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Dear Lisa,

Dear Lisa,

I hope everyone has recovered from a busy holiday season. We were very busy in the salon. It was so nice to have a few days off, catch up on things around the house and visit with friends.

We have a few employment changes in the salon as you will see, but life goes on. It's a very positive change for the business as well as for myself. Change is always difficult for me, but this is best for everyone involved. I always dream of the time it was myself, Earl and Darlene in the salon. I wish I could have that team back. Everything seemed to really flow. I can only hope that I can achieve that again with a new team.

Adrienne Kawamura For right now I am enjoying the peace and quiet of working alone on most days. It has renewed my love of being in business for myself again. Although I am in the process of hiring, it will have to be a special person that I feel can bring positive energy to the salon, and someone that is supportive of me and the business. As a small business owner, this is the biggest challenge we face, and not one I enjoy. I believe everyone has an energy around them, and it does affect people as well as animals. I have learned some hard lessons recently, but ones necessary in order to run a franchise and franchisees.

I appreciate all of you and your cats. You are important to me, not just as clients, but as people. You bring a lot to my life, and all of your heartfelt thoughts since Earl passed away have given me some bit of encouragement to keep going when I didn't want to. I appreciate that, and I know Earl thought so much of those of you that he got to know, and he loved working with your cats. I am forever changed by my life with him.

I hope to see you in the salon soon!

Adrienne

Tellington Touch

Linda Tellington Touch Have you heard of Tellington Touch? Developed by Linda Tellington, also known as TTouch, it is a way of working with animals to solve behavior, health and performance problems. I was able to take a workshop in this several years ago and learned quite a few fascinating approaches to handling cats in the salon that have really helped me. For instance, I learned that if a cat is stressed, yawning and slow blinking helps calm them down.

Ease pain and discomfort, improve post-op recovery, restore and maintain mobility and performance. It works great for senior cats and dogs as well as behavior problems with your pets. Lori Stevens is Guild Certified in Tellington TTouch training for companion animals. She is also a National Board certified Animal Acupressue and Massage, Master Reiki Practitioner and offers sessions for cats and other small animals. If you think your cat could benefit from this, call Lori at 206-783-6640 or email Lori at Lori@SeattleTTouch.com.

What is that Thing on My Cat's Head?

Some of you may have seen the "Snoodie". It is a terry cloth head band used while blow-drying to protect a cat's ears and eyes from the air. They love it as it cuts out some of the noise and irritation from the air. I have had a lot of success with this, as it calms the cats down. I think they know the name now when I say," Do you want your snoodie on?" Just think of it as one of those towels people wear around their head at a spa. It's all good.

Germs, Germs, Germs

Just how do we work to eliminate germs from spreading in the salon? What is the bigger picture to understand the role disinfectants play in reducing disease transmission in animal care facilities? What are the properties of an ideal disinfectant, and does such a disinfectant actually exist?

Understanding some of the environmental contributors to stress is foundational to effectively minimizing disease transmission and creating a healthier environment. Disinfectants by themselves are only part of the equation. Since stress is a leading contributor to disease, providing a calm, quiet grooming facility is essential. Ventilation, temperature, humidity and space are key factors as well. In the salon I keep the dryer cages at a lukewarm temperature. Hot and humid conditions breed bacteria. Even in winter I will open a window to improve circulation in the bathing room.

City Kitty Grooming Station All surfaces and cage dryers are disinfected with Chlorihexidine between cats. No two cats come in direct contact with each other. Did you know a sneezing cat can project aerosolized particles up to five feet away? Minimizing transmission of infectious diseases involves an awareness of numerous principles. Of course, since we are not a veterinary hospital we are not seeing sick animals come in, but I still like to take all precautions to ensure your cat is protected at all times. I also steam the dryer cages once a week to kill off any bacteria.

The rest of the salon is cleaned daily and a spring cleaning is done once a week. I use only all natural products as regular products contain toxins for people as well as animals. They make some great natural cleansers now that kill 99% of all bacteria. I hope this helps ease your mind about how your salon is cared for, and remember; if your kitty has a sniffly nose, or does not seem to feel well, please wait until they are feeling better to come in. It is not good for your cat as well as others.

Breed Profile - LaPerm

(photo courtesy of www.cfa.org )

The LaPerm is a unique combination of curly hair and an affectionate personality. The kitten that exhibited traits of the original mutation that has formed the basis for the LaPerm breed sprang from strong, healthy, domestic "barn-cat" stock. In 1982, on an Oregon farm located near the ancient hunting and fishing grounds of the Wishram Indians, a litter of six kittens was born to a barn cat. One of the kittens was born completely bald-looking, nothing like her mother or her littermates. While the kitten had no hair, it did have large wide-spaced ears and a blueprint pattern on her skin that mimicked a classic tabby pattern.

Within 8 weeks the kitten began to grow very soft, curly hair. At three to four months of age the kitten, now named "Curly", had a full coat of curly hair. Not being very knowledgeable about cats, the owner accepted the "mutant" as unique and thought nothing more of the matter. During the next 10 years no attempt was made to breed selectively, but as the frequency of bald kittens increased in the random bred litters, the owner of the farm began to seek additional information about her unusual cats. She had no knowledge of genetics or breeding and thus allowed the cats to roam freely throughout the barns and orchards for several years. As she became aware of how truly unique these cats were, she started to confine the cats and control the breedings. It appeared the curly gene was dominate and carried by both males and females. This breeder was totally unprepared for the interest and excitement generated by cats she decided to enter in a cat show. The owner gave the cats the breed name "LaPerm", which means wavy or rippled.

LaPerms are very different because of their unique look and their people oriented personalities. They can be very active but love to be where you are, and love to be on your lap. They can have a coat from wavy to ringlets and come in a variety of colors. Not a very common breed but incredibly unique.

Guest Groomer

Gail Yurrick, a groomer from the NY/NJ area will be working with me this weekend. She is a fantastic groomer and is visiting me for a few days. She is sought after by a lot of cat owners in her area. We met at the National Cat Groomers Institute and spend time together at grooming trade shows. She is looking forward to working in the salon and getting to know you and your cats.

Finally...

Please remember that it is always less expensive to maintain your cat's grooming needs than to wait until it is too late. It is much less stress on the cat as well. Schedule your cat with us soon to avoid costly grooming fees.