As a pet owner myself, I can wholeheartedly speak to the anxiety that comes with clipping an animal’s nails. I’m paranoid about cutting too close to the quick, I’m never sure if I’m trimming enough to make a difference and my squirmy cat hates having his paws messed with.

Amazon

The Casfuy electric nail file is a highly rated solution that cat and dog parents everywhere are claiming is the perfect tool for trimming even the most finicky of pet paws. It uses a diamond drum bit grinder to file down nails rather than the traditional clipper method. This allows an operation that’s more precise, significantly less scary and won’t result in jagged nail edges that catch on carpets and fabrics.

The best part? There were tons of reviews describing how “whisper quiet” the device is — a huge win when you consider how many online complaints there are about how often loud electric files scare pets and how, according the VCA, an estimated third of the canine population are affected by noise aversions.

The grinding bit is covered in a removable protective sleeve which keeps nails at the perfect angle for trimming and effectively prevents you from cutting too close to the quick. This is an important and foolproof feature for those of us who panic with nail grooming.

Even if your animal has tiny and delicate claws or extra thick nails, the file comes with three different grinding ports and two grinding speeds so you can really customize the file’s operation. Plus, the cordless functionality means you don’t have to struggle with cumbersome cables in an already stressful situation.

Rather than make a special trip to the vet for a nail trim or wait for the next appointment with the groomers, try out this less-than-$20 tool that can make cutting your pet’s nails much less of a chore.

Promising Amazon reviews:

“I bought this hoping that my 15yo dog who is deathly afraid of having his nails trimmed (everyone has cut the quick and made him bleed and cry) would allow me to use it on him. Otherwise my only option is to have him sedated every time he needs his nails done and he is too old for that. This trimmer is whisper quiet! Bruce whimpered and pulled his paws away but finally I was able to work on the nails. I followed instructions and only hold it to each nail for 5 seconds. Trimmer is powerful and worked like a charm!!! Since Bruce’s nails were so long I have been doing it everyday for the last 5 days and what a difference! With this trimmer and treats Bruce is less afraid of getting his nails done and I have found the perfect solution for this scared old dogs fear of having his nails trimmed. Would recommend to everyone!” —Shadow Soldier

“I am probably the most paranoid dog owner especially when it comes to trimming their nails. We have 2 teacup yorkies and I swear their nails grow so fast during the weeks between groomings. I have always been too nervous to cut them myself in worry that I will cut them too short and hurt them. We had been just taking them into the vet to get their nails trimmed in between grooming. While that has worked its pretty inconvenient between work and school. Our dogs nails were long the other day to where her nails were getting stuck in the carpet. I decided to give this file a go. It is so stress free and works great. It’s also quite enough were it doesn’t stress my already little nervous dogs out when its time to trim them. The product is so easy to use and I don’t feel like I am going to cut them too short or hurt them while trimming their nails. So glad I purchased it, It will definitely save us between groomings.” —Kayleb Bills

“I have a Mix Breed Dog with a history of traumatic experience with nail trimming thanks to a friend. Because of that experience, we’ve never been able to trim our dogs nails. We’ve taken him to the vet, whose had to sedate him for future appointments because of his trauma. We had a nail grinder prior to purchasing this item and it was too loud and bulky that didn’t give us the chance to get close enough to him to use it. I ended up purchasing this item because of how quite it’s intended to be. I tried using the item a couple weeks ago and it worked perfectly as advertised. It was a lot quieter and simple to use, making it effective for nail trimming. I was able to trim my dogs nails for once in over 4 years without having to sedate or take him to the vet. He was a bit squirmish and hesitant the second time I tried, so I may have to using calming medication moving forward but using this product made it alot easier trimming his nails at home.” —Alexander

“This grinder method of cutting down nails is great! I don’t know why it took me so long to try this over traditional clippers. My dog hates the clippers it’s a fight every time and due to the struggle there’s more risk to hitting the quick. And then you’re also left with sharp nails after needing to be filed down. First go with this grinder, doggo just sat there. The noise is quiet so he didn’t care, he just sat there and let me grind away his nail no fuss. Every once in a while it would vibrate his nail and he’d want to see what was going on but otherwise great. Being able to go slower I can focus on the quick better and you are left with a nice smooth nail after so no reason to do the whole nail filing afterward either. A+ solution.” —Kevin S

Get it from Amazon for $15.98+ (available in six colors).

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.