Anyone have experience with grooming a cat? My favorite groomer left the

[Mist]

area, and my cat is in desperate need of her "summer haircut." I'm thinking of getting an electric pet grooming clipper and doing it myself. Is it feasible to do it myself? My cat sheds so much in the heat, she can't keep up with grooming herself on her own, and is getting very "tufty."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Grooming a cat = juggling chainsaws.

I've never seriously tried it; just combing out a few mats convinced me to take the Adorable Fluffy Kitty from Hell to a professional groomer. After a few phone calls I found out that most groomers don't do cats, and that there is a reason for this... I finally did find someone who takes cats, and she was very good and very professional, but it was quite an experience. I had to help hold the aforementioned adorable feline while the groomer shaved off the matted areas, and fortunately I only got bitten slightly. But that cat was LOUD.

If your cat is docile and is used to being groomed, you might survive the DIY experience. It's not something I will ever try on mine.

:scared:

[Mist]

2. Thanks for the input. My cat is fairly docile, and why I miss the groomer I took her to is that

groomer got along well with cats, and my cat really liked her. There are few groomers around here who do cats; as one said to me "I got nailed one too many times." I'll just take my old girl to the new groomer at Petsmart.

[Warpy]

3. Even taking my old Himmie tom to the groomer

I had to stay and help her hold that cat down for his yearly buzz cut. We muzzled him, OF COURSE, but he was ten pounds of nothing but hair and muscle and was a total handful to get clipped.

Naturally, I tipped heavily for combat duty.

Once he was clipped, he loved it. He'd bounce around and get incredibly playful. He'd eat pets up because he could feel them without all that damn fur in the way. He especially loved not having to confront that steel comb for a good three months.

Getting him clipped was a real project.

I would strongly suggest you get both a muzzle and a friend and both of you wear leather jackets if you decide to clip your cat at home. They really, really don't like the process.