Grooming (with sedation)

The following is a thorough description of the entire procedure we perform so you more fully understand what is involved.  Here at The Cat’s Meow, most of our grooming is performed with the patient sedated to decrease the emotional trauma to the cat and increase the ease and speed with which it can be performed.  The cost of a body clip at The Cat's Meow includes the grooming service, the pre-anesthetic risk exam, and the anesthetic.  If your kitty will sit still for a full body clip while it is awake, please ask us for references for pet grooming parlors, as they do not use any sedation.

If the patient has not been examined recently, an exam is performed to ensure that the patient is healthy and fit for sedation.  We prefer that fasted blood work be performed prior to the procedure to check the status of the kidneys and liver.  This is especially important in older kitties.  The patient is sedated by having him or her breathe in oxygen mixed with inhalant anesthetic.  Once the kitty is sleepy, the eyes are lubricated to prevent dryness during the procedure.

The patient is groomed in the manner requested (style of body clip, length of remaining fur, etc.) using electric clippers.  For a full body clip, this often takes 20-30 minutes and requires two people (to hold the arms out to clip underneath, for positioning to check symmetry on the fur that is spared such as the ruff around the head). 

The following pictures are of Picasso, a persian kitty.  He had several mats, so his mother decided to have a full body clip done while he was going to be asleep for a teeth cleaning.  Thank you for letting us use your pictures, Picasso!!!

Before the haircut

After haircut...this is 10 minutes after the procedure...he is wide awake and ready to go