Um, I don't own a cat and my family hasn't had one since I was about 7, so keep in mind, I don't know what I'm talking about here. However, I have three great danes and know tons of dog people (breeders, show-ers, and pet-people). Instead of clipping the dogs' nails, which can split them or hit the quick, we use a dremel tool(it can be one of the ones made specifically for human manicures or just a regular, shop one) and grind them. It's far faster, it keeps them smooth, and you have more control over how much you take off (and thus can avoid the quick). But dogs, in my experience, tend to be a lot more tolerant than cats, so I don't know if your cats would let you anywhere near them with a dremel. Also, because cats have much smaller nails, I honestly don't know if it would work with them. But still, it's something that you might want to talk to your vet or groomer about and if it is ok for cats, it'll give you another alternative.