Clipping takes a nail down in one action; filing takes it down gradually, which is the entire reason a file suits a nervous pet or a final smoothing pass better than another round of the clippers.

This is a heat-treated stainless steel file with a grooved, coarse inside surface for reducing nail length and a finer side for finishing smooth. Mikki's method is to hold the pet's foot carefully and file in one direction with a smooth action, working left- or right-handed. It's a slower alternative to clipping, and Mikki position it as particularly suited to nervous pets or for smoothing the edges after a clip. It measures 17.5 x 2.2 x 1.7cm.

• Heat-treated stainless steel blade
• Coarse grooved side reduces nail length; finer side finishes smooth
• File in one direction with a smooth action
• Left- or right-handed use
• Suits nervous pets, or smoothing clipped nail edges
• 17.5 x 2.2 x 1.7cm

Still respect the quick. Mikki's own warning is the same as for any nail tool: a claw carries blood vessels called the quick, and filing down to that point is just as much a risk as clipping into it, even though filing feels slower and safer. It's a gradual tool, not a risk-free one.

Who it's for: owners of a nervous pet who won't tolerate clippers, or anyone wanting to smooth off sharp edges after a clip rather than leave them rough.