This lady is a lion of a cat groomer.
Greenpointer Carolyn Ayala claims to be the only certified feline groomer in all of New York City. Her business Kitty Pride aims to help pussycats feel their prettiest — and keep fur off their owners’ couches. She accommodates frisky pets and fussy owners alike by making house calls in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
“People are really protective of their cats and this is a new deal for them, so going to their homes is less stressful for them and for the cats,” said Ayala, who runs Kitty Pride with the help of her wife Erica. “The owner is welcome to watch the process.”
Every night after they get off of work — Carolyn is a groomer for a vet by day — the Ayalas strap on backpacks filled with all the cat grooming accouterments they can carry, including a hair dryer, feline nail clippers, and a variety of animal soaps, and head out to clients’ homes.
They offer bathing and clipping services, as well as deep de-shed and de-matting treatments, for removing loose and tangled hair, respectively.
“I have seen cats that are in horrific condition, with [tangled hair] wrapped around their throats and strangling them, or [preventing] them from walking or jumping,” said Carolyn Ayala. “They lick themselves, but it does not help much.”
Ayala charges $75 for a basic wash-and-dry for a long-haired cat and $65 for short-hairs. Extras can include a lion cut, which runs $45, a belly clip for $10, or a “soft paws front and back” (yes, a mouser mani-pedi) for $25.
Cats generally hate being groomed, but customers say the Ayalas are comforting caretakers who make their cute clients feel as safe as possible. If it is okay with the owners, the two also take the time to make the cats look silly.
“They go crazy and give her the funniest hair,” said client Ben Velez. “There is always some little difference, like once they gave her a mohawk belly.”
Carolyn Ayala started out working as a dog groomer in a salon, where she occasionally took her comb to some cats.
“Most groomers treat cats like little dogs, not like they are another species,” said Ayala, who has been working with animals for more than 10 years and started the business last summer. “I felt like I was not able to give the cats the same service I was able to give the dogs.”
So she went all in and got her cat groomer’s degree from the National Cat Groomers Institute of America in Greenville, S.C. The course taught her about cat breeds, colors, skin-care, and diseases, she said.
Ayala hopes to open a storefront sometime soon, but for now, she and her wife are content trekking to customers’ homes.
“It’s better than dumping your cat off at a salon and coming back a few hours later,” she said.
