Tired of fearing for your life while clipping your cat’s claws? Cat mask offers an easy solution

08:08 cherishe 0 Comments

“Whenever I try to clip my cat’s claws, it goes ballistic. What on earth can I do so that it will let me?”

The above thought has probably crossed the mind of anyone who has ever had the distinct pleasure of caring for a cat. So how should you deal with a long-clawed, ferocious feline? Well, you can always purchase one of these unique masks made exclusively for kitties in need of a trim…and watch it transform into a weird-looking alien in the process!

A number of online Japanese retailers are offering the mask designed to protect all those cat owners who are tired of being violently lashed out at while trying to perform a routine health and safety procedure. The mask covers a cat’s entire face below the ears with a sizable opening for breathing that’s not quite big enough for teeth to poke through. It’s easy to put on and take off with the help of adjustable Velcro straps, and each mask is lovingly made out of organic cotton by workers in Iwate, Japan.

In addition, the mask comes in two sizes, small and medium, and in two color variations, beige and gray, along with some limited-edition yellow and green varieties. At 2,149 yen per mask (US$17.53), tax included, the price seems reasonable enough. At least Japanese net users seem to think so, since every size and color combination is currently sold out!

In the meantime, interested buyers can get ready for the next shipment of masks by determining which size would be the best fit for their cat. According to the diagram, cats with a neck circumference of 18.5-23.5 centimeters (7.3-9.3 inches) will fit best in the small-sized mask, whereas cats with a measurement of 20-26.5 centimeters (7.9-10.4 inches) will do better in the medium-sized mask.

Refer to the diagrams below to check your own cat’s sizes:

A: Head size
B: Neck size
C: Length of back
D: Waist
E: Length of tail
F: Length of muzzle
G: Height & Weight

▼ Small mask (pictured above) and medium mask (pictured below)

On an amusing note, the Japanese name of the mask, tsume-kiri hojo neko mofumofu masuku (“claw-clipping aid: fluffy cat mask”) includes the word mofumofu, which ordinarily conjures up an image of something fluffy, soft, or plump in readers’ minds. That said, this mask’s design doesn’t seem to be particularly fluffy in any way, and that alone has rubbed some Japanese Twitter users the wrong way:

“Hey, that’s not what I was expecting! What the heck is this!?”

“With mofumofu in the title, I was hoping for something a bit more fluffy…and cute.”

“Ahaha, it looks so surreal I burst out laughing!”

“For a moment I thought those were panties wrapped around the cat’s face…”

Based on its popularity among buyers, the mask seems to be effective. But for us, the real question is probably whether or not your cat will obediently let you put it on in the first place, let alone clip its claws. Or the following scenario could happen, as described by one reviewer: