home with all sorts of bracken and foliage hidden away in there. We then had a good brush out. Her coat really did come up a treat and it’s for certain that Eloise will feel better for it.

After the session, mum Deborah said :

“Thanks again for getting Eloise back on track with her coat, she looks great. Since your visit, really chilled out and relaxed. Looking forward to your next visit x”

Bril – Thanks Deb, and see you again Eloise ….

miss melons

Meet Melons !  Melons is a 2 year old Domestic Short Hair (DSH) who has been with her new mum and dad in Rochdale, Greater Manchester for going on a year now.  Melons came from a rescue centre along with her housemate (littermate ?) and there’s not too much known about their previous life.  Both girls were initially very timid – but are slowly adapting and coming out of their shells.

Although Melons coat is short, mum and dad report that it is very dense and shedding is a problem.  Therefore, a clip was on the agenda today.  Dad had already started to clip Melons’ back, so we took over.  Not a conventional clip in that Melons has been left much coat around the shoulders and chest – with her lion mane running centrally down her tummy.  This is now named the ‘Melons Clip’ and may become fashionable in 2015 !!

Melons is the most sweet little thing you can imagine and she was a good girl on the grooming table.  She wasn’t in the least bit afraid of the clippers.  In fact, she was watching what was going on !

As Melons’ coat is only short it will re-grow in no time, so mum is already hinting on the next clip ….

Well done Miss Melons !

our red

Red.  Our lovely 2 year old Siberian Forest friend asked us to call on him again – in Sandbach, Cheshire.

We see Red regularly as he’s always out and about gathering undergrowth in his long coat, which he is unable to keep on top of himself.

Although it’s only a short time since we last met up, Red’s coat was evidently thicker today as he’s stepping up a gear ready for the cooler months … and boy, was there some foliage hidden in there !

We had a lovely session … Red is often fidgety, but he can be won over with lots of sweet talk and cuddles.  He’s such a friendly guy, he can’t resist attention !

Nice seeing you again Red … Looking forward to next time already !

november birthday babes

Here are some of our Nov Birthday Babes !  Happy birthday boys and girls !!

Just a handful of breeds this month – Maine Coon, Persian, British Short Hair (British Blue) and Domestic Short Hair …… but who is who, do you know ?

Come over to our facebook page and have a guess.