not so tiny, tiny

How nice it was to call in on Tiny again in Didsbury, Manchester.  Tiny is a 2 year old (pretty enormous!) Maine Coon who is the most gentle, friendly guy you could meet.

Although Tiny was a little fidgety and vocal at first on the grooming table, he settled somewhat and we got to work on his undercarriage – where he’s not too keen on mum brushing.  We clipped some small areas away and began brushing out the rest of his coat.

As the session went on, you could see Tiny really beginning to chill out.  He definitely remembered our last session and that Hey, it hadn’t been that bad – and that in fact, he’d felt better afterwards.

As we moved on from brushing out his tummy – onto his flanks and sides – he was enjoying the attention.  Oh yes you were, mr Tiny !

After the session, mum Ann said :

“Despite all the grumbling at the time Tiny is very pleased and relieved to be without all those tats after your visit this morning. In celebration he ran round like a kitten, insisted on playing a hunting game with the feathery stick, had a massive wash and is now flaked out on my pile of nice freshly washed towels. Thanks, Sandra for another job well done.”

Thanks Ann …. and nice seeing you again Tiny.  Well done chick – you look lovely !

oct birthday babes

Why not come over to our facebook page and say a big Happy Birthday to our October Birthday Babes …..

Before you do :

We have several breeds here.  British Short Hair, Domestic Long Hair, Domestic Short Hair, Maine Coon Cross, Maine Coon and Persian.

Can you take a stab at who is who in terms of breed ? ….. and who do you think is the youngest – and who’s the oldest ?

miss tilly

Tilly gave us a call from Blackpool, Lancashire and said she thought it was time we met up again for a brush out.

Tilly is a 3 year old Silver Tabby Maine Coon who lives with her mum and dad.  We last saw her during the summer and at that time, Tilly had her summer coat.  Today, her hair was much thicker but she’s done well keeping on top of it.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon so we were able to hold the session outside, in Tilly’s cat house.  It’s much more preferable than inside as there’s usually a bit of a breeze to keep us cool.

More recently, Tilly has had the freedom of the garden to explore – which she adores – and it’s fair to say that she’d rather have been out there on the other side of the cat house door.  However, we had a good brush out to get her in shape for the winter months to come.

Nice session, Tilly.  Well done !

mr ginge

Meet Ginge !

Ginge is an 8 year old boy who lives in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.  He lives with his feline mum and sister, and his human mum and dad !

This young man is lucky to be with us, having survived a bad accident.  We think he’s suffered from a stroke, or some trauma to his head, but not sure quite how extensive the damage is/was.

Although Ginge is a bit wobbly at times, he enjoys life and likes playing out in the garden and does still wander on the estate.

His coat has become difficult for him to manage, especially down the back where it had become clumpy.  Ginge isn’t tolerant of the brush at all, so we clipped the worst of the area away.  We did do some brushing out around the flanks and lower sides, but Ginge really wasn’t keen.

It was a hot day and we decided to call the session to a halt.  We’ll resume in a few weeks to work on Ginge’s upper body.  In the meantime, dad should now be able to keep on top of the lower half, as the comb will just glide through the coat.

See you again soon, Ginge !!  Be a good boy and let dad comb ….

cutie kazbah

This gorgeous lady is 18 month old Kazbah – a Solid Tortie Maine Coon.  Some growth to come, but already a big girl.  Kazbah lives in Bollington, Cheshire with her housemate and mum.

Kazbah is a very gentle girl, and this was the first time we’d met up.  Her coat is very silky and is in good condition.  Just one or 2 small mats needing working on – mainly underneath and round the base of her tail.  As we began clipping around this area Kazbah wasn’t too keen on being touched – until she realised that all the mats had been removed, then she really didn’t mind at all.

We think Kazbah enjoyed the rest of the session.  She was full of head rubs and was very affectionate.  She even licked our fingers as we were combing through.

Following the session, mum Lynne said :

“Sandra came to groom my two cats, Kazbah and Eva Peron, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Neither cat is unused to being groomed but both had got into bad condition due to house move and me being unwell. Sandra’s tenacity and expert handling skills made the process for the girls, and they looked absolutely fantastic afterwards and did not appear at all stressed from the experience despite Eva having to have a lion cut on each flank as she had become matted. Now at home again they are back in the habit of routine grooming and I can’t thank Sandra enough for facilitating that!”

Well done Kazbah … Thanks for a nice session !

gorgeous sophie

We called in to see Sophie in Knutsford, Cheshire again – as she was due her maintenance groom.

Sophie is a 17 years old Silver Spotted British Shorthair.  She is a chunky girl, and her coat is plush and dense.  Now she is older, and a little arthritic, she finds it more difficult to groom.  We gave her a thorough brush out to rid her of lots of dead undercoat, and she was a good girl.

Sophie is now well used to her sessions and although she’d rather be in bed (!) fares very well.  Nice meeting up with you again, Sophie and see you soon chick …

tiny tess

This little lady – Tess – was recently due her maintenance groom again.  Tess lives in Appley Bridge, Wigan, Greater Manchester with her housemate, and mum and dad.

Wait for it ….  Tess is 21 years old.  That’s right – 21 !

Tess is a tiny, little, light as a feather, older lady !  She is a Persian Cross and as such has a thick coat, which she is unable to keep on top of herself.  In fact, Tess no longers grooms even her front legs, nor face.

At today’s session, Tess’ coat was really ready for a good work through.  There were areas that needed to be clipped away, and the rest of her coat benefitted from a brush out.

Tess is now used to the sessions and although she evidently doesn’t like the proceedings, today Tess managed to remain much calmer and less fidgety than usual.  No mean feat for a 21 year old, so – Well done, Tess !

Straight after the session, Tess sauntered off to her filling station and topped up.  Then, what did she do ?  She sat down and had the first wash she’d had in ages !!  Fantastic – obviously feeling pretty good about herself !

If you pop over to our facebook  page you can see a short video clip of Tess, which was shot in the summer, just after her last grooming session.

We’ll see you again in a few weeks time, Tess.  Please try and keep up the grooming, chick !

did you know …?

This is why everyone should look after at least one cat !

mr simba

We were asked to call in to meet up with this young man – Simba – in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Although Simba’s coat is short, it had developed some clumps down the lower back spinal area, as Simba isn’t able to reach these parts when he grooms.

Simba is quite a wary boy, and although he LOVES his dad brushing him (you can hear his purr from the next room !), he really was not happy to find himself on the grooming table.  Even before a brush or clipper was mentioned, Simba had decided it wasn’t for him and did his best to leave the situation.

We removed the troublesome area from his coat, but left the session there as it was proving too stressful for Simba.  Now Simba’s dad will be able to brush through with no obstacles – with Simba in ecstasy, no doubt !

Nice meeting you Simba … Glad we got a piccie of you on the stairs, on your way back to bed !

darling dalmore

We met up with our friend Dalmore in Fleetwood again, recently.

Dalmore is 4 years old and is a Blue Point Ragdoll.  He has the most thick, fluffy coat – and piercing blue eyes !  The piccie to the right was taken before we started today’s session. You can see how his coat didn’t sit flush, due to the dead hair that needed to be brushed out.

We last saw Dalmore in the Spring, when we brushed him out and gave him a belly clip.  Today, his coat was thick and one or 2 ad-hoc tangles had developed.  Apart from that, his coat was in real good condition.  However we decided on another belly clip, to make it easier for everyone all round in the coming months.  Mum can brush under there, but Dalmore isn’t really that keen ….

Dalmore will definitely feel more comfy now that his coat is thinner and lighter.  It was a hot day and after the session, Dalmore went straight out into the garden, under his favourite bush in the shade to chill out.

Well done Dalmore – you were such a good boy !!