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Zen Clipper Cat Nail Trimmer (2024 Review)

Written by: Ingrid King

Last Updated on March 4, 2024 by Catster Editorial Team

Zen Clipper Cat Nail Trimmer (2024 Review)

Cats’ nails, especially when they’re kittens, are very sharp, and they don’t just hurt when they’re used on you, they can also damage furniture and carpet.  Having plenty of scratching posts and training your cats to use them will help with that aspect, but keeping cats’ nails trimmed is important for other reasons. Cats’ nails grow very fast, and if not trimmed, can grow into the pads of the paws, which is a very painful condition that will require veterinary attention.


The time to get your cat used to having her nails trimmed is when she’s a kitten. Play with her paws, squeeze the paw pads, touch the nails, but stop as soon as the kitten fights you or starts to bite at your hand. Eventually, as the kitten gets used to having her paws handled, you can start using nail trimmers especially designed for pets.  Do not use scissors, they can split your cat’s nails.

Why Zen Clipper makes nail trims easier

One of the things most cat parents worry about when trimming nails, and rightfully so, is cutting off too much, and cutting the quick. Even if you know to only take off the tip of the nail, if your cat moves while you’re trimming, there’s always a chance that you might cut off too much. This is where the Zen Clipper comes in.

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The Zen Clipper is designed to only clip the tip of the nail. It has a patent-pending conical blade that slides over the tip of the cat’s nail. Once the nail is positioned in the hole, you clip. There is simply no way that you can cut the quick. It’s like putting the nail into a small funnel – only a limited amount of the nail will fit.

The Zen Clipper also features another interesting design element: a spring between the two sides limits how far the clipper can open. This is a pretty clever feature because it gets the clipper ready faster to move on to the next nail than if you had to open and close the clipper manually.

Available in three sizes for cats

The Zen Clipper is available in three different sizes for cats – small, medium and large. It’s important to get the right size. Too small, and you’ll have to trim your cat’s nails more frequently than needed. Too large, and you’ll cut the quick. Most adult cats will probably need the medium size. Zen Clipper offers a downloadable sizing chart on their website so you can test which size you need for your cats. If the size you order turns out to not be the right size for your cats, they will exchange it for you at no extra charge.

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Putting the Zen Clipper to the test

Ruby is pretty good about having her nails trimmed, but I’m always nervous after accidentally cutting her quick one time.

Normally, Ruby always reacts with a little grunt or even hiss with each clip. There was absolutely no reaction from her with the Zen Clippers. Not only did I not have to worry about hurting her, the whole nail trim session went much faster than it had in the past with regular clipper. The blade is super sharp, so you don’t need to apply a lot of pressure to cut.

Allegra is a bit more challenging when it comes to nail trims. She is not a cat that you can restrain, so I can usually only trim one or two nails at a time, and I have to catch her when she’s very relaxed. She will bite at my hands and pull her paws away if I’m not quick enough. The Zen Clipper was tremendously helpful because I didn’t have to worry about her jerking her paw away from me just as I was getting ready to cut. I’m sure that also cut down on Ruby’s reactions.

I absolutely love these clippers. I no longer worry about trimming Ruby’s nails, and even my “one or two nails at a time” trims with Allegra have become a little easier.

For more information about Zen Clipper, and to order, please visit their website.

The Zen Clipper is available from Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.

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