We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Jennifer , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

As a pet groomer and business owner, I grew beyond wanting to just be at the top of my field’s expertise. I wanted to create businesses that not only served as a good living for myself, but also served an underserved client group. I was very successful in this as a mobile pet groomer for many years. But I saw a significantly underserved population in cat owners that needing grooming services. Most grooming salons either don’t accept cats, or take very few of them. I had always been talented and brave with cats, so I saw a needed service. When I started The Cat’s Meow in 2014, there was only a single cat exclusive groomer in the Midwest other than me. None existed in Minnesota, even though there were cat only veterinarians. Cat grooming is considered a highly dangerous career, as many cats can react violently to nail and hair trimming service when stressed. I was met with laughs and horror that I was renting a space and switching to only cats, even from industry colleagues. I took further education to learn trims not offered in our area, as well as holistic handling that at the time was not popular. Unfortunately, the handling of cats can be a negative affair for all involved. I wanted to change that narrative, and be a place where cats and groomers could feel safe. I had a cat only space, different cat exclusive equipment, never used any tethers, and used only cat safe products.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started pet grooming at the age of 16, one of my first jobs. I was an animal obsessed child, and not much has changed almost 3 decades later! Like many in my industry, I was apprenticed and learned on the job. I eventually passed extensive testing to become a Nationally Certified Master dog groomer, which is considered one of the highest professional achievements in the industry. I also taught new generations of groomers at multiple dog grooming schools. I was a dog and cat groomer until 2015. I started my cat exclusive grooming business in 2014, and added boarding kennels for cats in 2015. I offer (now with a team of up to 6 staff) haircuts, baths, nail trimming, and more for cats. We also have a 16 suite boarding kennel for overnight stays for cats. Cats do significantly better emotionally in a cat only environment. Our clients visit us for this, but they usually stay clients because of exceptional customer service and cat handling skills. Our mission is providing quality care for cats with an emphasis on science based cat behavior focused handling to get our job done. Keeping cats calm and safe is beneficial for everyone involved. We also offer grooming services that are super high quality and offer many specialized haircuts not offered by our competition.

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

I think our reputation was primarily built through word of mouth. I was a few years ahead of the trend of cat exclusive grooming when I opened, and was a natural referral for vet clinics and other grooming salons. I was often told by veterinarians that their clients raved about us and the quality of our services. So providing a good quality service, education to our clients, and having a calm environment was basis for our reputation. My training and experience, as well as the training and certifications provided to my apprentices certainly helps also. But ultimately the proof is in cats going home with grooming problems solved, smelling good, and not scared.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Our best source of new clients is by mouth referrals. I have been lucky to not have had to advertise since 2017. We are blessed with referrals from grooming industry colleagues and veterinarians. Many dog groomers do not have training in cat grooming and choose to not groom them. Since covid, we have had to close our books frequently as we have become booked many months into the future, and the staff becomes overwhelmed. So we do have a very specific process now when we accept new clients to only take on the type of clients that are a fit for our business model.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecatsmeowgrooming.com
• Instagram: Thecatsmeowgroomingandsuites
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCatsMeowGrooming

Image Credits
All photos taken or owned by me.