Let’s face it. Most cats love nail trim time. Mine do. Don’t yours?
Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit. Actually, nail trim time is a two-person job in this household. Human #1 wrangles the cat – then with sweat dripping from the brow, deposits the cat onto the blanket covered lap of human #2. Out come the clippers, a few grunts and grumbles ensue (and also a few yowls from the kitty) – clip, clip, clip – and we’re done! Then, onto cat #2 and cat #3. Sound familiar?
Don’t Clip the Quick!
When you have a squirming and crying cat, one thing that is difficult to assess is where the quick is in their claw, which is the pink portion inside where the nerves and blood vessels are located. You don’t want to clip the quick, as it will cause the cat pain and will also bleed. To make matters doubly difficult in our household, one of our cats has black claws. So with Miss Olive the tortie, we need excellent lighting to be able to tell where the quick is in her claw.
A Solution
Zen Clipper is a nail trimmer that takes the guesswork out of where to place the clippers to ensure a safe clip without nicking the quick. The clipper comes in seven sizes so you can find one that fits your pet’s claws. Zen Clipper sent us a sizing chart, but you can also download and print a copy from their website. We measured and needed size 2. Once we received the Zen Clipper, we set about trimming Sophie’s nails.
Zen Clipper got the job done, and there was no doubt as to where to place the clipper. It worked well, was quiet as it trimmed, and I felt comfortable using it. The only downside is that if you have a multi-cat household and your cats vary in size (which mine do), you may require a different size clipper for each cat. But overall, I would rather be safe than sorry in not clipping the quick.
One thing to note is that I did practice before clipping to see where the clipper placed on each nail. You do want to make sure that you have the correct size before beginning. Zen Clipper states on their website that they will replace the clipper at no cost if it is determined that you need a different size.
Zen Clipper
As mentioned above, Zen Clipper comes in a variety of sizes. While it was originally invented for cats, Zen Clipper is now also used for dogs, and even birds and reptiles! It has a stainless steel blade, a cushioned non-slip handle, and the clippers are machined and assembled in the USA. Most notably, Zen Clipper has a unique conical design that protects the quick.
You can purchase Zen Clipper for $23.95 at their website. You can also check their store locator to see if it’s sold in a store near you.
When I asked Zen Clipper if they give back to the community, they advised that they do donate product to several rescues and organizations, some recent organizations being Animal House of Chicago and The Cat House on the Kings.
This video shows how Zen Clipper works.
Giveaway
We are giving away one Zen Clipper to one lucky reader!
The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, 18+ years of age, except where prohibited by law. One winner will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize, and a new winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter. The giveaway closes on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 at noon Pacific.
To enter the giveaway, leave a blog comment below and then click this link to enter!
CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway!
Disclosure: I was compensated for reviewing the clippers from Zen Clipper and also provided with a free pair of clippers. All opinions stated here are my own. Three Chatty Cats only shares information we feel would be relevant to readers. Zen Clipper is not responsible for the content of this blog post. There are no affiliate links in this post.
How is the nail trim process in your house? A piece of cake or hard as nails?
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LOVE that first picture of Sophie … she’s such a gorgeous girl (Sorry, Olive … you’re pretty too). I manage to wrangle Bear by myself to clip his claws but it’s never easy. I don’t use a blanket or towel to wrap him because that would require more blood (mine) and sweat (also mine) :)
Olive is super feisty when it comes to nail trims and happily let Sophie pose for this one. Sophie squirms a lot and occasionally tries to bite the clippers. Dexter just hunkers down and looks really grumpy. :-)
The Zen Clipper looks really easy to use im sure most cats will be comfortable getting their nails cut by their humans now
What a super idea to help with nail clipping! I’m always so worried to cut my cats nails too short and nick the quick, but with clippers like this, the worry would be no more! I am going to have to keep an eye out for these.
Very nice clippers. TKS is ok with hail trim time but it’s always stressful for sweet Nana
Great photos of Sophie……I am so used to the nail clip thing after 16-1/2 years that it’s no biggie although STILL a two-person operation in my house! Dad holds me on his shoulder and Mom clips….wham, bam, thank you Sam, it’s done in about two minutes! This is a cool looking clipper though………good luck to those who enter the giveaway!
Hugs, sammy
On the shoulder? That would be a disaster here! :-)
At my age, I have issues “extending” my claws so they are pretty much stationary which means I don’t dig into Dad’s shoulder like I used to! Otherwise – disaster here too! :)
we are about half and half on cooperating to get our nails done. we think this would be great for kittens though. mom says the only issue she sees would be that it would take longer to get the nail in the tiny hole….she is all about speed here.
The little hole is the easy part as the conical shape of the shear is like a funnel that guides the tip into the hole.
I forgot to add, I trimmed my kitty’s claws just this morning as I found them both sitting in the garden window. Trimmed the front claws of both cats in less then one minute. I use the number 2 size.
Thank you for the review! I wish my kitties were as calm as the animals in the video clip! Live would be so easy! These clippers look like they take the guess work out of where to clip as I currently use nail clippers! Thank you so much!!
We love the Zen Clipper! We won’t enter because we already have one. Great review, guys.
I’m always afraid of quicking him so we use a Dremel. He’s not a fan but we get the job done.
Like the name of the nail clipper, Sophie is rather Zen in these pics too MOL. In our house we have a total of 184 nails to trim every two weeks, that’s 10 cats including one polydactyl who also has some awkwardly situated claws tucked in between the others and extras on his back legs. My two older cats have always been good with nail trimming but with the younger little punks we had to bribe them with treats. And why do the Torties always growl? heh heh.
Quick tip (pun intended): If you accidentally cut into the quick, apply some flour or cornstarch to stop the bleeding. Have to get my hands on this Zen clipper, I’m due for a new clipper anyway.
184 nails?!? Wowzers! And good tip, thank you! I am quite proud of myself that I have never clipped the quick. However, with Zen Clipper it won’t be an issue anymore! :-)
Yes, that is why I should get it because then I can recruit my husband to clip their nails on his own. He won’t do it himself because he’s scared of cutting the quick!
Our cats are fairly co operative but a new safer clipper would be nice. Rufus the Red has a favorite small cardboard box. While he’s in it, he doesn’t mind claw trimming. I need to try brushing his teeth in there next!
Thanks,
Maggie
Tell me how the toothbrushing goes from the cardboard box! :-)
Toby is the only one who will tolerate nail clipping. I don’t even try on the others.
That is definitely one nail clipper we would have no problem letting our mom use on us.
My cat lets me get through the 3rd nail then takes off and I have to trim the rest in stages when he least expects it. Teehee.
The mom uses regular human clippers on us so we could really use this zen clipper.
I am petrified with a capital “P” to touch Layla’s nails and would rather pay the $ 10.00 to have it done BOL
I need these clippers for my dogs (and, of course, a team of people to help me with nail clipping): Zora (my oldest dog) has black toe nails so I am always terrified of cutting the quick; It takes at least three of us at the vet to trim Simon’s nails because he thinks everything is a party; and Piper has always hated having her toes touched. Even when under light sedation for some x-rays she pulled her front paws away from the tech who was trying to do me a solid and trim her nails while she was partially under ;-)
Our dog has black toe nails, too! Since we take him for regular grooming, they always trim his nails. But I really should give Zen Clipper a try with him.
Congratulations, Sarcastic Dog! You won the giveaway. I will email you shortly.
We’ve yet to meet a clipper we liked but the design of this one sounds like good thought was put into it. With nine now under our roof, we are more than ready to give this one a go!
Those do look really nice. We were asked to try them but never heard back from the lady.
You might want to try them again. The lady I’ve been working with has been very responsive.
Thanks for the post. Great shots on the toe nails.
What a wonderful product! Echo is awful when it comes to nail trims. He definitely requires two people. I wonder if this product would help us!
Will this work on dog claws too? It seems like a wonderful product. Your pictures are adorable!
Yep! It can be used on dogs, too!
How cool – while we don’t have cats we definitely have friends and family that will love this wonderful product!!
They have sizes big enough for dogs, too!
Kol is the WORST at getting his nails clipped. It’s probably my fault, since his claws are black and I am the WORST at being really scared I’m going to cut too short and quick him. Something that helps prevent that sounds great.
The Zen Clipper sounds awesome. Zoe tolerates having her nails trimmed. Gracie kind of freaks out, so theZen Clipper might be especially good for her. :)
I’ve seen the Zen Clipper and wondered how it would work. Truffle is pretty calm during clippings, but Brulee is a little squirmer. I’m lucky their nails are white so I can see the quick. This would be worth a try!
While I don’t believe in declawing, I also don’t want my furniture all scratched up – or the people in the household, either. We have three cats, including a 3-month-old kitten (I found her when she was just two weeks old and bottle fed her). I have a number of clippers for my dogs’ nails, but naturally they won’t work on the cats. I’ve been using a baby nail clipper, but I recently saw this clipper advertised and would absolutely love it for my cats!
What a cool idea! Fortunately, 3 of 4 kitties don’t fight me on clipping their nails, and the one that does — NO CLIPPER IN THE WORLD would make it easier… we do it sparingly, and with the help of some sedatives. ;)
We use a similar nail clipper – thankfully all our cats are good when it comes to trimming nails, it helps that we’ve been doing it since they were kittens.
Nails trims are the worst!! My dogs always look at me like I’m going to hurt them! And I’m always stressed I might cut right into the quick!! Looks like a great clipper!!
OMG, I need to try this. Nail trimming is impossibly stressful in our house. Rosie pretty much tries to kill us when we try her nails and Ruby’s nails are black which makes trimming them super scary. Love that the Zen Clipper comes in different sizes
I think I saw these at Global Pet Expo and loved them- was hoping they would have some I could use on Kilo the Pug. He HATES anyone touching his paws let alone trimming his nails and squirms and growls and may bite. His nails are black which makes it even worse. Great photos and review.
My cats hate having their nails clipped and I would love to win these to help decrease their stress.
My cat simply hates nail trims and I must confess I’ve given up because I was afraid to cut his nails to much while he was struggling. I should try the Zen Clipper.
Our cat Ricky was a fearful cat when we rescued him. Now, he purrs when we clip his nails. It is a two person job, though.
Sounds like claw clippin’ time is over purretty quick at your house. There’s a lot more than a few yowls and grumbles at our house. Mommy says she doesn’t know why we act this way, as she’s never cut our quick or hurt us in anyways, but we just hate gettin’ our claws clipped. MOL Mommy panicked when she saw da clipped claw foto. Dat’s wayyyyyy to close to da quick fur her likin’. She thinks we’d purrobably bite ifin she cut us dat close. MOL
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
I love this idea! My cats are not fans of having their nails clipped at all. I usually only get 2 or 3 claws per sitting if I do it by myself. It doesn’t help that my cats have black claws (at least some of the claws are black) and I have hand tremors. I would love to give these clippers a try!
That looks like a great clipper.
I am too worried for my pet’s safety to clip their nails myself. These clippers look like they would take a lot of the risk out of the experience.
I’m so glad I know about these clippers! We have had quite a few quick clipping incidents and it’s THE WORST! I always feel so guilty, and it of courses makes the pups more anxious when the time comes to trim their nails.
I need one of these… it’s a pain to cut Olis claws :-(
The zen clipper sounds marvelous. Who likes cutting the cat’s nails…not them and not the humans either.
Jean
Nail trimming is a pain! My cats hate any grooming processes whatsoever, with the exception of being brushed. Even then, it’s a chore to keep them still long enough. I’m definitely entering the giveaway because I’m tired of struggling to spot the quick while little paws are batting me away! lol
My cats don’t like their nails trimmed, heck my long hair hates to be brushed, picked up, or even petted. He just wants to be near me.
We hate nail clipping!
Clip my claws? Make my day. HAH!! Autumn used to like it cos the peeps would hire a groomer to come to the house and do it. She came once for me and I sent her packing with advice for the peeps. “Don’t call me again unless you sedate her first.” Not even Dr. D. can do it.
All my pups freak out when they see the clippers, I wish I had the creative mind that designed these!!
Would you say these are the best clippers for anxious cats? I have one who will not let me trim his nails so I have to stress him out with a vet tech trip to get his trimmed.
The only clipper to use for your kind of kitty. For the most part, he won’t know what you did as they make very little noise and do not twist, pinch or torque the claw in any way.
Thanks Mike !!! :D