Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carolyn Black-Coffey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Carolyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I founded Carolyn’s Mobile Cat Grooming in 2007 when I saw need for a better grooming option for cats, especially for those cats owned by senior citizens. If you or your Auntie found yourselves looking for a cat groomer before then, you had limited options. Especially if you don’t have the ability to drive, or maybe the ability to get the cat into the crate.

Your options to groom your cat would start with a call to your vet. However, they will want to fully sedate Kitty, which is expensive to start, and once Kitty gets too old, it’s no longer a viable option. Unfortunately, senior cats need more grooming help than any other age group, as they lack the flexibility and stamina of their youth, thus tend towards matting and other unsavory coat conditions that can be painful and unhealthy for Auntie and Kitty.

And, lets be honest, the reason the vet needs to fully sedate the cat is the same reason your second best option, a dog groomer, will typically refuse to groom cats. Felines freak out when put in a carrier, they pee and poo in the carrier on the way to and from the vet and the grooming salon, and they can be fractious and dangerous in that environment. Many times a cat taken to the dog grooming salon gets nothing done at all or only a partial haircut before the groomer refuses services. That is, if you can find a dog groomer who is willing tottery to groom a cat.

The reason for this violent behavior is simple and only compounded by all the loud noises and unfamiliar smells of the dog grooming salon. They do not like unknown situations and places, and they puuur-fur not to leave their territory. Further, they have a great memory, and don’t forget what happened the last time they visited the vet or the dog grooming salon. If their last visit was upsetting to them, they will resist moving forward.

That’s where Carolyn’s Mobile Cat Grooming steps in. We come to Kitty. We work in their territory, their home, where they are most comfortable, and less likely to become murderous. Thus we can – in most cases, not all- drop the meds. After a few visits, Kitty knows the plan, and relaxes. Why? Cats are not only smart, but somewhat lazy, too. Once they grasp that we aren’t here to hurt them, when they realize how good they feel because of our visits, how little work they have to do for themselves after they get a haircut, they start to look forward to our visits.

In 2015 my husband joined me on the road as my Kitty Wrangler, and we are forced to divide our efforts into 2 teams in 2019. And we did the same again in 2021. Currently we have 4 full time cat grooming teams and 2 part time teams serving Austin, San Antonio and DFW.

The legacy we are building is: Easier access to cat grooming. Because cats need grooming, too, but they need to be treated like cats, not like dogs.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

About me: Carolyn Black-Coffey of DFW, Texas. Founder, and Co-Owner Of Carolyns Mobile Cat Grooming, along with my husband, Roy Coffey who originates from Limerick County, Ireland.

I started trimming cat nails and giving them baths by way of imitating my mother when I was around 7 or 8 years old. Supervised, of course. In my teens I would be invited to dinner by friends parents, and they would always ask me to trim nails or such. Around that time my mom married a zoo keeper, and an aunt started a grooming salon for dogs. So I guess I was primed to get a job as a vet assistant in my early 20’s.

I worked my way up to being an underling vet tech, and was planning to get my RVT when my grandmothers need for care became greater, and the vet I worked for told me my job would still be waiting if I needed to take some time off – even a few years – to care for her. So I did, and I moved to the San Antonio, Texas area to be nearer to her.

Not long after my move, my aunt asked me to assist her in her salon, and it was several months before I asked her where all the cats were. In the clinic, we were regularly sedating and shaving severely matted cats, but I mistakenly thought long-haired cats (I was only ever owned by the sort haired varieties) were groomed in the salon, just like dogs. But, no. Cats do badly in the dog salon, she said. “They bite, scratch, poop and pee everywhere. Not worth it. And most groomers agree with me.” She was right then, and still is today.

I realized that there was a need for cat grooming, but I didn’t know, yet what that would mean for my life. I ordered a book from an online bookstore, called Amazon, and my aunt taught me how to groom dogs, and I put the two together. It wasn’t long before I had a regular clientele, but it wasn’t puuur-fect. It was dangerous, and scary at times. And messy, all the time.

We had a client, named Schlockett, because their grandkid couldn’t pronounce the word “Chocolate”. He had to be sedated to come into the salon because of how much he hated being groomed. He would scream, scratch, fight and bite, and poop. But he HAD to get groomed because he was too fat to clean under his tail. It was as upsetting an event for me as it was for him. One day is parents called me and asked if I could pick Schlockett up for them and bring him back once his grooming was complete. They had both recently lost their drivers licenses, due to old age. Since they lived a few blocks from my grandmother, I asked them if they wouldn’t mind if I tried grooming him on their kitchen counter, just to see if maybe he would calm down a bit.

And the did, the very next visit we dropped the meds, and the final 5 years of his life were with stress free grooming at home. He was the first cat of my career as an at home mobile cat groomer. Since then, my husband Roy has become a cat groomer, too and we have had to hire more groomers. We currently have 4 full time grooming teams and 2 part time grooming teams, serving Austin, San Antonio and DFW.

Your choice in cat groomer is important to your cat. They would rather not leave their home. Furthermore, You would like to know whats going on during the grooming appointment, and your Auntie may not be able to get the cat into the crate or into the car to drive them to a grooming appointment. We are proud to solve these problems by offering full service cat grooming with a specialty in senior cat grooming, (because that’s another level altogether) right from your home.

Please call reach out, if woe can help you. www.carolynsmobilecatgrooming.com

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We follow specific rules with our social media. These rules help us to define our voice and our goals with regards to social media. #1) We only post original content. This may mean that it doesn’t look the most professional, but we feel like it gives our prospective cat grooming clients an honest look at what owe can do.
#2) We monitor, respond to and share reviews and comments that follow our brand.
#3) We ask questions and invite our clients to share with us, thus inspiring interactions and boosting our viewership.
#4) If the negative comment doesn’t serve us – like give us a way to teach or learn – we don’t feed into it.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Carolyns Mobile Cat Grooming is in a unique position in that we are working inside our clients homes, and we see them, on average, 3-4 times a year. This means we can notice changes in the cats coat, health or general condition that we can then pass on to the owner. Often this means the kitty gets to see his vet.
We believe that the vets love to have an extra set of eyes on the ground to make sure health issues are addressed as soon as possible. It goes without saying that those vets listen when their clients say, “I brought fluffy in today because his groomer found this issue.” Those same vets remember us when they find a cat that needs us and our experience with matted and senior cats, especially.
The parallel relationship we have with the local veterinary service industry as been invaluable to the growth of Carolyns Mobile Cat Grooming.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CarolynsMobileCatGrooming.com
• Instagram: CarolynsCatGrooming
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolynscatgrooming
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/carolyn-black-coffey-abab9722
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalZRqcb0M6vFwXcTepFZSg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@carolynscatgroomingtx?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
All photos are original.