Interesting thing I just learned today

[conuly]

While it is possible to trim a cat's nails with human nail clippers without doing too much damage or hurting the cat, so long as you turn the clippers sideways and are very careful, you cannot reverse this process and trim your own toenails with pet clippers, no matter how you turn the darn things. Ow. Ow, ow, ow.

Verbum sapienti sat est.

Comments

[wpadmirer]

Sorry, but I laughed.

[thornsilver]

Why

[conuly]

I was desperate!

[isis]

In that case the clippers I use for my cat's claws are actually human nail clippers (I got them from the person I got the cat from along with the cat), because I use them on my toenails with no ill effect. Huh. I didn't know that cat clippers were actually different.

[conuly]

Yes, they're curved much more. Using human clippers can split the claw if you're not careful.

[larryhammer]

There are clippers for pets that are different from human clippers? Huh.

[conuly]

Humans have, as the Greeks noted, broad, flat nails. Cats and dogs do not. Their clippers have a very pronounced curve and are fairly narrow. You should use them if possible instead of human clippers because human clippers are much more likely to split the claw.

[spikethemuffin]

Yikes! Hope you're okay.

Also: have you noticed that human toenail clippers are pack animals? Like, you only have four-five scattered throughout the house, or none? I do have a lovely lone-wolf pair that has stayed in my makeup brush caddy for a while, and you may pry it from my cold, dead hands.

[conuly]

Yes, this was today's problem that prompted this post.