Pet services
Books and taxes for cat groomers.
Lion cut and de-matting appointments, retail claw caps and combs, vet clinic referral partnerships, and cats that need extra handling time. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $6,700. A vet clinic sent three referrals for difficult mat removals, so I kept those tagged separately from your regular walk-in bookings.
- Square, appointment payoutGrooming appointments
- Vet clinic referral jobVet referral work
- PetEdge supply orderGrooming supplies
- Retail, claw capsRetail product sales
- Liability insurance premiumInsurance
Why your books are different
Cat grooming books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees short appointments and a supply order. Your business is longer sessions for de-matting and difficult cats, a steady stream of vet referrals, and a small but real retail counter. The books need to sort all of it.
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1
Difficult cats get charged extra but never tracked separately
A cat that fights the whole appointment takes twice the time and a surcharge gets added, but if that fee lands in the same bucket as a routine lion cut, you cannot see which appointments actually eat your day.
What we doKeeps handling surcharges visible against standard appointments, so you can see what difficult cases actually cost you in time. -
2
Vet clinic referrals blur into walk-in bookings
When a vet clinic sends you a client for a bad mat removal, that job looks identical in the bank feed to someone who found you online, and you lose track of how much business a referral relationship is actually worth.
What we doTags vet referral jobs separately, so you know which partnerships are actually bringing in work. -
3
Retail claw caps and combs get lumped into service fees
A small retail counter of nail caps, combs, and de-shedding tools sold at pickup gets counted the same as the grooming appointment, hiding whether the retail side earns its keep.
What we doKeeps retail sales in their own line against what you paid your supplier, so you know if the shelf is worth stocking. -
4
Sedation-related costs get mixed with general supplies
If you work with a vet for sedation on the most difficult cats, those costs and any fees paid to the clinic can get buried in general grooming expenses instead of tracked against the specific job.
What we doKeeps costs tied to a vet partnership on their own line, separate from routine grooming supplies.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cat grooming business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Grooming appointmentsLion cuts, baths, and de-matting for walk-in and regular clients.
- Vet referral workJobs sent by veterinary clinics, tracked apart from regular bookings.
- Retail product salesClaw caps, combs, and de-shedding tools sold at pickup.
- Handling surchargesExtra fees for difficult or aggressive cats needing more time.
Money out
- Grooming suppliesShampoo, clippers, combs, and towels sized for cats.
- EquipmentGrooming tables and restraint gear, logged separately from supplies.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for handling animals that can scratch or bite.
- Facility rent and utilitiesStudio space, water, and electric.
- Vet partnership costsAny fee paid to a clinic for sedation support on difficult cases.
- MarketingLocal ads and vet clinic outreach.
What we watch for you
- Referral revenue
How much business comes from vet clinic partnerships versus walk-in clients.
- Retail margin
What claw caps and combs earn after supplier cost, to see if the shelf is worth it.
- Handling surcharge total
How often difficult cases add extra time and fees, tracked to see if pricing keeps up.
- Supply cost per appointment
What shampoo and combs cost per booking, so a bulk order does not confuse the picture.
Ask Gus
Things cat groomers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I tag those jobs separately from your regular bookings, so you can see how much that partnership is actually worth over time.
As a handling surcharge, kept apart from a regular appointment, so you can see how often the hard cases actually pay for the time they take.
That's above my pay grade to settle alone. Whether they end up an employee or a contractor depends on how the work is structured, so bring the accountant in before you set it up.
The tax side
The tax side of a cat grooming business.
A specialty niche business like this lives or dies on knowing which jobs and partnerships actually pay. The tax side is mostly about keeping those separate.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment for handling difficult catsRestraint tables and specialized grooming equipment can often be written off in the year you buy them, with Section 179 expensing available up to $2,560,000.
- Retail sales and cost of goodsClaw caps, combs, and other retail items are inventory, and what you paid your supplier for them offsets the sale when the return is prepared.
- Referral partnerships and feesAny fee paid to a vet clinic for sending referrals or supporting difficult cases is a legitimate business expense, tracked separately from general supplies.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when referral work, retail, and appointments are tracked separately all year.
Deductions cat groomers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Cat-specific shampoo and coat products
- Clippers, blades, and combs
- Restraint tables and handling gear
- Claw caps and retail supplies
- Liability insurance
- Facility rent and utilities
- Vet partnership fees
- Continuing education courses
- Uniforms and smocks
- Local advertising
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A cat grooming year, kept every month.
Mats and shedding do not wait for a calendar, but your taxes come on a schedule of their own. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around your typical booking pace.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring shedding season changed the number.
- October
Before winter mats
Indoor cats often mat more once heating dries out their coats. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for cat groomers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions cat groomers ask first.
How does Gus handle jobs sent by a vet clinic versus walk-in clients?
He tags referral jobs separately from regular bookings, so you can see over time how much business a specific vet partnership is actually bringing you, not just your overall appointment total.
I charge more for cats that fight the whole appointment. Does that need its own category?
Yes, Gus keeps handling surcharges visible against standard appointments, so you can see how often the difficult cases actually cover the extra time they take.
Can I deduct a restraint table or specialized equipment for aggressive cats?
Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus logs equipment separately from routine supplies so the accountant can decide how it gets written off.
I sell claw caps and combs at pickup. Does that count as regular income?
It is income, but Gus keeps it in its own retail category against what you paid your supplier, so you can tell if the shelf earns its keep separately from grooming fees.
My books have never separated vet referrals from regular clients. Can that change now?
Yes. Send your bank statements going forward and Gus starts tagging referral jobs from here. Most owners get a clear picture of which partnerships matter within a couple of months.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever