"I was very excited, " said Ms. Zafirova, who holds a Master's degree in information management technology from Harvard University.

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Yielding is another concept Ms. Bravo's tai chi master, Sat Hon, taught her, and it has proved helpful in negotiating the city.

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The association has established written tests and a hands-on exam that helps determine which members of the trade are "worthy of being called a certified master cat groomer, " Ms. Raisanen says.

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