Hi everyone,
No matter if you have a dog, cat or small furry such as a rabbit, keeping your pet’s nails in good shape is an important part of being a pet guardian. And of course with many of us still in lockdown around the world this isn’t always an easy task!
Are you one of those pet guardians that feel like they simply have to take their pet to a vet or a groomer in order to trim their nails? If the answer is yes, don’t fear as this was us once as well!
For the sake of reducing stress for our little Oliver and harm to our wellbeing we always used to take him to our local vet. An expensive trip for a five minutes job but we thought it was worth it to reduce stress and stop him getting in grown nails.
But what makes it such a stressful process? Why do our cats refuse to have their claws clipped? Many cat lovers will claim that cats should not have their claws clipped as they need them for defense and to be able to climb up objects which are fine for outdoor cats that constantly use their claws and thus shed the outside sheet while loosing some of the sharpness of their claws. Sadly when it comes to indoor cats, even those with access to plenty of scratch trees and pads, not clipping their nails can lead to problems such as overgrown claws or even those growing into their soft pads which is not just painful but can potentially lead to dangerous infections.
So what if you have an indoor cat and your cat simply “refuses” to have their nails clipped?
Well as mentioned… we have been in the same situation with our moggie Oliver, ever since we adopted him as a kitten simply would not tolerate having his nails clipped with conventional clippers. To make things worse his claws are genetically predisposed to grow inwards towards his pads thus leading to a bi-monthly visit to the vet or our groomer friend to have them trimmed, usually a 3 people job EVEN with the assistance of a professional but certainly less dangerous than doing it at home. 😉
Our assumption was that he must have had a horrible experience before we adopted him and most likely that is correct!
Luckily for us, one of our partners PerAnimal started distributing a unique clipper called ZenClipper which is not just completely silent but features a unique circular design that prevents pet guardians from cutting the quick as long as the right size of the clipper is purchased. As with any new product I am sceptical until we get to try it out but were pleasantly surprised as to how silent and easy to use the clipper was when we initially trialled it with our easy cats (Rennie & Freya will actually sit and push their claws out during caticure!)
So the next stage was Mr Oliver, the destroyer of solid oak wood tables (the last time we tried to do it at home, prior to having one of these clippers he actually managed to shred the solid wood table!). We got him onto Iain’s lap and I got ready to cut his claws of course accompanied by some low-level growling as he assumed it was going to be one of the traditional clippers!
Much to our surprise we got through the first couple of claw tips with a bit of growling and one hiss, waiting for the moment he’d turn and outright attack… but that moment never came! Instead, we managed to clip all of his claw tips on both the front and back legs. It was still a 2 people job, hence why we have no photos BUT coming from NOT being able to cut his claws at home at all to be able to clip ALL of his claws in one session was a HUGE and unexpected improvement.
So how does ZenClipper work?
ZenClipper a revolutionary new pet nail clipper that is designed to clip just the tip of the nail. Zen Clipper has a patent-pending conical blade that only allows the tip of the pet’s nail into the cutting area, it’s like putting the tip of the nail into a small funnel. You clip just the tip and avoid the quick. Originally invented for cats, Zen Clipper can also be used on dogs, birds, reptiles and small animals like ferrets and rabbits.
All nails are slightly different on every pet, although most are similar in size and shape for a specific type pet. The first time you use ZenClipper, observe that the quick of the nail, the red part that has the blood supply, won’t be cut by the blade. Just a few tries and you’ll be using the ZenClipper confident that it “Clips the Tip and Not the Quick”. ZenClipper is especially helpful for pet owners with limited near vision since it will prevent you from cutting off too much of the nail, even if you cannot see up close.
There are 7 sizes of Zen Clipper and below are some guidelines for choosing the right size for your pet.
Zen Clipper Size XXS – 1.5mm hole. This size is for smaller birds, kittens, ferrets, smaller reptiles and small animals like guinea pigs.
Zen Clipper Size XS – 2mm hole. The XS is for most adult cats.
Zen Clipper Size S – 2.5mm hole. This is for larger cats, larger birds, puppies, large reptiles and very small dogs.
Zen Clipper Size M – 3mm hole. For small dogs and larger puppies. A Dachshund would be a good fit.
Zen Clipper Size L – 3.5mm hole. For dogs approximately 20lbs to 40lbs | 9 – 18kg.
Zen Clipper Size XL – 4mm hole. For dogs approximately 25lbs to 50lbs | 11- 23kg.
Zen Clipper Size XXL – 5mm hole. For medium to larger dogs, approximately 25lbs to 60lbs | 23 – 30kg.
The vast majority of adult cats use a size XS. But it not uncommon to need 2 different sizes to cater for front and back claws.
A handy sizing card can be ordered or downloaded in our Shop.
Why does ZenClipper make such a difference to pet behaviour?
From our trials on Mr Oliver we think this is down to a few reasons. For starters most of traditional clippers make a loud noise when you try to clip your pets claws there as these are completely silent. The second reason is most likely down to cheaper clippers often crushig the nail and causing discomfort instead of actually cutting it. As there is no way for you a human finger to get into the clippers the blades on these are ultra sharp and thus easily clip even tougher nails!
And of course knowing that there is no chance to accidentally cut the quick it means us humans are much more confident in clipping our pets nails which means we are quicker at doing it and most likely our pets read that our body language has changed.
The ZenClipper is available directly in our blog shop.
Thanks,
Marc
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