Nail clippers?

Hey everyone  

  question for you all who clips their cats/kittens nail. What is the best nail clippers you use to clip your cat/kitten nails? The one we use and don't like to use is very tight and hard to cut his nail with and it takes time.  What product nail clippers do you use best for your cat/kitten that isn't as tight and can be easy to use and where did you buy yours from.

 Thank you!

I prefer the simple small blunt ended scissors type that I get in the BIRD DEPARTMENT at Petco.  The ones in the cat department are bigger, or have that Martha Stuart tail on them that just gets in the way for me.  For TINY kittens I use a human baby nail clipper since it's easier to use on those tiny little things with claws like velcro.  You only need to take off the points.

Here is a picture of the clippers I like best.


Here is a good demo video also.

Red Top Rescue said:

I prefer the simple small blunt ended scissors type that I get in the BIRD DEPARTMENT at Petco.  The ones in the cat department are bigger, or have that Martha Stuart tail on them that just gets in the way for me.  For TINY kittens I use a human baby nail clipper since it's easier to use on those tiny little things with claws like velcro.  You only need to take off the points.

Here is a picture of the clippers I like best.

cat_nail_clippers.jpg

• red top rescue
• Aug 19, 2015

Here is a good demo video also.

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This is what I use as well. I do have a pair with the "tail" on it like the Martha Stewart ones and don't like them as much either. You can also find them in the small mammal departments, like for rabbits

Here are the ones I use and they've been great. I think they might  come with a lifetime warranty. The actual blade part looks curved just like the ones suggested earlier. They have a little safety clip to hold them closed when not in use and I think that flap you can see is meant to be a safety barrier so you can't push them in too far up a cat's claw if you swivel it in front of the opening. However, I don't use it because the gap is still too wide and it would cut the claws too short, so I just judge by how much of the nail is protruding. 

I no longer remember what they're called, can find out if you're interested.

lazer said:

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I would be interested in that if you have the time to look into it and find the name. that one seems like something i would use for my cat 

Found them!
We got these in store here but I think they are the same ones (however the handle color says "red" but ours are quite orange...not sure if it's a labelling thing, I'm color blind, or it's a slightly different model). 

It doesn't mention the "lifetime guarantee" there but someone mentions it in the reviews, and I found mention of it on a few different products of theirs. I am fairly sure that the box ours came in also mentioned this, maybe on the back...but please don't take my word for it, I could be misremembering. 

Note that it says dog nail clipper. You can sort of get an idea of size in my pic next to the corner of the laptop (ok that's a stretch) and they have measurements there as well. We have big cats so it's a good size for them, I'm not sure how well it would work for smaller cats.

I use the small blunt scissors type, as I find them quick and easy to work with. Generally I can get all four paws done in less than a minute, making the procedure less objectionable to our cat. It works best when he's sleepy.

I've tried the type lazer has, but they're stiffer and too large to hide in your hand, making them a bit daunting for cats.

I use the same kind as Red Top Rescue posted. I have several different pairs but they were all marketed as cat nail trimmers.  I prefer them to human nail trimmers because the human nail trimmers seem to split the nail more often.  The Millers Forge dog style I have never tried on a cat...even for our larger cats, the cat nail trimmers have sufficed nicely.  It would have to be a pretty large cat before I considered using dog nail trimmers on it.

Judging by the video the smaller nail clippers have just as wide an opening as the Millers Forge ones, so it's not like they protect the claw any more (at first glance). I prefer the Millers Forge ones because the spring keeps them open by default - I only have to worry about squeezing down when I have the right amount of claw and not opening them up as well. They've worked fine for my cats, but then they both just lie on their backs in my lap seemingly indefinitely while we're claw-trimming so I haven't had to put their dexterity to the test.

I haven't had to give this a try yet since Abby came with her nails already clipped and I had my vet clip them when I took her for a checkup last week. It was never easy with Bailey, who would tuck her paws underneath her or pull away at the last minute, just before I snipped, but she was pretty gentle and I could go awhile in between clippings, just do a couple at a time etc. or wait until she was at the vet's and get them to do it. Abby is much more active and I see what she goes after with her paws now - so I will need to stay on top of it with her. I am not looking forward to it, seeing how squirmy she was when my vet did them. I used human nail clippers on Bailey but am considering getting a tool such as the ones pictured in this thread. However, I am left handed, so I wonder if these tools will work for me. I can use things in my right hand, and maybe trying to hold her paw still with my left (stronger) hand and clipping with my right hand might be better anyway, but before I consider getting one of these tools I thought I would check with you guys and find out if they are, as I suspect tools that only work for right handed people.

Honestly, I use a pair of human fingernail clippers. The animal ones are bulky and awkward in my hand, so I prefer the the little silver ones. Also, they allow me to be stealthy in my approach.

happybird said:

Honestly, I use a pair of human fingernail clippers. The animal ones are bulky and awkward in my hand, so I prefer the the little silver ones. Also, they allow me to be stealthy in my approach.

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I also use human nail clippers. I keep a pair right next to my chair so I can grab them anytime she's sitting on my lap and do one or two claws.

The key is to turn them sideways to the claw, so that you're clipping on the flat, with the curve of the clippers helping (slightly) to avoid the quick. Remember, this is the absolutely essential part of claw clipping. A cat can bleed out if you cut into the quick, and even if you manage to avoid that (always keep a styptic pencil at hand when clipping claws) your cat will never tolerate claw clipping in the future after this kind of accident. The quick is the part of the claw that isn't translucent.

Margret

We use the ones Red Top Rescue uses, but we don't do it often enough.  Luckily both cats like the scratching post...

Margret said:

I also use human nail clippers. I keep a pair right next to my chair so I can grab them anytime she's sitting on my lap and do one or two claws.

The key is to turn them sideways to the claw, so that you're clipping on the flat, with the curve of the clippers helping (slightly) to avoid the quick. Remember, this is the absolutely essential part of claw clipping. A cat can bleed out if you cut into the quick, and even if you manage to avoid that (always keep a styptic pencil at hand when clipping claws) your cat will never tolerate claw clipping in the future after this kind of accident. The quick is the part of the claw that isn't translucent.

Margret

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I'm left handed, and I've always had trouble using the scissor style clippers, just as I have trouble with regular scissors. They're designed to be used with the right hand and don't work very well with the left, but my right hand isn't coordinated enough to clip claws safely. I use human fingernail clippers turned sideways, as Margret says. They work just fine that way.

MollyBlue said:

We use the ones Red Top Rescue uses, but we don't do it often enough.  Luckily both cats like the scratching post...

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What kind of scratching post do you have? Jasmine's claws get sharper when she uses a scratching post!

Margret

momto3cats said:

 

I'm left handed, and I've always had trouble using the scissor style clippers, just as I have trouble with regular scissors. They're designed to be used with the right hand and don't work very well with the left, but my right hand isn't coordinated enough to clip claws safely. I use human fingernail clippers turned sideways, as Margret says. They work just fine that way.

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I always used human clippers on Bailey so I will continue that practice with Abby. I just thought, seeing how squirmy she was at the vet that another tool might be more efficient. I will just have to go one or two claws at a time. I did notice that my vet used human nail clippers. His associate always used a tool like the ones depicted here, and seemed to have an easier time, but I suspect that was due to the cat involved, not the tool.

Don't have them yet but my Vet recommended Millers Forge.

Margret said:

What kind of scratching post do you have? Jasmine's claws get sharper when she uses a scratching post!

Margret

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We have several.  We have a corrugated strip that hangs from the door, two that lay flat, a sisal scratching post, a mat, that I am really not sure what it is made of, and a carpet scratching post as well as a small tower that is all carpeted that they scratch on.  Tati likes to climb trees on her walk, so she scratches the trees too.  We don't really have problems with them scratching us or stuff anymore so maybe their claws do get sharper... but I don't think they get too long.