Bentley & Bear Holistic Dog and Cat Grooming

03/09/2026

A little something for the humans for a change… 🩷

I spend most of my days talking about the comfort, wellbeing and bodies of your dogs and cats — but today, something for the people attached to them!

I wanted to give a little shout-out to a local business run by a friend of mine, specialising in pelvic floor health.

And before half of you scroll past thinking “that’s a women’s thing” — it isn’t! Pelvic floor problems can affect women and men, and they’re far more common than we tend to talk about.

It’s one of those areas of health that can feel a bit embarrassing or awkward to bring up, so people often just put up with things they really don’t need to.

I suspect this could be useful to quite a few people in my Bentley & Bear community — whether for themselves, a partner, friend or family member — and because the help is right here locally, I thought it was absolutely worth sharing.

Sometimes looking after ourselves needs to go on the list alongside looking after everybody else. 🩷

Give her business a follow please - it may not be relevant today but could be tomorrow. Feel free to share with someone it may help.

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

🪷 The first cat groom is about more than fur

When I meet your cat for the first time, I’m not just looking at their coat.

I’m learning about them.

How do they feel about being touched? Which areas are comfortable — and which earn me the look? 😹 Do they prefer standing, sitting or curling themselves into a small furry loaf?

I’ll work gently and adapt the groom as I learn what helps your cat feel safest.

That can mean we achieve a little less on a first visit than we might in future — and that’s absolutely fine. I also don’t recommend bathing at a first appointment.

A positive first experience gives us something much more valuable to build upon: trust.

༄ No rushing
༄ No forcing a cat through “just one more bit”
༄ No expectation that every cat should tolerate grooming in the same way

I’m not simply grooming a coat. I’m hoping to start building a relationship with the cat wearing it. ♡

28/08/2026

A little moment of pride today… 💗

My official SME News winner profile is now live. 🏆

I’ve already shared how delighted I am to have Bentley & Bear recognised as Best Fear-Free Dog & Cat Groomer 2026, so I won’t repeat all of that again!

But there is something rather special about seeing Bentley & Bear there in black and white, with a little piece about the way I work and the values behind my grooming.

What started as a small grooming business has gradually become something very me — thoughtful, individual, behaviour-informed care, with the animal in front of me always setting the pace.

It’s lovely to see that approach recognised beyond the walls of my little pink grooming room. 🩷🐾

If you fancy a read, my official SME News winner profile is now live:

https://smenews.digital/winners/bentley-bear-holistic-dog-and-cat-grooming/

Caroline x

Bentley & Bear Holistic Dog and Cat Grooming is one of the 2026 winners of Business Elite Awards.

28/08/2026

🐾 Grooming Foundations for Puppies and Anxious Dogs 🐾

Little Cheddar has now completed four foundation sessions with me. 💗

During that time, she’s been gently introduced to the grooming environment, equipment, handling and all the strange sights, sounds and sensations that come with being groomed.

She’s been confident enough to have experienced two baths and drys along the way! 🛁🐶

Rather than expecting a puppy to cope with everything involved in a full groom on their first visit, these sessions allow us to build familiarity, confidence and trust gradually, at a pace they can manage.

And Cheddar is now ready for her next milestone…

✂️ Next time I see her, it’ll be time for her very first full groom!

All that preparation should make the experience feel much more familiar — because good grooming habits start long before that first haircut. 🐾💗

20/08/2026

British Shorthair owners… that soft plush coat needs more attention than you might think 🐾

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard ‘if I’d have known how much hair they’d shed beforehand…!’

The British Shorthair may have a short coat, but it’s an incredibly dense, plush double coat — one of the things that gives the breed that gorgeous velvety appearance.

And underneath all that plushness? A surprising amount of loose coat can build up! 🙀

Regular professional grooming can help to:

✨ Remove loose and any compacted undercoat
✨ Reduce shedding (and the amount of cat decorating your sofa!)
✨ Keeps the body and coat aerated, comfortable and in good condition
✨ Pick up early changes in the skin or coat
✨ Reduce the amount of loose fur swallowed during self-grooming - nobody likes a hairball 🤮
✨ Keep claws comfortably maintained

Some British Shorthairs also really benefit from a bath and thorough dry, particularly during heavier shedding periods or if they’re particularly greasy — you would be amazed at how much coat can come out of a seemingly perfectly tidy cat!

Beautiful Murray here is a perfect example of that fabulous BSH coat — and just look at his colouring. 🤎

Short-haired definitely doesn’t mean no grooming required.

WhatsApp me to book 07980676897 📲

20/08/2026

Cats are, without question, one of the most misunderstood domestic species. They’re often labelled as manipulative, crafty, spiteful, or destructive, but none of these descriptions align with what we know from feline behaviour science.

Cats aren’t plotting.
They aren’t trying to “get back at” anyone.
They aren’t acting out of malice.

They behave in ways that meet their needs, reduce stress, and increase predictability in their environment. That’s it. Just like every other species.

Why cats get misunderstood
Cats communicate differently from dogs and differently from humans. Their signals are subtle, quiet, and often missed entirely. When their needs aren’t met, or when their communication isn’t understood, their behaviour can look “odd” or “naughty” to us.

But behaviour is always functional.

Scratching is scent marking, communication, muscle stretching, and emotional regulation.
Hiding isn’t aloofness, it’s a safety strategy.
Biting isn’t spite, it’s a last‑resort communication after subtler signals were ignored.
Knocking objects off surfaces isn’t manipulation, it’s exploration, play, and sensory feedback.

They’re a species with their own ethology, their own communication system, and their own behavioural logic. When we understand that, everything shifts. The “crafty” cat becomes the anxious cat. The “spiteful” cat becomes the overwhelmed cat. The “destructive” cat becomes the cat whose needs were never recognised.

Cats aren’t misunderstood because they’re complicated.
They’re misunderstood because we’ve never been taught how to understand them.

20/08/2026

For a small business, word of mouth really is everything. 💗

Every time someone says, “A friend recommended you,” it still gives me a little moment of 🥹.

When you recommend Bentley & Bear to a friend, mention me in a local group, share one of my posts or take the time to leave a lovely review, you’re doing far more than you probably realise. You’re putting your trust in me and in the way I care for the animals who come through my door — and that means an enormous amount.

Bentley & Bear has grown largely through recommendations and the kind words of my clients. No fancy advertising campaign could ever compete with one pet owner saying to another, “Go and see Caroline, I trust her.”

So to everyone who has recommended me, reviewed me (that’s over 152 of you 🤩 on Google alone) shared my name or quietly championed my little business over the years…

Thank you. Truly. 💗

Caroline x

16/08/2026

*** Message from IT Support (yes, that’s me!) 🤓💻 ***

Normal service has resumed… cat-astrophe averted 😹 and my emails are now officially sending again!

My backlog of replies has now been sent, excluding the ones to those of you I have managed to catch up with via WhatsApp.

Back in the game… until Apple does a ‘stoopid’ update or I press something I shouldn’t. 😂

Hello, I’ve received a few enquiries by email this week.
I have actually responded but my emails aren’t being sent out and I don’t know why.
I am trying to sort it out. 🤯
I’m not purposefully ignoring anyone. 😔
Please feel free to WhatsApp me on 07980676897 with your enquiries for a faster response.
Thanks and apologies
Caroline

15/08/2026

Be still my heart 💓

Longstanding client Ruby cat in for a snuggle - I mean a groom. 😉

She has the most beautiful colouring and incidentally has no tail.

Today she had a bath and claw clip and an ear and eye clean.

She’s the sweetest soul. 🧡