Cats in the City • TANDEM Cat® Clinical System
A Feline Care System for Cats Who Need Outstanding Care
Cats in the City is a feline-only care system built for all cats—especially those who are anxious, aging, medically complex, matted, shutdown, difficult to handle, or previously turned away elsewhere.
Through the TANDEM Cat® model, we integrate clinical grooming, medical-aware boarding, professional cat sitting, mobile claw trimming, cat relocation, rescue, rehabilitation, and transition support under one care philosophy: read the cat, reduce burden, support regulation, and intervene before preventable decline escalates.
Ask the Cat Care Assistant
Start with the question you already have
Have a question about mats, grooming, boarding, senior cats, heart murmurs, behavior, or choosing the right care option? Ask here and we’ll help guide you to the right next step.
System definition
What Cats in the City Actually Is
Cats in the City is the public-facing practice built around the TANDEM Cat® model: a feline care framework that integrates grooming, boarding, professional cat sitting, mobile claw support, transportation, relocation, end-of-life comfort, rescue, rehabilitation, and transition support under one system.
Instead of treating these as disconnected services, we treat them as different environments where the same clinical logic applies. A cat may enter through matting, boarding, claw care, travel, medication needs, hospice support, or a household transition. The work is always the same: understand the cat in context, reduce physical and emotional burden, and create the safest next step.
Our work is practical, physical, relational, and systems-based. We groom, board, sit, transport, trim claws, stabilize routines, support transitions, and help families find care when ordinary options are too limited for the cat in front of them.
- Behavior is treated as meaningful clinical information.
- Environment is part of the intervention.
- Support replaces force-heavy restraint.
- Complex cats are built into the model.
- Continuity exists across multiple care environments.
Care portfolio | Start here
Choose Your Care Path
The service is the entry point. The same feline-specific care logic follows the cat across environments.
Clinical grooming
Matting, Coat Burden, Hygiene & Recovery
For routine grooming, severe matting, sanitation care, deshedding, claw work, and cats who do not tolerate standard grooming models.
Open grooming services
Medical-aware boarding
Boarding for Senior, Fragile & High-Needs Cats
For diabetic cats, seniors, anorexia risk, medication support, and cats needing more than standard boarding supervision.
Open medical boardingProfessional cat sitting
In-Home Feline Care When Staying Home Is Best
For cats who regulate best at home and need feline-only visits, medication support, senior care, or continuity during travel.
Open cat sittingMobile claw trimming
At-Home Claw Care for Cats Who Need Less Travel
For cats who need skilled claw trimming without the stress of coming into a grooming location.
Open mobile claw careCat relocation
Transportation Built Around Cat Care
For local moves, airport coordination, medical transport, relocation planning, and cats who need care-aware logistics.
Open relocation supportResearch & education
TANDEM Cat® Authority Library
Explore TANDEM Cat® care models, case studies, clinical grooming frameworks, boarding protocols, and feline care resources.
Open authority libraryWhat makes this different
This Is a Care Model, Not a Menu
The booked service tells us why the appointment exists. Assessment, observation, history, and the cat’s response determine how care is delivered.
Where care happens
Different Environments, Same Clinical Logic
The service changes, but the model stays the same. Whether a cat is boarding, grooming, resting privately, staying home with professional cat sitting, receiving mobile claw care, relocating, or re-entering regulation after stress, the goal is always the same: reduce burden and protect stability.
TANDEM Cat® care model
What Makes This Model Different
Most systems focus on visible problems—matting, behavior, or missed meals. TANDEM Cat® focuses on what happens before those problems escalate.
Non-sedated care at scale
TANDEM Cat® Groomed Awake
How 1,790 high-risk cats were groomed without injectable sedation using trauma-informed, team-based care.
Read Groomed AwakeEarly coat burden
Pre-Felt Somatic Entrapment Syndrome
Why some cats become physically uncomfortable before matting is visible—and how hidden coat pressure is released.
Read about PFSESBoarding-related anorexia
Transitional Stress Anorexia
How early food withdrawal in boarding is recognized and reversed before dehydration or metabolic decline begins.
Read about TSAConnected framework
TANDEM Cat® Authority Library
A growing library of feline care frameworks, service models, research concepts, case studies, and educational resources.
Open the libraryWho we’re built for
Cats and Families Across Levels of Need
Not every cat needs intensive care. The system supports routine maintenance and lower-need cats while retaining the capacity to adapt when age, coat condition, behavior, medication, or medical complexity changes the plan.
Start with the right plan
Tell us what you’re seeing
Matting, routine maintenance, medical conditions, boarding concerns, behavioral sensitivity, claw issues, cat sitting needs, relocation concerns, end-of-life comfort, or past grooming difficulty—we’ll guide you toward the safest next step.
Clinical grooming | Routine care through restoration
When Grooming Becomes Care
Cats are masters of concealment, and their coats often tell the story before their behavior does. Grooming can support routine maintenance, prevent accumulated burden, restore comfort, and reveal changes that deserve attention.
More Than a Bath—A Transformation in Quality of Life
When grooming needs outpace self-care, dirt, oil, loose undercoat, dander, friction, and moisture can accumulate. For lower-need cats, maintenance helps preserve coat function. For higher-need cats, restorative grooming may relieve matting, hygiene burden, restricted movement, skin access problems, and discomfort.
Sometimes what appears to be age-related slowing, chronic shedding, allergy, or arthritis is complicated by coat burden. Grooming does not replace veterinary care, but it can remove a physical burden that makes the cat easier to read.
Connected grooming hubs
Move from question to plan
Framework
TANDEM Cat® Clinical Grooming
The system behind pacing, positioning, assessment, and threshold-first care for cats across levels of need.
Open clinical groomingPriority page
Cat Grooming Without Sedation
When awake grooming is appropriate, how care is paced, and when the team changes the plan or refers.
Open awake groomingCore philosophy
Natural Body Position Grooming
Supportive positioning designed to protect joints, breathing, balance, and nervous-system stability.
Open positioning guidePaws
Cat Nail Trim Hub
Routine trims, overgrowth risk, dewclaw checks, and pathways that help prevent embedded claws.
Open claw-care hubCoat crisis
Severe Matting & Coat Reset
When coat restriction affects comfort, hygiene, mobility, skin access, and quality of life.
Open matting careMobility support
Grooming Cats with Joint Pain
How posture and handling are adapted around arthritis, hip, knee, and back discomfort.
Open joint-care guideSkin & coat directory
Start with the pattern you are noticing
Coat problems often overlap. These pages help separate shedding, compacted undercoat, grease, dandruff, hairballs, and broader skin-and-coat concerns.
Shedding
Why Is My Cat Shedding So Much?
Start here for excessive loose coat, constant fur on furniture, or a coat that never seems fully cleared.
Read moreShort hair
Short Hair Cat Deshedding
For short-haired cats who still shed heavily, feel dense through the coat, or leave fur everywhere despite looking low-maintenance.
Read moreGreasy coat
Why Is My Cat Greasy?
For oily texture, sticky buildup, coat separation along the back, or a cat who seems dirty again quickly.
Read moreHairballs
Preventing Hairballs Through Grooming
For repeated hairballs, retching, or cats swallowing more loose coat than they can comfortably clear.
Read moreDandruff
Dandruff Solutions for Cats
For visible flakes, coat debris, or skin-and-coat buildup concentrated along the back.
Read moreOverview
Cat Skin and Coat Care
Use the broader overview when shedding, grease, dandruff, matting, and hairballs overlap.
Open overviewPowell & Beaverton
Grooming services and care pathways
Choose the service that most closely matches your cat’s current need. When the final plan is not obvious, assessment connects the booking goal to the care required that day.
Corrective care
Cat Dematting
Corrective removal for formed mats already tight against the skin. Skin safety and pacing come first.
Cat dematting in PortlandPreventive care
Cat Deshedding
Therapeutic undercoat release to reduce shedding, hairball load, friction tangles, and heat retention.
Cat deshedding in PortlandComfort-forward reset
Lion Cut
A coat reset when matting, hygiene breakdown, or coat compaction makes the full coat unsafe or unmanageable.
Lion cut groomingUniform trim
Teddy Bear Cut
A uniform trim to reduce bulk and mat risk while maintaining coverage and an even silhouette.
Teddy bear cutSenior support
Senior Cat Grooming
Joint-protective handling and comfort pacing for cats with stiffness, pain, or reduced self-grooming.
Senior groomingHygiene
Cat Sanitary Trim
Targeted hygiene trims to reduce fecal cling, urine staining, and recurring rear-end matting.
Sanitary trimAccessible care
Low-Cost Nail Trim — Portland
A focused service for routine nail maintenance with calm, cat-safe handling.
Portland nail trimAccessible care
Low-Cost Nail Trim — Beaverton
For westside guardians seeking an accessible nail-trim pathway in a feline-first setting.
Beaverton nail trimCase-study system
Readable cases for guardians. Documented cases for the authority layer.
The client-facing case library helps families recognize patterns in their own cats. The clinical case collection preserves the structured observations, figures, and reasoning behind the work.
Client-facing hub
Cat Grooming Case Studies
Real cats, real coat problems, and body-first TANDEM Cat® decisions written for guardians.
Explore case libraryClinical authority layer
Documented Case Studies
Journal-style case documentation with figures, structured observations, and deeper clinical framing.
View clinical casesBoarding pathway
More Than a Place to Stay
Cats are independent but not solitary. Boarding is organized around observation, regulation, appetite, routines, environmental control, medication, and the level of support each cat needs.
Highest acuity
Sellwood — Advanced & High-Needs Care
Overnight staff live on campus. Diabetic boarding and the highest-need accepted medical cases are supported here.
Open Sellwood
Structured boarding
Mt. Tabor — Calm Care for Stable Needs
A strong fit for many cats with stable needs who benefit from a quiet, feline-only environment.
Open Mt. Tabor
Directory
Medical & Special Needs Boarding Hub
Condition-specific guides explain what we monitor, how to prepare, and where your cat should board.
Open medical boarding hubCondition-specific guides
Find the guide that matches your cat
Endocrine
Diabetic Cats
Glucose-informed decisions, intake support, safe dosing logic, and trauma-informed insulin care.
Open guideEndocrine
Cats with Hyperthyroidism
Medication timing, appetite protection, and routine consistency to support stability.
Open guideRenal
Cats with Kidney Disease
Hydration signals, renal-diet continuity, medication support, and calm care for CKD cats.
Open guideUrinary
Cats with UTIs
Litter monitoring, hydration support, medication adherence, and early recognition of urinary change.
Open guideRespiratory
Cats with Asthma
Clean-air priorities, calm handling, and inhaler support when prescribed by the veterinarian.
Open guideGastrointestinal
Cats with IBS
Diet continuity, stress minimization, stool monitoring, and early escalation thresholds.
Open guideAppetite
Cats That Refuse to Eat While Boarding
Early intervention, step-up feeding options, hydration-focused observation, and TSA protocols.
Open guideSensory
Blind Cats
Stable suite layout, scent cues, and low-startle routines that support confident navigation.
Open guideSensory
Deaf Cats
Visual communication, predictable approaches, routine consistency, and enrichment for deaf cats.
Open guideHome-based access
Professional Cat Sitting & Mobile Claw Care
Some cats regulate best at home. These services preserve familiar territory while extending the Cats in the City care model beyond the building.
Beyond Basic Cat Sitting™
Structured Wellness Care at Home
Feeding and hydration support, litter-box observations, behavior and mood check-ins, coat maintenance, comfort and mobility observation, medication, and enrichment based on temperament.
Open professional cat sittingMobile claw trimming
In-Home Claw Care
No carrier, car ride, or waiting room. Skilled claw trimming in a quiet enclosed space, with prearranged access available when appropriate.
Open mobile claw trimmingFeline-only care, built around the cat
Choose the Care Pathway That Fits Your Cat
Some cats need grooming. Some need boarding. Some need in-home support, medication help, transport, or a structured transition plan. Many need more than one pathway over time.
Grooming
Cat Grooming Guide
Learn how feline-only grooming supports coat function, skin comfort, mobility, hygiene, and quality of life.
Explore groomingBoarding
Feline Boarding in Portland
Private-room boarding designed around observation, stress reduction, appetite, and individualized care.
Explore boardingCat sitting
In-Home Cat Sitting
For cats who do best at home with familiar routines, structured visits, medication support, and daily reports.
Explore cat sittingTransportation
Cat Transportation & Relocation
Cat-centered transport for appointments, boarding, airport travel, medical needs, and relocation support.
Explore transportationSpecialized feline support
When Care Is More Complex
Medical needs, severe matting, mobility changes, chronic stress, appetite disruption, or behavioral sensitivity may change the environment, staffing, pace, and care plan.
Medical boarding
Medical & Special Needs Boarding
Boarding support for senior cats, diabetic cats, medicated cats, and cats requiring higher observation.
View medical boardingSevere matting
Severely Matted Cat Grooming
Care for cats with coat compression, pelting, mobility restriction, skin strain, or long-deferred grooming.
View matting careSomatic care
Somatic Cat Care
Support for cats whose behavior, coat, mobility, stress, or physical comfort requires a broader care lens.
View somatic careRehab support
Rehab Programs for Cats
Structured support for cats at risk of surrender, destabilization, medication challenges, or household stress.
View rehab programsClinical grooming & handling
The TANDEM Cat® Approach
TANDEM Cat®
TANDEM Cat® Grooming
The signature grooming system for cats needing specialized observation, handling, assessment, and support.
View TANDEM Cat® groomingTANDEM Touch™
Support-Based Grooming
Learn how dual-practitioner support and natural positioning change the care experience.
View TANDEM Touch™Awake grooming
Cat Grooming Without Sedation
How many complex cats can be supported awake through skilled, feline-specific care rather than default restraint.
View awake groomingCertification
Certified TANDEM Cat® Facility
Why facility design, team training, standards, and governance matter in high-complexity feline grooming.
View certificationPlanning, rescue & continuity
Support Beyond a Single Appointment
The same feline-specific infrastructure supports temporary instability, surrender diversion, rehabilitation, rehoming, adoption matching, hospice support, and future care planning.
Rescue
Cats in the City Rescue
Structured rescue, rehabilitation, and placement work for cats who need transition support.
View rescueRehoming
FELINE TRANSITIONS® Structured Rehoming
A supported approach for cats who may need placement without default shelter surrender.
View rehomingStabilization
Guardian Stabilization Program
Support for families trying to stabilize care before surrender becomes necessary.
View stabilizationAdoption
Cats for Adoption
View adoptable cats and learn how matching prioritizes long-term fit.
View adoptable catsLibraries, research & transparency
Explore the knowledge system behind the services
These hubs explain the care model, the evidence available, the limitations that remain, and the operational systems that carry knowledge from one cat and one appointment to the next.
Research library
The Feline Care Systems Library
Operational complexity, organizational memory, learning systems, narrative records, and the infrastructure beneath feline care.
Open systems libraryTrust & transparency
The Skeptic’s Guide to Cats in the City
Direct answers about legitimacy, evidence, limits, pricing, handling, comparisons, and what the care model can and cannot promise.
Open Skeptic’s GuideClinical frameworks
TANDEM Cat® Authority Library
The connected TANDEM Cat® framework across grooming, boarding, matting, sound sensitivity, transition, and ethics.
Open authority libraryGuardian pathway
Cat Grooming Guide
A structured starting point for routine maintenance, coat burdens, senior care, medical-sensitive care, and grooming decisions.
Open grooming guideHome care
Cat Sitting Knowledge Hub
In-home care routes for medication, seniors, kittens, overnight sitting, routines, and service-area planning.
Open sitting hubTravel & transport
Cat Relocation Knowledge Hub
Planning resources for local moves, medical transport, air travel, medication, and longer-distance relocation.
Open relocation hubHelpful articles
Knowledge base
Explore Cats in the City
Find the care, support, or information you’re looking for
From everyday care to complex needs, explore our services, care programs, locations, resources, and specialized support for cats and the people who care for them.
Grooming & coat care
Boarding & continuity
Sitting, relocation & transport
Rescue, rehabilitation & planning
About, support & professional resources
Guardian experience
What Our Clients Say
“We highly recommend Cats in the City to any cat parent seeking reliable, professional, and caring cat sitting or boarding services. It’s reassuring to know that our cats are in such capable and loving hands.”
Cynthia L.“It was our first time using a cat hotel for Moxie. The house is clean, cheerful, and full of natural light. The staff genuinely cares for their feline lodgers.”
Tina Beavers“Do you want your cat taken care of by the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful humans imaginable? Cats in the City is all of that and more.”
Alison GrecoPortland metro area
Four feline-care locations
Boarding and grooming pathways are location-specific. Use the location pages to understand the environment, care level, rates, and booking route.
Portland, OROpen Tabor →
Portland, OROpen Sellwood →
Portland, OROpen Powell →
Beaverton, OROpen Beaverton →
Cats in the City — Book services
Select a service to get started
Cat grooming
Book Cat Grooming
Comfort-focused grooming for coat, skin, hygiene, and quality of life.
Book groomingCat boarding
Request Cat Boarding
Private suites, feline-only care, observation, enrichment, and medical-aware options.
Request boardingIn-home visits
Cat Sitting
Trusted in-home care for routines your cat already knows.
Open client portalPet taxi
Cat Transportation
Stress-reduced transport to appointments, boarding, airports, and care transitions.
Book pet taxi
Stay current on feline care
Subscribe to Keys to the City
Receive Cats in the City care guides, new research, clinical frameworks, boarding and grooming education, and practical resources for guardians.
At Cats in the City, we don’t just board cats—we care for them. Every feline is unique, and their well-being depends on structured, attentive care that goes beyond the basics. That’s why we’ve developed specialized Cat Care Options, ensuring each cat receives the ideal balance of attention, enrichment, and support tailored to their individual needs.
More Than a Stay—A Better Care Experience
Start Here
New to feline grooming or not sure what your cat needs?
Explore our Cat Grooming Guide & Coat Care Resource for a structured overview of matting, deshedding, claw care, senior grooming, medical-sensitive care, and when cats need more than routine maintenance.
Our in-home service eliminates the anxiety of travel and unfamiliar environments, ensuring a calm and controlled session every time.
- Stress-Free Experience – No carriers, no car rides, no waiting rooms. Just expert care in your cat’s familiar space.
- Quick & Efficient – Our skilled technicians complete the trim swiftly, minimizing stress for your cat.
- Private & Controlled Environment – We work alone in a quiet, enclosed space—typically a bathroom or laundry room—ensuring a calm and predictable experience.
- Professional & Insured – We are bonded and insured, giving you peace of mind that your home and beloved feline are in expert hands.
- Convenient Even When You’re Away – With prearranged access, we can trim your cat’s claws even if you're not home—so they get the care they need without disrupting your schedule.
Book Mobile Claw Trimming Services Today
More Than a Bath—A Transformation in Quality of Life
At Cats in the City, grooming isn’t just about appearance—it’s about health, comfort, and quality of life. Our TANDEM Cat® Grooming method is designed exclusively for cats, providing expert, stress-free care that restores mobility, reduces discomfort, and enhances well-being.
Why TANDEM Cat® Grooming is Essential for Your Cat’s Well-Being
TANDEM Cat® Grooming isn’t just about cleanliness—it’s about restoring your cat’s comfort, mobility, and happiness.
- "She’s playing again for the first time in months!"
- "I thought he was slowing down with age, but it was just the matting!"
- “Her coat is silky, and she’s back to snuggling like she used to!"
Book a TANDEM Cat® Grooming Session Today!
Explore Shedding, Greasy Coats, Hairballs, and Short-Hair Deshedding
Coat problems often overlap. A cat who seems greasy may also be carrying trapped coat. A cat with heavy shedding may also be swallowing more hair. These pages help you start with the pattern you are noticing most.
Shedding
Why Is My Cat Shedding So Much?
Start here for excessive loose coat, constant fur on furniture, or a coat that never seems fully cleared.
Short hair
Short Hair Cat Deshedding
For short-haired cats who still shed heavily, feel dense through the coat, or leave fur everywhere despite looking low-maintenance.
Greasy coat
Why Is My Cat Greasy?
Go here for oily texture, sticky buildup, coat separation along the back, or a cat who seems dirty again quickly.
Hairballs
Preventing Hairballs Through Grooming
Best for repeated hairballs, retching, or cats who are swallowing more coat than they can clear comfortably.
Dandruff
Dandruff Solutions for Cats
For visible flakes, coat debris, or skin-and-coat buildup that seems concentrated along the back.
Overview
Cat Skin and Coat Care
Use the broader overview when the problem could involve more than one pattern at once and you need a wider starting point.
Condition-Specific Boarding Guides
Choose the guide that matches your cat’s needs. Each page explains what we monitor, how we support the condition, and what to prepare before boarding.
Endocrine
Diabetic Cats
Glucose-informed decisions, safe dosing logic, and trauma-informed insulin support.
Endocrine
Cats with Hyperthyroidism
Medication timing, appetite protection, and routine consistency to support stability.
Renal
Cats with Kidney Disease
Hydration signals, renal diet continuity, and calm, consistent care for CKD cats.
Urinary
Cats with UTIs
Litter monitoring, hydration support, and medication adherence for urinary comfort.
Respiratory
Cats with Asthma
Clean-air priorities, calm handling, and inhaler support when prescribed by your vet.
GI
Cats with IBS
Diet continuity, stress minimization, stool monitoring, and early escalation thresholds.
Appetite
Cats That Refuse to Eat While Boarding
Early intervention, step-up feeding options, and hydration-focused observation.
Sensory
Blind Cats
Stable suite layout, scent cues, and low-startle routines for confident navigation.
Sensory
As Seen In...
Caring for Cats in the Portland Metro Area
Have questions or need to arrange care for your feline friend? We’re here to help! Reach out to us for any inquiries or to schedule our services.
For more immediate assistance, feel free to call us. We look forward to hearing from you and providing the best care for your cat!
NE Tabor - Boarding
Sellwood - Boarding
Powell - Grooming
5528 SE Powell Blvd.
Beaverton - Grooming
