best cat nail clippers
After owning a cat for several years, we completely understand that having the right tools can help keep anxiety at bay for you and your cat. We tested over 10 different nail clippers and found the best nail clippers for cats. The Shiny Pet nail clippers helped speed up the process with their extra sharp blades and lightweight, easy-to-use clippers.
Our runner-up, Zen Clipper cat nail clippers, gave us peace of mind with an almost foolproof conical blade that precisely cuts just enough of the cat’s nails off without reaching the sensitive parts (the quick). And if you’re more comfortable with a plier-style design, we found the Pawsibility pet nail clippers were perfect for both left- and right-handed parents that need an LED light for extra visibility.
Outdoor cats typically will have their nails or claws wear down as they walk outside, and climb trees. But indoor cats’ claws don’t wear down as much even if they’re routinely using cat trees or cat scratchers. So to keep the nails at bay, and so we don’t get scratched up from our furry friends, we need to clip regularly.
Pets At Home Claw Clippers
When it comes to cat nail clippers, there’s a lot of variety: scissors, pliers, guillotine styles, and grinders. Clippers often come with two handles, except grinders, and some come with springs to help reduce the effort in opening and closing.
If you have a cat that hates getting its claws cut, we recommend using scissors or pliers because it’s easier to maneuver a wriggly cat without hurting them. Most cats we know are a little skittish when getting their nails trimmed, so we would refrain from using grinders unless you know your cat is okay with noise and vibrations while getting their claws cut.
Cutting your cat’s nails can feel scary, and having a safety or locking mechanism will help relieve this. The safety guard is a plate on the back of the nail clippers that prevents you from cutting too much of the nail. However, its effectiveness depends on the length of your cat’s nails. Once the claws are cut very short, the guard may not be effective.
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A locking mechanism keeps the clippers closed when not in use and prevents other people or cats from hurting themselves on the sharp blades.
A dull blade is a dangerous blade. Use nail clippers that are super sharp and durable so they last for a long time or can even be resharpened later. If you use dull blades on your cat’s nails, it may break their nails instead of cleanly cutting them. We recommend stainless steel blades because they are strong and don’t rust.
The build quality of the clipper body also adds to a better experience for you and your cat. Some cheaper nail clippers are made of low-quality plastic with sharp edges that make clipping claws uncomfortable. At the same time, other brands include silicone or rubber handles for a more comfortable grip.
Cat Nail Clippers Professional Stainless Steel Claw Clipper Trimmer For Cats, Kittens, Hamster, Rabbits & Small Breed Animals
Cat nail clippers can range in price from under $10 to over $30, depending on the type of clippers you purchase. On average, most clippers were about $10-$15, so you can find any kind of clippers that fit your and your cat’s needs. Most electric grinders were on the higher end, while the manual scissors or pliers were cheaper.
We wanted to try different nail clippers like scissors, pliers, guillotines, and grinders. These are the four main types of clippers. We tested features like angled blades, LED light fixtures, safety guards, and different handle ergonomics within each variety. Lastly, we focused on several pricing levels. We tested these tools from under $10 to over $30 per nail clipper to see if they were worth the price or a steal.
We tried 10 different cat nail clippers for two months on our cat, Gob. He’s typically timid and scared to cut his claws, so it’s often a two-person job, but using some of these different nail clippers made it possible to have a better and less stressful experience. (Don’t worry, we spoiled him with lots of playtime with the best cat toys to make up for his help!) We made notes of specific styles and sizes, safety issues, and blade and overall quality of the products.
Our Favorite Cat Nail Trimmers In 2023
The Shiny Pet nail clippers are our top choice because of their no-fuss, lightweight, scissor-style design. These are well-made and have an angled blade that helps get the perfect angle for cat nails, whether your cat is fussy or not.
The only issue we saw with the Shiny Pet nail clipper is the small size of the finger holes; they may be too small for larger hands but they worked well for small and medium fingers. The handles have a rubber coating that makes them soft and comfortable to hold. The blades were super sharp, which made cutting claws quick and easy.Read more…
These clippers don’t have a safety guard, but we sometimes find that safety guards can add to the bulkiness or hinder how much of the cat’s nail you can accurately see while cutting. The angled tip is slender and offers a lot of visibility when grooming our cat’s nails; this helps with fast and quick cuts and a happier cat.
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The Zen Clipper was our runner-up, and we were pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. Instead of two open blades facing each other, the Zen Clipper has a conical blade or a hole that slices from all sides. This design prevents nails from crushing while grooming—something I’ve seen makes our cat uncomfortable and the overall grooming experience unpleasant.
Like the Shiny Pet, these lightweight scissors may be too small for larger hands and seem better suited for small- or medium-sized fingers. These scissors also work for left- or right-handed parents.Read more…
When purchasing, you want to pick a size of scissor that fits your cat. Zen Clipper suggests a size small with a 2.5 mm hole for cats, which worked perfectly for Gob. If you have a kitten, you might want to downsize to an xx-small 1.5 mm nail clipper. What we love best is that we don’t have to be scared of over-clipping our cat’s nails—a constant cat parent’s fear.
Pet One Grooming Cat, Bird & Small Animal Nail Clippers
Our top pick for a plier style nail clipper is the Pawsibility nail clippers. What we love best is that they not only come with a light for better visibility, but the sharp blades easily cut all animals’ claws, including cats and dogs.
The light is rechargeable using a micro USB that comes with the tool. Behind the blades, there’s also a removable container that catches all the clippings meaning there’s no mess! If you prefer to file your cat’s nails after clipping, there’s also a hidden nail file inside the handle that can fold out.Read more…
These pliers also work for both left- and right-handed fur parents, and you can close or open them with one hand. We wish there was another material on the handles, like rubber or silicone, for a better grip. At almost $25, it’s on the expensive end of the nail clippers we tested, but we think the quality and added features are worth the price for nail clipper pliers.
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The Pet Republique nail clippers are good for cat owners who want a simple, budget-friendly, and scissor-style nail clipper. These are designed similarly to the Shiny Pet nail clippers, except the tip is flat and not angled.
Inside the handles are comfortable rubber ridges that help grip the small tool as you’re grooming your cat. Like the other scissor styles, this is a relatively small tool, and if you have larger hands, this may not be comfortable to hold while carefully cutting claws. However, the Pet Republique nail clippers could work for you if you want something inexpensive. They offer a 90-day money-back guarantee, so you can even test them and return them if they don’t work out.
The Casfuy Professional nail grinder is similar to the GHG nail grinder, an electric grooming tool charged via a USB port. Grinders are typically used to help smooth out claws while grooming. However, we found that many of these grinders were designed with bigger animals in mind, like dogs. We liked that it came charged out of the box with two speed levels and a removable safeguard.
Gripsoft Nail Clipper, Cat
Unfortunately, like most grinders, the speed levels were too strong for most cats to be comfortable. We found the clipping process to take longer and be riskier because cat claws are small, and you need the cat to stay still long enough. Due to the higher price, we wouldn’t recommend this grinder unless you know your cat is comfortable with strong vibrations and longer grooming time.
The Resco Deluxe nail clipper is a guillotine-style grooming tool that is pretty bare bones. Resco has been around since the 1970s, and all their clippers are made in the USA. These clippers feel durable in your hand, have rubberized handles for easy grip, and cut claws with one sharp blade that cuts upwards.
Resco also sells replaceable blades, and you can easily disassemble the tool for blade replacement. One issue we had with guillotine clippers was that you must
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