PetGroomBossPro Blog — Cat Grooming

The Grooming Checklist for a Cat: Working Each Line on the Groomer App

When an owner calls a week later to ask whether the ears were done, the honest answer should not depend on who remembers. The grooming checklist on the groomer app is the record of what was done for each pet at each visit, and it works the same on a cat as on a dog.

This article is about the checklist as a record in the software. It is not a guide to how to groom a cat; that is your craft, and the checklist simply lets you mark what you did.

From Confirmed Visit to Checklist

By the time the checklist matters, the visit has been booked and confirmed, as in Confirming Repeat Cat Visits on Pending Jobs the Day Before. The groomer arrives, taps Start, and the checklist is there for each pet on the job.

Each pet gets its own checklist. A visit with a cat and two dogs has three, so the cat's record is never mixed in with the dogs'.

The Lines on the Checklist

For each pet, the checklist includes:

• Coat & skin checked on arrival
• Brushed out / de-matted
• Bath & conditioner
• Blow dry & fluff
• Haircut / style
• Sanitary trim
• Paw pads
• Nails
• Ears
• Eyes & face
• Final brush-out

Plus the add-ons on that job, such as De-Matting, Ear Cleaning or Nail Grinding, and a note for the customer.

To be straightforward: it is the same list for dogs and cats. There is no separate cat checklist. The groomer ticks the lines that apply to this pet at this visit and leaves the rest.

Not Every Line, Every Time

Cat appointments vary a lot. A cat nail trim visit might mean one line ticked. A comb-out might mean brushed out and final brush-out. A full cat groom or lion cut might cover most of the list. What the owner booked, what the notes say and what the groomer decides on the day all shape it.

That is why the checklist is useful rather than a box-ticking chore. A list that shows only what was done is a clear record. A list where everything is ticked every time, whether it happened or not, is no record at all. Make it a rule: tick what was done, nothing else.

The Add-Ons on the List

The add-ons ticked on the job appear on the checklist too. When the groomer finishes the de-matting or the nail grinding, they tick it. That closes the loop between what was booked, what was done and what goes on the invoice. See Add-Ons on a Cat Appointment: Ticking De-Matting, Ear Cleaning and Nail Grinding on the Job.

The Note for the Customer

Each checklist has a note for the customer. This is different from the pet's notes line, which is for your groomers and carries forward. The customer note is for the owner, about this visit:

• “Matting behind the ears is coming back.”
• “Mochi did great with the nails today.”
• “Kept the mane a bit fuller as you asked.”

Keep it plain and kind. If something seems off with the cat's health, the note can suggest the owner check with their vet, without guessing at what it is. Writing these well gets its own guide: Writing the Note for the Cat Owner at the End of Every Groom.

What the Office Sees

When the groomer completes the job, the office sees each pet's checklist on the job, along with the customer note and the before and after photos. That is the record to check when an owner calls with a question.

The office can also print a Grooming Report for the customer from the checklist. For cat owners who like to know exactly what was done, it is a simple, tidy summary. That is the next article.

The Checklist on a Phone in a Van

The checklist runs in the groomer app, which runs in the browser on iPhone and Android and installs to the home screen. Ticking lines is quick, and it does not need to happen mid-groom; many groomers work through the list once the cat is back with the owner, before they tap Complete.

If an owner asks why a line was not ticked, the answer is usually in the notes or the service that was booked. A nail trim visit has no haircut line ticked because no haircut was booked. That consistency is what makes the checklist believable when the office reads it back.

A Record of Every Visit

A per-pet checklist, ticked honestly, turns every cat appointment into a record the office can stand behind and the owner can read. For the rest of how cats work in PetGroomBossPro, go back to the cat grooming software page.