Can you groom a cat? New Bradenton businesses caters to fluffy felines

Cat names are the most interesting names on the planet.

That’s according to Aubrey Bird, owner of Fancy Felines, a cats-only grooming business in southern Manatee County.

Mr. Pufferson, Buggy and BMO were some of the cats that met Bird’s clippers this week. Some more willingly than others.

BMO, a large Himalayan cat, wanted no part of the grooming.

“She’s a grumpy one. BMO has been here before. She’s always like this,” Bird said as the cat yowled, slapped and struggled.

To help with the grooming, Bird slipped a “space helmet,” also called an air muzzle, on BMO’s head, and Bird’s assistant, Bun, helped hold the cat still.

Inside Bradenton-area cat salon

“Cat infection is no joke,” Bird said of what can happen with a scratch. “The first thing we do is trim their nails so that if they swat you, it’s not so bad.”

The space helmet prevents the cat from biting and can also help calm the animal.

Next up was a more mellow cat, Mr. Pufferson, a Scottish Fold, a breed named for the genetic mutation that causes their ears to bend forward.

Mr. Pufferson accepted his grooming without a struggle or even a hiss.

“He is all hair,” Bird said.

When Mr. Pufferson arrived, the hair on his back was about three inches long, while that on his belly was about six inches. He looked about half the size after he had been groomed, but like most of the cats who pass through Fancy Felines, left with his mane intact.

Next up was Buggy, a tabby, a cat with a heavy, somewhat oily coat.

“Buggy is literally the best cat,” said Bun.

As if to prove the point, Buggy fell asleep almost immediately while Bird cut her hair.

“She is a little too voluptuous to clean herself. Look, she’s making biscuits,” Bird said as the dozing cat kneaded its paws. Kneading is considered one of the signs of a relaxed cat.

Bird opened Fancy Felines last June at 7620 Lockwood Ridge Road in the Lockwood Village Plaza shopping center.

“We have countless dog grooming salons in the area,” she said, adding that grooming options for cats are more limited.

“Most dog groomers don’t groom cats and I hear from my clients every single day how they have spent weeks calling groomers and vets offices to find a groomer,” she said.

Bird is happy with her space in the shopping center, next door to a veterinarian’s office and a dog grooming business.

Business has been good, too. Grooming sessions are by appointment only, usually about three days a week.

Cat grooming advice

For at-home grooming, Bird suggests using a comb, and not a grooming mitt.

“A cat glove does diddly squat,” she said.

For shorter hair cats, she suggests using a curry brush, the kind with soft rubber spikes.

Bird also suggests that cat owners introduce their pets to a groomer at a young age so that they aren’t terrified of the experience when they become older.

A groomer can reduce shedding and hairballs, prevent matting and trim nails. At Fancy Felines, it’s also a dog-free environment.

For an appointment or more information, call 941-279-5902 or visit fancyfelines.net.