t is one thing to have a difficult feline or a demanding owner, yet sometimes we set ourselves up for frustration. If we can manage our equipment and environment, handling a challenging cat or owner goes much smoother.

Over the years, I have discovered that many of my frustrations and annoyances were due to my poor planning, which was a lack of procedures, policies and routines. I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t quick to solve these shortcomings. In fact, I still struggle with the same pet peeves today.

My biggest pet peeve is when the coat is just not cutting for a lion cut or pelt removal. I will make the same pass with my clippers a few times, thinking the third or fourth pass will magically work. I then realize that the problem is not that the cat’s coat is too dirty, or that I am not holding the cat correctly, but that my blade is dull. Upon this realization, I let out a sigh of annoyance that I got myself into this situation yet again. I worked so hard to get the cat calm and positioned perfectly, only to realize my sharp blades were out of reach!

My solution has become to keep a box of blades within reach. I clean and sanitize my blades after each use, so I am assured every blade in my box is ready to use. However, that does not prevent the entire box from going dull during the same groom; this happens to me as well. To prevent this, I take it one step further…I make sure I have a brand-new blade in the bottom of the box! I keep it in the plastic packaging they come back from the sharpener in so it is easy to identify. These packages are easy to flip open with one hand. If I am working on a difficult cat, after one dull blade, I jump right to the new blade. If I am working on an easy cat, I will try my clean blades first. If I hit two dull blades, I then change to the new blade. I don’t find anything as annoying as a dull blade.

My second biggest annoyance is with temperature and humidity issues. Those of you who groom in a salon can add or adjust equipment to help you have an ideal grooming temperature and humidity. While you may have to negotiate with the salon owner or landlord, many salons are set up to be able to keep everyone comfortable while successfully drying the pets they service.

Mobile units can struggle with humidity because the bathing station is right next to the drying area. And when the outside temperatures are extreme, it can also be difficult to manage the inside temperature of a mobile unit. Some mobile groomers have creative solutions for managing extreme temperatures, such as starting their workday very early, parking inside a warehouse, or adding additional heating or cooling options inside their mobile unit. As a house-call groomer, there really is very little you can do to fix temperature and humidity issues.

My best advice is to set firm policies, remind clients of those policies on their appointment reminder and also when you arrive at their appointment. The reality is, once the humidity in your work area reaches a certain point, nothing you can do will get that kitty dry. Where I live, I also encounter work areas getting too hot.

Over the years I have tried many approaches, and my most successful approach is simply telling owners that once a work area reaches a certain temperature, it is not safe for their cat. My policy is to take a 15-minute break and if the temperature and humidity cannot be brought into a safe range, I end the groom. This is a very serious issue—not only will it have a significant effect on your final product, but more importantly, it will put your safety in jeopardy. If you have a client who cannot give you a safe work environment, it is best to find another grooming option for that feline.

Everyone has different pet peeves and annoyances. Once you have identified yours, I encourage you to set up new policies, procedures and routines to help you avoid finding yourself in that position repeatedly. Are you always running out of shampoo? You could pencil your shampoo purchase in on your appointment schedule. Are you annoyed that the hose always blows off your dryer and frightens the cat you are drying? Take some time to do research on how to stop the hose from blowing off when it gets warm. Are your cordless clippers always running out of charge? Make a new routine to keep the cord with your blades, plug it in every night or add a reminder to your appointment schedule to charge your clippers.

Sometimes we just need to learn new skills to help us with our handling and grooming techniques. Make a commitment to seek out continuing education. There are many more options now than there were five years ago. Additional education will keep you safe and advance your cat grooming business.

Not having the annoyance of a dull blade or being cooked alive while grooming gives me the patience to deal with difficult owners and the concentration to handle aggressive cats. It is important that you design systems and policies to help you avoid your pet peeves. You will discover you have a newfound stamina to face the uncontrollable annoyances in your cat grooming business when your new policies and procedures have become routine.