As many of my readers already know, we have 4 furry pets in the Mad Money Monster household. We share our home with 2 cats and 2 pups. And boy do we ever love our little companions and want only the best for them. But, that doesn’t mean we spare no expense for their health and happiness. Of course, we consider their health and happiness in caring for each and every one of them, but we do it with frugality at the forefront. 

We do our best to make sure we’re not overpaying for quality food or topnotch healthcare. Both pups are bathed at least twice per year – usually when the weather is warm enough for an outdoor bath. They all get plenty of exercise and love. Our friends have regular check-ups, eat grain-free foods, and enjoy routine groomings. Speaking of grooming…

One of the biggest expenses we face is pet grooming for one of our Mad Money Cats. He’s a Maine Coon! And I’m sure many of you know this particular breed can be a grooming nightmare. Unfortunately, that is not an exaggeration and our Mad Money Maine Coon Cat is No Exception. Fortunately, he’s the only pet we have with wild fur and the need for almost daily attention.

Our DIY Pet Grooming Hack

After adopting Mad Money Cat, he quickly started to develop knots that could not be ignored. At first, we took him to our local groomer. But that was megabucks each time he visited. And as you know, megabucks for groomings just wasn’t going to cut it (pun intended) in our frugal nest. So, I started to research DIY alternatives. I could groom this cat myself, right? Short answer: Right!

Before settling on this DIY pet grooming kit through Amazon, I read review after review. After much deliberation and debate, I added it to my virtual shopping cart and checked out. It arrived as scheduled, but I was skeptical. I didn’t believe I could purchase something on Amazon for under $30 and have a quality product that would save us from the expensive pet groomer.

Fortunately, I had a plan. I knew I only had one chance to get this right without scarring our little guy forever.  My plan was to acclimate MMC via positive associations before trying to shave knots off of his neck. I started by turning it on and off in his presence. Then, I moved closer and did the same thing. After I saw he was okay with that, I turned the clippers on and placed it a few feet away while offering him a treat. I proceeded to do the latter while getting closer and closer to our fluffball.

Success! Eventually, I was able to turn on the clippers and shave the knots off without incident. The best part, he actually makes his knots available to me now! He must realize it makes him feel better and he associates it with a positive experience. Phew!

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Not Just For Cats!

Truth be told, I wasn’t always a cat lover. In fact, I much preferred dogs to cats and couldn’t imagine why everyone went nuts over felines. That was before I adopted one. Now, I’m a total cat lover AND dog lover! Life is good. #allanimalsrock

That being said, I totally love dogs and wanted to let you know that this DIY pet grooming kit is not just for cats. It’s made for both cats and dogs. Woot!

What’s Included?

The set we purchased included adjustable clippers with several different attachments, trimming shears, and a rechargeable adaptor. The clippers are really quiet (great for skittish pets) and the trimming shears are sharp, easy to handle, and ready to use.

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Total Cost And Savings

Our local groomer charged anywhere from $50 – $60 to bathe and groom our little man. That didn’t include the tip. We felt a fair tip should at least be  10 – 20% tip each time. Whoa. That was a lot of dough. We were dropping $60 – $70 each time he had an appointment. And his appointments were once every month or two.

Total savings? I’m glad you asked! Let’s say we were spending $65/pop and we needed to take him 6/year. That equates to $390/year!

Don’t forget, $362.01 is our savings for just a single year. Imagine how many years we will use this set! Even if it only lasts for 5 years, which I suspect it will last much longer than that, that would be a savings of $1,810.05! You really can’t argue with those numbers. It was worth the gamble for us. If you want to try the pet grooming kit for yourself, buy it here!

As pictured, Mad Money Cat has no problem hanging out with his clippers and leave-in conditioner. The conditioner helps keep him silky smooth in between trimmings. If you’re also interested in the leave-in conditioner, check it out here!

How do you handle your pet grooming needs?

In the name of full disclosure, we have included a few affiliate links in this post. That means, if you happen to use our links to purchase the same DIY pet grooming kit or leave-in conditioner that we use, we’ll see a tiny profit. However, we wouldn’t recommend it if we didn’t love it. And any profits we make help to keep the lights on around here. 🙂