A feline first. Happy Cat Grooming opens doors in Westmont

Taking her time, Christine Haldeman carefully trimmed Olivia, a 16-year-old domestic longhair cat who was incredibly peaceful despite the noisy clipper.

“She’s super well-behaved. The noises scare them sometimes, so I start slow,” Haldeman said. “Olivia, I’ve taken care of over eight years so she’s very nice to us.”

“She gets a lion cut to prevent matting. There’s more hair on her head and legs. That’s the length the owner chooses,” said Haldeman, 44, of Downers Grove.

Olivia was the first client at 10 a.m. on a recent Tuesday at Happy Cat Grooming, which opened July 22 at 136 N. Cass Ave. in Westmont.

While it’s a new location, Haldeman has been in the business since April 2016. That’s when she bought a mobile grooming business from a woman who was moving out of state.

“I was a mobile groomer, drove a van around. Then I had an accident, totaled the van in March of 2023,” she said.

Groomers are limited when mobile because of driving time between clients, along with unpredictable Chicago traffic and weather, Haldeman said.

“At first I was going to get another van and then decided to go brick-and-mortar,” she said.

So far, business has been steady. Being in downtown Westmont helps. Clients are nearby or from as far away as south suburban Lansing and Frankfort.

“There’s not a lot of people who do cat grooming,” she said. “It’s busy. I’m always busy. I try to do six (cats) a day, 25 to 30 a week.”

Cats can be nervous or scared when getting trimmed and can bite or claw, Haldeman said.

“You try to hold them. Worst case, I tell the owner they have to talk to their vet about sedating,” said Haldeman, who has few scars.

“I tell the owner, it’s not a bad cat. It’s a good cat that gets scared,” she said.

Jessica Willer, 38, of Darien, assists Haldeman when needed.

“I’m not a groomer. I don’t know how she does it. It’s amazing,” said Willer, who wears long sleeves at work just in case a cat lashes out.

Asked for favorite stories, Haldeman said, “The ones who make me proud are the cats that are very nervous, you think you’re not going to touch them and I get through to them and can work with them.”

“But you have to be so careful. Cats can get stressed out, have breathing problems,” she said. “My mom’s favorite part is that I use warm towels. The cats love it.”

Her mother, Shirley Schultz, 79, of Burr Ridge often helps with cleaning at Happy Cat Grooming.

“Very proud of her. She did this all on her own. I’m glad she’s brick-and-mortar. When she had the truck, there’s bad weather,” Schultz said.

It takes Haldeman, a certified feline master groomer with the National Cat Groomers Institute, about 90 minutes to groom a cat.

“I don’t think every cat needs to be groomed. But a lot of owners do it for shedding. A lion cut will grow out in three to four months. Some are here every six to eight weeks,” she said.

She trims the cat, gives it a bath and then gives the final cut because clean hair is easier to cut.

Trimming all these felines leaves behind a lot of fur. No worries. She sells excess fur to a company that uses it to make allergy serum.

After work, Haldeman is greeted by three cats in the home she shares with husband Rob.

There’s a domestic short hair named Sammie who she took in after its first and second owner passed away; Leroy, a domestic longhair who was hit by a car; and Gilly, the pet of a client who also died.

“I’m such a sucker for old animals,” she said with a laugh.

Happy Cat Grooming hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; and by appointment only on Wednesday. For more information, call 630-432-1799 or visit www.HappyCatGrooming.com