Cats A Groomin

Love Cats A Groomin, they only do cats no dogs and it is very clean. Our senior longhair, Whiskers has been going to Cats A Groomin every three months for a bath and modified lion cut for over a year. At first, Whiskers was anxious and they modified her haircut until she was comfortable having her upper shoulders clipped. Now we put in the car she is anxious thinking she may be going to the vet until we we walk into Cats A Groomin then she just settles in and relaxes. When we pick Whiskers up she is always calm and happy. Whiskers loves to be clean and clipped now. The prices are reasonable, too.

The Cat Whisperer! Brenda has such a wonderful demeanor. You have to have a lot of patience and love for cats to groom them. We have also used her for boarding. Isabella is 14 and had never been boarded. We thought it would only be for a few days but it ended up taking a lot longer because of a house sell. Brenda worked with us and kept Isabella the whole time. I don’t know what we would have done without her. Our cat has long hair and is not always the friendliest, but Brenda finds a way to bath her, clip her, sanitize her and dry her to make her look beautiful and, most importantly, clean. I am flying with her this week and Brenda was so helpful with suggestions on traveling with a cat. Look no furr-​ther for help with your cats. Thanks, Brenda, for all of your wonderful care of Isabella.

They are simply great! We have a Napoleon and not only are they familiar with the breed they do amazing job because she knows what grooming requirements (ie., a kitty «Brazilian») are best for our stubby legged long haired beauty. The pricing is beyond reasonable and the hours are really good. Definitely check them out especially if you have a long-​haired cat.

Brenda and Annie have been fantastic with my (diva like!) persian kitties.
The come home clean and dry with nice belly and sanitary trims — and MUCH less stressed with no barking dogs hanging around during their grooming.
Brenda has given great tips on how to take care of their coats myself in between visits.
So glad to have found a wonderful cats only groomer!

My long-​haired black and white kitty Daisy was getting some mats and I couldn’t control them anymore so I came on Unilocal to find a cat groomer. As other viewers have stated, its hard to find a cat groomer. Also, Daisy is not the most flexible and laid back kitty around so I knew I needed to go somewhere that could handle her diva ways. She’s very very sweet, never takes her claws out or hisses, but she doesn’t like to be held so I knew the grooming wouldn’t go very well.
I found Cats A Groomin, read the reviews, and decided to call. I got an appointment a week or two out (my schedule is tough so it was more me pushing the date back than them) but when the day came Daisy was hiding out somewhere and I couldn’t find her in time to go — its like she knew where she was going! During the week you have to bring your kitty in between 9 – 10 so it didn’t work out for that day. I called and told them I couldnt find little miss but to please call me back and maybe I could get squeezed in on that Saturday. Brenda called me back within a day and said to come by around 2pm and she could fit me in. I was so thankful.
When the time came, Daisy was pretty much acting how I expected — making lots of noises and squirming about on the table. Brenda was so kind and patient with Daisy, not making me feel like my cat was being unreasonable or making her job harder. She was very gentle and worked through all the mats in about 20 minutes. She also talked with me throughout, telling me about Daisy’s undercoat and when the best time to keep on top of the brushing is. She also charged me a fantastic rate for the work.
Overall it was a positive experience and I would absolutely take Daisy her again. Daisy is very happy and comfortable now without her fur being pulled tightly against her skin from the mats. Animal people love their animals like children and I would only take my kitten to the best groomer — I’m so glad I found them!
I also really enjoyed playing with the other kitties in the shop. Annie was there grooming another beautiful long-​haired named Sydney and it was really nice to talk with her too — she seemed very sweet.
Thanks Cats A Groomin!

I have been taking my kitty to Cats a Grooming for many years. Brenda and Annie are the best. So nice to have a kitty only grooming place!!! Mixie gets matts even though I comb her, so I need to bring her in every 4 months or so to get her dematted and bathed. They both do a great job!!!

I read through a few of these postings and had to add one. First, let’s be honest. Cat groomers are rare. Most of us have had to use a groomer that does both dogs and cats and, since dogs are — for the most part — MUCH easier to groom than a cat, there’s a bias at the dog/​cat groomers. I’d been to three different dog/​cat groomers in Orinda, Moraga and Walnut Creek and all of them were more than happy to get my cat out of their salon, they coo’d over the dogs and, while not actually ‘rude’, they made it clear that they didn’t care if I came back with my cat — who is a docile DSH.
Those of you who have tried to bathe, trim and dry your cat know — it’s not a pleasant experience for you or your cat. One of mine recently got skunked looking out our (cat) fenced in yard at the skunk and I had to give her 4 skunk baths. We both needed some valium after that experience.
OK — so the review. I LOVE this place. All my cats have been here at least once but my older cat — now 18 yrs old — has been a regular visitor every 3 months for several years. Since he doesn’t groom himself anymore, his fur is kind of funky and I get him trimmed back short. All of the groomers at ‘Cats A Groomin’ do a good job for what I have needed — bath, short trim — all over — and dry. I cannot comment on any ‘special’ cuts but they’ve always had him ready in a couple of hours. If you can’t make it in right at 0930-​ish, they’ll work with you on time as long as they can finish by 3:30 ish. I like that they are only cats. They’re gentle with my old boy and I trust their experience. If they think there might be a problem with your cat during the grooming process, isn’t it better for them to let you know? I doubt that the other groomers I used in this area would have bothered. The groomer in Moraga called me to get my boy early because he was meowing too loudly. Right, in a salon full of yappy dogs, she’s being bothered by my cat?
It’s a hard job, grooming cats. They love cats here and are willing to put up with us crazy cat people. I trust they’ll do a good, safe job and will not proceed if anything seems out of the ordinary. I challenge anyone to post information about a better CAT grooming facility.
Cats-​a-​groomin –keep up the great work! We love you!

****In response to Annie: As I mentioned to her in a private email she sent me after reading my review, I cannot blame her for not feeling comfortable enough to groom my cat. What I am reviewing is the extreme unprofessionalism of this experience. The back and forth with the yes I’ll groom him only to hear back a couple days later that she won’t because she called a veterinarian friend of hers… instead of taking my cat in that day, she should have just said she couldn’t do it and left it at that. I have found another groomer who is willing to work with me and I have made sure to carry a note from my veterinarian saying he is stable. My cats health is my number 1 concern which is why he has had a full work up at the cardiologist and why I take him to the groomers. If he weren’t healthy enough for a groom, I would have never stepped in the door.****
I was hoping for a great experience here for my 13 year old Persian but I can’t say that happened.
I took him in for a full groom last week. When asked by Annie if he had any health issues, I was very honest with her and told her he has a heart condition that was 100% controlled and that he has been through professional grooming before. I knew the very second those words came out of my mouth, this wasn’t going to end well. Her face completely changed. She said that if she noticed he was stressing out and open mouth breathing, she would stop. I completely agreed with her because my cat’s health is my first concern. She took him in and advised a 2pm pick up.
I got a call about an hour and a half later from Annie saying that she does not feel comfortable even combing him out and absolutely does not recommend a bath. She asked me to come down and I could hang out while she finished combing him out, but she would not bathe him. I drove down there a little annoyed and met with Annie. I asked her if he was showing any kind of distress and she said no. Now I was really annoyed. I let her finish combing him out and we discussed his heart condition. He has an arrhythmia which is an irregular heartbeat. He is being treated by the cardiologist at SAGE Veterinary Centers where I work and he has been deemed completely stable. The cardiologist said that he could return to normal activity-​including the groomers. The more we talked, the more Annie opened up to grooming him more thoroughly. Especially since he was extremely mellow for her. She agreed to groom him on a step by step basis in the future. I would come one day for a comb out and the next available day for a bath so as to not stress him out with the multitude of things going on. She also asked that I be there for the entire grooming session (s). I had absolutely no problem with this and thanked her for the time she spent with my cat Sebastian and for wanting to put his health first. We agreed to me coming back this Friday for a bath.
Well, I got a call from her earlier today and Annie tells me she has spoken to a veterinarian friend of hers who «absolutely does not recommend a bath» for him due to his heart condition. I had to cut her off right there. How ridiculous of a so-​called veterinarian to say such a thing. First of all, I work in the veterinary field, my father is a veterinarian, AND my cat has been treated and is under the direct care of a cardiologist who has deemed him completely stable. The veterinarian that she spoke with has absolutely no background information on my cat’s health and his heart condition. It was not fair for that veterinarian to generalize my cat’s health without even looking at his record and discharge instructions from the cardiologist.
I understand that a groom is very stressful for a cat but this is not my cat’s first time being groomed. He has even undergone anesthesia after being diagnosed with his heart issue (of course with careful monitoring) and he was fine. He is not a cat that gets stressed out easily. I have the rare advantage of knowing how my cat acts at the vet’s office and behind the scenes as he has come to work with me many times.
While I completely understand Annie’s concerns and why she got gun-​shy, this whole experience was just unprofessional and misleading. I have now had to go back to the drawing board to find a new groomer. Something that could have been taken care of a week ago at his original appointment.
If your cat has any kind of health issues, do your research for a groomer that is willing to work with you.

This is hands down one of the best businesses around, regardless of industry. If you are looking for a clean and calm environment for your cat, this is it. Annie and Brenda are just the nicest people. Brenda is so knowledgeable about cats in general that we always pick up a few good tips to try with our cats. She is super gentle and cares more than a store groomer. I would give this place more stars if I could, because they deserve it.

Took my furry child to get groomed for the first time and this place was great!!! Brenda and Ann were both great and very welcoming and made me feel like he was in good hands. They gave me good tips and things to help me out at home. Definitely going to be going back and recommend this place:)

First off, let me just say, Annie is a ROCKSTAR! I absolutely adore her and I totally felt like she cares about my cats and me more than just random customers. We went yesterday for our first time for a flea bath. My two male cats, Thomas and Meatball, have neverrrrr been to a groomer before so I was nervous but they really needed it. Annie made me feel completely at ease and I trusted her with them. (and I fully admit to being a crazy cat lady where my cats are my children!) When they started freaking out and getting upset, Annie called me and let me come check on them. I was so grateful that she understood that I needed them to have this treatment and she didn’t kick us out just because they were being pains in the butt! She was SO patient with them. We will be back! But hopefully just for baths and nail trims. no more fleas! — Chloe
We loved having Annie take care of us, even if we didn’t act like it. We’ll behave better next time! Promise! — Thomas and Meatball

I took my two cats in for their first grooming today. Annie went over everything in detail with me and took her time taking good care of my kitties. They did absolutely great and are very happy back at home. They look beautiful too! They will definitely be going back on a regular basis. Thanks Annie!

Sydney had an appointment on Saturday ⁵⁄₈ at 10am. We were there until 2:30. Brenda the owner is who groomed Sydney and was courteous and gave Sydney breaks because she was extremely anxious. You can tell that Brenda truly cares about each and every cat that visits Cats a Groomin. Annie who works for Brenda has the patience of a saint. She is extremely compassionate towards ALL animals. The thing that I liked most about our experience there was the fact that they allowed me to watch the entire grooming process for the 1^st time ever. After such a wonderful experience I will NEVER take Sydney anywhere else. Thanks to Brenda Sydney is no longer covered in matts and is happy again. She is a completely different cat. I am SUPER picky when it comes to my cats haircut and Brenda did it EXACTLY how I wanted. I definitely recommend Cats a Groomin for you feline grooming or boarding needs!!!

Brenda is a nightmare. I couldn’t believe how rude and condescending she was to me. The cats she grooms have more social skills than she does.
I attempted to drop my cat off for his grooming appointment. I was quickly informed that I booked the wrong type of appointment. Apparently if your cat has any matts you need to book a «dematting» service along with whatever else you’d like. This was very unclear to me. I assumed that if she was going to shave all his hair off anyway, why would he need to be dematted first. She needs to make this clear when booking.
She was so nasty to me. Spoke to me like she was scolding a child and sent me home. It’s been a long long time since I’ve been treated that way.
The other girl that was there was very sweet. She helped me carry my cat back to my car since I also had my 10 month old son with me. 5 starts to her… and ZERO to Brenda.

I rescued a Himalayan about 6 months ago (similar to the guy with the lion cut with blue eyes in the pictures, i swear its my Misha) and had never previously owned a cat that needed professional grooming. I quickly discovered Misha needed serious professional attention. Her first appointment at Cats a Groomin was for a lion cut. I went for it. I had been told that her previous owners had subjected her to them before so i did not think it would be an issue. Oh was i wrong. Misha proved to be difficult and extremely aggressive. I appreciated that Brenda called me and told me that she couldnt continue and to come pick her up and give her some calming herbs and bring her back. I did and Brenda called couple of hours later and had me pick up misha. She didnt want to charge me at all because she didnt think she did well and the finished product was not to her standards, but i paid her anyway, because i appreciated all of the time she took on her and her patience.
I came back a few months later with Misha for a bath and comb out. Misha was again aggressive, and this time was worked on by another groomer (i cannot recall her name, she is blond) She told me that Misha has very sensitive skin and that is why she gets aggressive, because «typical» brushes hurt her and pull on her skin. She advised i buy a baby brush for her. I have tried this, although it doesnt help prevent matting, and have tried to use a combo of brushes now.
I will be back. I am happy they haven’t «black listed» Misha and are still giving her a chance. That means a lot, and i appreciate the time and effort they spend on her. This is not an easy job!

I’ve taken my Maine Coon, Frank, several times to Brenda for grooming. And she has done a stellar job, each and every time! I highly recommend Brenda and her grooming service. My cat doesn’t have to be around hyper, barking dogs while away from home (which is very stressful on its own).
She can bathe, shave, and blow dry my Frank with very convenient drop off/​pick up times and prices for the amazing work she does.
I appreciate her catering to the cats and her great grooming skills :)

So, to be fair, I’ve taken my cat here a few times in the past when they were in Walnut Creek and was plesaed, especially that it was cats only. I wanted to go back, but couldn’t reach anyone or make an appt. What the heck?
I called on the phone and it didn’t have a message service. I tried the online, and there were no appts. available for any of the days I tried to book.
I guess they must be happily busy and don’t mind that I took my business elsewhere.

I am so glad I waited for my second (attempted) visit to leave a more precise review!
Firstly, those hours of operation are non existent. If you happen to catch her or she calls you back she claims she is «full» and or «busy» for weeks on end, and gives out appointments weeks away (which would fool you to think she is fabulous) but I say NO. She is lazy, rarely there, and I have no idea how she is able to keep her store front open! Those cats you see roaming around the shop are hers, not client’s pets but hers! Also, I have stopped by her shop during these so called hours of operation and her shop is closed! As in lights off, door locked in the middle of the day!
Secondly, her voicemail now says that she allows drop-​ins. So in turn why I attempted to drop-​in my cat but to no avail. After a month of trying to figure out when this shop is open I finally left a message. Only to be called back and rudely told that I cannot just drop off my cat (scratch head, then why do you say you do on your voicemail) and she would not even go over available future dates, not that I was inclined to even give her a second chance.
Lastly, I want to share my first and last visit, which was about 2 months ago. My poor baby girl who is a short haired cat that is very friendly and desperately needed a lion cut. She is very accustom to grooming, we use to give her this style in Florida those few chilly weeks out of the year and figured it is easy enough to pull off and will help her stay neat and warm in CA weather.
Please make note that after 4 or so hours we called her several time to figure out a pick up time and this person never picks up her phone! She was off at the spa somewhere! We just showed up!
When we finally get her, what we picked up was a fully shaven cat with mediocre shave markings all over her hind quarters, barely a semblance of fur on her tail and only part of her head was shaven which gave her a funny appearance. Even the neighbors made remarks about her shave and how funny she looked. We were glad to see her fur come back and our intention this second visit was to inform the groomer to please fade her shave in and to leave more fur on her tail. But that never happened, thank goodness. I shouldn’t be giving notes to a groomer in the first place.
Beware of mysterious and rude groomer, you have been warned.
Now back to the drawing board of finding a new cat groomer in our area! Any suggestions…

I had an absolutely wonderful experience with Cats A Groomin! Or maybe I should say my kitty did. Ok we both did. Let me explain.
My poor ancient kitty has been a little slack in the hygiene department in his old age, and his legs and tush were getting awfully matted. After having horrible luck trying to get an appointment for him with PetSmart («Our cat groomer doesn’t have a consistent schedule, hmmm, not sure how to handle that…») and Aussie Mobile (no can do if you live in an apartment, they require a garden hose), I did try to take care of him at home with a pet grooming kit ordered from Amazon. Mostly disastrous — I needed a professional. I did my Unilocal homework and found this wonderful place, only minutes from my office in Walnut Creek, and cats only! Kitty exclusive! Love it! I made my appointment online, and I had to wait about 3 weeks for his dematting. Sounds good.
I dropped him off on a weekday morning during the required 9:30 — 10:00 am window, and received a quick chat and kitty onceover with the very friendly shop owner. She asked a couple questions and said she would call with any concerns, and with that I was out the door!
I returned around 3:00 and the place was alive with the energy of kitties and people! I had half expected to receive a totally hairless cat back, but instead only his bad spots were bare (shaved booty — seriously). I had expected to pay for the $ 65 dematting quoted on the website, and I had also requested a bath, so I assumed I was looking at near $ 100. But instead he got a comb-​out, spot shave and sponge bath (apparently he was being fussy so he didn’t quite get the full beauty spa treatment), and it only came out to $ 30! Something I thought would be an ordeal turned out to be an absolute breeze.
I HIGHLY recommend Cats A Groomin for all kitty beauty needs — they are courteous and professional and definitely animal lovers. I’m so grateful I found them on Unilocal,and hopefully now you are too!

Not only is this the best place to take your pussy to be groomed, but the only place! They recently moved locations and the «crazy» cat lady that does all the grooming is a sweetheart (for the most part). She’s not really «crazy» but you have to be to do what she does!
Puma, my beautiful Himalayan has been going there for a few years now and always comes back happy. I swear the main picture on the website is Puma, but the lady claims its another kitty…