Cat grooming
Are cats groomed in the same room as dogs?
Cat owners ask this before anything else, and for good reason: a barking dog on the other side of a table can end a groom. Here is how the cat side of Dogtown is set up, what we have published about it, and what you can do on the drive and at the door.
The short version
No: cats are groomed in their own quiet room, away from the dog floors
Cats and dogs do not share a grooming room at Dogtown. Our 10,000-square-foot building on Eastern Ave holds indoor play floors, a turf yard with pools, overnight suites and a dog grooming studio, and the cat room is a separate, quiet space away from the dog areas. That is stated on our cat grooming page and in our FAQ, and the front desk will confirm it when you call.
The reason is feline rather than cosmetic. The AAFP and ISFM feline-friendly handling guidelines, written for veterinary practices, recommend separate dog and cat waiting rooms, scheduling cat and dog appointments at different times and keeping other animals out of a cat's line of sight. For most cats, a strange dog in view is a threat, and a frightened cat is harder and riskier to handle. Keeping the groom in a cat-only room takes that out of the session.
- A separate cat room, away from the play floors and the dog grooming tables
- Cat behavior specialists, minimal restraint and an unhurried pace
- Every cat assessed before the service begins
- A vet referral for any cat who cannot be groomed safely
Arrival
Arrival is the one moment your cat may pass dogs, so plan the carrier and the time
Arrival is the part worth planning, because Dogtown is a working dog daycare. Daycare dogs come and go in set windows: 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM on weekdays, and 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM on Saturdays. If your cat's appointment can sit outside those windows, fewer dogs are coming through the door. We have not published a separate cat entrance, so ask the front desk when you book how cat arrivals run at the time you choose.
Bring your cat in a hard-sided carrier, ideally one whose top lifts off, with bedding from home inside. The 2011 handling guidelines note that most cats are comfortable staying in the bottom half of a carrier, so a nervous cat can be worked on without being tipped out. A towel draped over the carrier blocks the view of the lobby, the same principle the guidelines apply when they advise keeping other animals out of a cat's line of sight.
- 01
Leave the carrier out at home for a few days with bedding and a treat inside
- 02
If your week allows, choose a slot outside the daycare drop-off windows
- 03
Cover the carrier with a towel for the drive and the walk in
- 04
Carry it level and keep it closed until the groomer takes over
- 05
Tell us about mats, age and anything your cat dislikes at the handover
- 06
Put the towel back on for the trip home
A quiet studio
The studio stays quiet through distance from the dogs and a slow pace
Quiet starts with distance. The cat room sits away from the play floors and the dog grooming tables, so the sounds of a busy dog building are not on top of your cat. The rest is handling. Our cat behavior specialists work with minimal restraint and an unhurried pace, and they read feline body language so they can stop before stress builds rather than after.
That pace is why every cat is assessed before the service starts. The specialist looks at the coat and at how the cat is coping, then confirms which of the four services fits: nail clipping at $20, Minimal Trims at $45 with no bath, the Full Bath at $95, or the Full Service at $120 with bath, shaving, trims and nails. A cat who cannot be groomed safely on the day is referred to a vet rather than pushed through.
Your cat
What it means for your cat depends on whether it already lives with dogs
A cat that shares a house with a dog usually shrugs off a distant bark better than one that has never met a dog, and the arrival plan changes with that. The dog-wise cat mostly needs a quick, covered walk in. The cat that has never seen a dog, or panics at one, gets the most careful timing and the towel on the carrier from your front door to the handover. Tell us which kind of cat you have when you book.
Seniors and kittens add their own needs. An older cat with stiff joints should not slide around in a carrier, so carry it level and keep the drive short. A kitten's first visits shape how it feels about grooming for years, which is why a short, dry service such as a $20 nail clip or Minimal Trims at $45 is a gentler start than a bath. Whatever the age, mention any past fright around dogs.
- Lives with a dog: a covered, quick arrival is usually enough
- Never met a dog: careful slot timing and a covered carrier throughout
- Senior: a level carrier and a short drive
- Kitten: a short, dry first service
Getting here
From Rockport, Essex or Manchester, keep the drive short and the carrier steady
Dogtown is at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, a short drive from Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and cat grooming runs inside our hours: Monday to Friday 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM. Sunday is closed except for overnight-stay pick-up and drop-off, so cat appointments fall Monday to Saturday. Wedge the carrier so it cannot slide, keep the radio low and the windows mostly closed.
Cape Ann weather is part of the plan. If a nor'easter or an icy morning makes the drive a bad idea, call 978 491-5922 to talk about the appointment rather than driving a carrier through it. If your cat has a medical problem or the coat hides sores, see your vet first; Gloucester keeps a list of local and emergency veterinary offices, and Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open around the clock.
At Dogtown
The cat studio at Dogtown
Low-stress cat grooming in a quiet room away from the dogs, booked online with no evaluation first.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Will my cat hear dogs during the groom?
Do cats wait in the lobby with dogs?
Is the handling different for a cat that lives with dogs?
What if my cat is terrified of dogs?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AAFP and ISFM feline-friendly handling guidelines (2011)
- Gloucester local emergency veterinary offices
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book a groom in the cat room.
Choose nails, Minimal Trims, the Full Bath or the Full Service online or in the Dogtown app. No evaluation is needed, and the front desk can talk through the arrival on 978 491-5922.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
