Taking Carbonel Couture to the Nationals was a huge experience for me.
Of course, it was fantastic to see the stall busy, meet customers who had previously only purchased from me online, and introduce Ladybel products to people who hadn’t used them before.
But one of the things I enjoyed most was actually talking to exhibitors about their cats.
People would come to the stall, start looking through the products and then begin telling me about a problem they were having with their cat’s coat.
And two questions came up again and again.
“What can I use to get the grease out of the coat?”
And…
“What can I use to remove staining?”
Different breeds. Different colours. Different grooming routines.
But the same frustrations.
Some people had been trying different shampoos without getting the result they wanted. Others had staining they had been battling for months. Some simply didn’t know where to start.
And what became very clear to me over the weekend was that people weren’t necessarily looking for more products.
They were looking for the right products — and advice on how to use them.
Why does my cat’s coat still feel greasy after a bath?
A greasy coat can be incredibly frustrating.
You bath the cat, rinse the coat, dry it and expect a beautiful clean finish.
Instead, the coat still feels heavy. It separates. It clumps together. Or you run your hands through it and can still feel that greasy residue.
The first instinct is often to wash the cat again.
But another wash with the same shampoo isn’t necessarily going to solve the problem.
Grease can come from natural oil production, stud tail, environmental build-up and grooming products that haven’t been completely removed from the coat. Heavy conditioners and finishing products can also build up over time, particularly when they aren't suited to the coat you're working with.
Some cats simply produce more oil than others.
This is particularly noticeable in entire males, but greasy coats certainly aren't limited to studs.
The important thing is to properly remove the excess grease and build-up before expecting your regular shampoo to do its job.
Sometimes the preparation before shampooing is the missing step
This was one of the biggest conversations I had at Nationals.
Many people had tried different shampoos but had never considered using a pre-shampoo.
A product such as Ladybel Degrease Pre-Shampoo is designed to be used before your regular shampoo to help remove excess oils, grease and product build-up from the coat.
Think of it as preparing a clean canvas.
Once that excess grease and residue has been removed, you can follow with the shampoo best suited to your cat's coat type and condition.
This is also where understanding the coat in front of you becomes important.
A Persian carrying a huge, dense coat may require a completely different grooming routine to a silky Ragdoll, a Maine Coon with a shaggy, weather-resistant coat, or an Oriental with a short, close-lying coat.
The goal isn't simply to remove every trace of oil from the coat.
The goal is to remove unwanted grease and build-up without working against the natural texture and qualities the coat should have.
Then came the stains...
The other question I heard constantly was:
“What can I use to get rid of this stain?”
And this is where things become a little more complicated.
Because not every stain is the same.
Staining can appear around the eyes and mouth, on paws, around the rear of the cat or anywhere on a light or white coat where discolouration becomes noticeable.
The cause matters.
Before reaching for a product, it's worth asking why the staining is happening in the first place.
Is it caused by tears?
Food or saliva?
Urine?
The litter being used?
An underlying issue that needs to be investigated?
Or is it simply staining that has been allowed to build up over time?
A grooming product can help clean and improve the appearance of stained coat, but identifying and managing the cause is an important part of achieving a long-term result.
Don't wait until show week
One of the biggest mistakes with staining is leaving it until the last minute.
If you have a light-coloured or white cat that is prone to staining, regular maintenance is far more effective than suddenly trying to fix months of discolouration a few days before a show.
This is where a targeted product such as Ladybel Net Stain Cleaning Gel can become part of your regular grooming routine.
Rather than washing the entire cat every time you notice a mark, Net Stain allows you to work specifically on areas that need attention.
But like most things in grooming, consistency matters.
Good coat preparation happens over weeks and months — not the night before you pack the car for a show.
More products aren't always the answer
This was probably my biggest takeaway from Nationals.
People weren't necessarily asking me:
“What should I buy?”
They were showing me photos.
Describing how their cat's coat felt.
Telling me what they had already tried.
Asking whether they were using the right shampoo or whether there was another step missing from their grooming routine.
And that is exactly what I want Carbonel Couture to be.
Good grooming isn't about filling your cupboard with every product available.
It's about understanding the coat in front of you, identifying what you're trying to achieve and choosing products that actually have a purpose in your grooming routine.
Sometimes that means changing shampoo.
Sometimes it means introducing a pre-shampoo.
Sometimes it means using a targeted stain product regularly instead of trying to fix the problem at the last minute.
And sometimes the best advice is simply to use less product, rinse more thoroughly and give the coat time to respond.
The right solution starts with the cat in front of you
One of the things I love about grooming cats is that there isn't a single routine that works for every cat.
Breed, coat texture, age, environment, hormones, lifestyle and even the individual cat can influence what a coat needs.
The products that work beautifully for one cat may not be the right choice for another.
And your grooming routine may need to change as your cat's coat changes.
That is why I'm always happy to help customers work through the problem they're having rather than simply pointing them towards a bottle on the shelf.
If you're dealing with a greasy coat, stubborn staining or simply aren't sure which products are right for your cat, send me a message.
Tell me about your cat, the breed, what the coat feels like and what you're trying to achieve.
If I can help point you in the right direction, I'm always happy to have a chat.
Because beautiful coats don't come from owning the most products.
They come from understanding the coat, choosing the right products and knowing how to use them.
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