Do you Groom your own pet(s)?

[snakemama]

Yep yep....we do the occasional baths, nails, ears, brushing, even shaving Sherpa because he gets hairballs incessantly when his fur is long.

[Cataholic]

Of my ten- Minnie goes to the groomer for a near complete shave down once a year, right as it gets really hot here, and so that it is somewhat grown out when it gets cold again. She has very fine, cotton candy-like hair, and her reclusive, under the bed, always lying down, nature means more mats. She and Dakky, have no front claws. Dakky is medium haired, but he just doesn't mat. So, that is 2 out of 10 cats.

Of the remaining 8- 6 get their nails trimmed by me, and if I am feeling lucky, one more sometimes does. The other one, Gus, gets nothing. No grooming, nails, vet visits, etc. He simply can't adapt to it. The last visit to the vet was 4 years ago, perhaps, and he bit through the vets webbing on each hand, and scaled the walls. We won't ever repeat that.

Of the 6 that I do clip regularly, they are all pretty easy to do, and with that sort of practice, I am pretty fast at it.

I do the occasional butt cleaning, and mat clipping of them, when necessary. But, half of my cats (Monte, Cali, Tuck, Sonic and Molly) are pretty short haired. Ari, Minnie, Gus and Annie-pants are very long haired. Minnie, she gets the shave down.

[moosmom]

I clean ears and clip nails of my "furred" babies. They don't require regular bathing as they're all indoors. I used to bathe the ones I showed in Household pet in the bath tub. It was pretty easy. Glad I don't have to do that anymore.

As far as Isis and Utchie is concerned, that's a whole other story. I just gave Isis a bath today and she is a DREAM to bathe. Stands in the kitchen sink till I'm done and then hops up on the counter where the drying towel is. Utchie on the otherhand, is a pain in the @$$!!!! He's awful. Every try to hold onto a squirmy naked cat while he's wet??? I've been forced wear a hoodie to prevent him from making mincemeat outta my chest and arms. That's why I've been forced to use "waterless" foaming shampoo most of the time. I only throw him in the sink when I absolutely HAVE to, like every other month. I don't understand why people think Sphynxes are easy to maintain because they have no fur, as they're not.

[jenluckenbach]

I do 99% of the above mentioned grooming, but then, I am a pet groomer.

With that said, I still do not bathe the cats at home in the conventional sink or tub, unless absolutely necessary. Simply seasier with the correct equipment at the grooming salon.

I do leave Calvin and Bonnie and Willow's nails either for their vet visit or do them as seldom as humanly possible. Too traumatic.

[Taz_Zoee]

I trim nails. I should brush them regularly, but am very lazy about it. Actually, I'm not even sure where the brush is. Taz would attack the brush when I used to brush him.
Years ago I had to bathe Taz when we had a horrible flea problem. 5 dogs in the house brought them in to Taz. My sister helped me and we both came out without a scratch.
I could clip Taz's nails by myself, he was such a good boy. But Paizly and Jax........Bruce has to hold (scruff) them for me. I tried just the other day to clip Jax's. I got one (nail, not paw) done and he was GONE!

[Karen]

I fixed the title to read "pets" to match the poll! We were very, very lucky with Miss Hoppy, as she decided after we tried clipping her nails, and then having the vet do it, to clip her own nails! It was not until she was an elderly bunny that I needed to do it! And brushes didn't work, we "groomed" her with extensive petting sessions for the most part, outside during the twice-yearly "big shed" season!

[Alysser]

Mikey has a very low maintenance coat aside from being a heavy shedder. I brush him maybe once a week at most, unless my mom guilts me into it. His coat fascinates me because its almost like he's waterproof. He never stays wet for too long!

[Litterati]

My Dorry is pretty low-maintenance, he's a classic silver grey short-haired tabby. Nonetheless (and I think that this is perhaps a bonding moment for us,) every day when I call him (I like to think so, although he probably hears me get out his grooming bag) he jumps up on the bathroom vanity counter and I brush and comb him tip to tail. And then he allows me to brush his teeth (vet impressed and so am I, considering that he likes to take little "nips" out of people, probably this works as I started when he was a tiny kitten.)

[Suki Wingy]

I am a groomer but I actually have a coworker clip and dremmel Nino's nails for me since he is MUCH easier to do at the salon on a table with someone supporting him. (I paint them sometimes too at that point)

He would really benefit from the high velocity blow dryer to loosen all of his undercoat but I'm afraid that'd set him over into seizure territory. So we give baths in the back yard for both dogs and I clip Eliza's nails at home. We have a furminator for Nino and a rubber brush for E. I clean their ears with ear wipes. I have to use cotton balls at work but at home I refuse to because I have sensory issues and cotton balls are pretty much the WORST texture in the world for me.

I am planning on getting a small, probably curly coated dog this fall or winter once I'm moved into my apartment and I plan on doing their grooming myself. I plan on doing some creative grooming at well. (I'm sure some of you remember when Nino was purple and then pink a year later)

[sallyandsnowx]

I do it all myself. Both Snow and Lucky have short hair, so brushing them is very easy and baths are only occasionally. I use to take them both to the vet to get their nails clipped, but my vet showed me how to do it and then I invested in some nail clippers. Even though nail clipping still can be a two man job.

[chocolatepuppy]

I groom my furkids myself. I don't bathe the cats and let the vet clip their nails as needed. I'm a chicken.

[Casper]

I do the vast majority of it by myself. The only part I need assistance with is clipping Ethan's nails, in which I enlist the help of my sister.

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, since the title changed, my response is different.
I will bathe the dogs and clip their coat a little. But Zoee goes to the groomer usually for a good cut every few months.
I don't clip the dogs nails.......too scared. They go to PetSmart for that.

[IRescue452]

Old thread but what the hay, I do it all myself. Autumn just lays down and lets me move her whichever way I want so I can give her a haircut.