TE BLOG

Feb 28, 2011

Baker’s Dozen Announcements

Are you ready for sneak peeks of our March release!? Before the Baker’s Dozen and I get started with our sneak peeks tomorrow, I have a few announcements to share with you. Each month our amazing design team brings Taylored Expressions to life with their cute and clever ideas! These girls are like family to me and so it’s always sad to say farewell.

Donna has been with Taylored Expressions since we began our journey more than two years ago! Not only have I enjoyed seeing Donna’s beautiful work month after month, but I’ve been blessed to get to know Donna and call her a friend. I know she will continue to share her beautiful work on her blog, Stamping Serenity, and I hope you’ll all keep up with her there! Stop by Donna’s blog to wish her the best in all her future endeavors!

Donna leaves big shoes to fill on the design team, and we’ll be introducing you to a new Baker’s Dozen team member during our April release! In the meantime, we have a new guest designer this month! But first, I must say a huge thank you to our January/February Guest Designer Lea Lawson! I have totally enjoyed seeing her bright, fresh projects! They always have that little something extra to make you say “Wow!”. You can find all of her creations right here in the TE Gallery. Thank you for sharing your talents with us, Lea!

So… without further adieu, I’m excited to introduce our March/April Guest Designer Cindy Lawrence! I’ve been a long-time admirer of  Cindy’s beautiful projects on her blog: The Creative Closet! And she is such a joy to meet in person as well. Her bright smile speaks volumes! I can hardly wait to see what Cindy has in store for us during the next two months. She’ll be joining the Baker’s Dozen with a March release day post so we don’t have much longer to wait! Welcome, Cindy!

  • Donna

    I am already missing being on the team & sharing sneak peeks – thanks for your kind words, generosity & friendship over the years, Taylor! I wish YOU & TE the best as always and will definitely still be around!!!

  • Lea L.

    Thank you so much for a wonderful couple of months, Taylor! I had a ton of fun using the new stamps and participating!!

    Congratulations to Cindy…I can't wait to see what you create with the fabulous TE stamps!! Enjoy your couple of months as the guest DT member!!

  • ScrappyKy

    Hi there! Late to the party but I hope you see this. Soft Paws saved us! I had 2 cats that were scratchers and I tried them in desperation because we too, could NOT afford to replace all their damages for a 2nd time. Both cats let me put them on and they go on easier than you think. An added benefit is that they are so darn cute. My girls walking around in pink or purple nails is just too much. 😉

  • Sharon -- The OKI Stampqueen

    LOL! The "baby" kept scratching the larger cat-in his eye-with his claws. We were at the vet anyway-they had a set of the claw covers. We tried it. The first one…was off in less than 1/2 hr.–and the rest of them within the week. I found them everywhere. The poor cat–could not jump, balance, grip-nothing. It was awful and I would never do it agaiN! Try getting the phermone diffuser Feliway (or something like that) and put it in the room(s) he spends the most time in. I thought it was a lark-but I tell you–I can tell the second the thing runs out-our cats start acting out! It works! Good luck to you-and Morris. And yeah, ours LOVE the cardboard scratching posts-you have cardboard everywhere-but the furniture is safe!

  • Anonymous

    I had a problem with one of my cats clawing up the wood trim in our house along with our furniture. We had tried scratching posts to no avail. When we remodeled our house and purchased new furniture I was faced with having to have her declawed. It was then that my aunt told me about the scratch boxes (that others have already mentioned), so I tried it. AMAZING! I now have one in every room and it's all she uses. I haven't put catnip in them in years. You can buy them at Wal-Mart and Target and cost between $5 and $9. They last for at least six months or more so it's not a huge expense. Worth a try! 🙂

  • Heather Jensen

    That is a hard one. I do have to say I hate the idea of declawing…it is actually cutting off their toe at a nuckle I was told by ARL. We HAD to declaw our cat. We got her years ago and we were renting and that was the only way we could keep her. She was tearing up the carpet.
    Try the Soft Paws. BUT, whatever you do will be right for you, so don't question yourself or feel bad about your decision. You do what you have to do.

  • Gloria a.k.a. mmgirl

    I love Morris's dud, he looks so loveable. I love cats also I have 3 indoor only, they were all declawed. I left their back claws. I had check into softpaws and thought they would not work for us. Good luck!
    Thanks for sharing
    mmgirl

  • Scrappy

    We used soft paws on two of our cats. They both hated them, but our older male cat put up with them and just glared at us for a few days. Our younger female cat chewed them all off within an hour or so -then she went right back to destroying our furniture/rugs. Double sided scoth tape helped quite a bit though. The best thing we ever found? Drs Fosters and Smith (online/catalog) sells an organic no scratch spray that has finally allowed us to buy new furniture! I've also heard 'Bitter Cherry' works for dogs, but haven't tried that yet. Good Luck!

  • Lisa Hjulberg

    First, that is the cutest picture of Morris! He does look a bit like Little Red Riding Hood. How funny! I wish my cats would let me dress them up. The dogs put up with it occasionally, but the boys think it's dumb and undress them. Kill joys! LOL

    Anyway, I'm anxious to hear how you fare with the Soft Paws. One of our two cats has ruined furniture and door moulding with her scratching.

    The water spraying trick is good in general for training cats, but it's important that they don't know it's you doing the spraying.

    Good luck!
    Lisa

  • sl

    We found using a spray bottle of water very effective to break unwanted habits with out cat. Now we just have to show her the bottle to get her to stop. She also stopped using her scratch pad until we added some catnip to it. Good Luck. There is nothing better thana fury friend.

  • Anonymous

    My daughter's cat swatted people and clawed the corner of her sofa. She had a variety of scratching posts,etc and she still preferred the corner of the sofa. After talking to the vet about declawing–and finding out what they actually do to declaw them–the vet told us about the Soft Paws. My daughter immediately bought some from Pet Smart and had no trouble putting them on. The cat adjusted to them quickly. She will sometimes pull one off but they are easy to apply. The cat is a big white cat so she also ordered her some hot pink Soft Paws from the website. Now she has bright pink "nail polish". I would definitely give it a try before surgery. Much cheaper too!

  • Wanda

    Well, I can see alot of people have responded to your need here and they all are good responses (what I've read) – so just to say, I have 3 kitties and they all use the "cat tower" and 2 other scratching boxes I have laying around. I do have one that stretches against the wall, and when I see him do it, I say, "no no" – but I do not think he is scratching the wall when he does it. But I must say, when I brought the second cat in (the mother of the one I had), she sat for 3 months and watched everything he did, and then took over – and they always seem to watch each other to see what they can get away with. I do not have any problems, except when they are wrestling on the carpet in the foyer, and I can tell little pieces of carpet are coming up – but it's not from them actually trying to tear the carpet – it only happens during their wrestles with each other.

  • adetia

    First!! Let me tell you, if you've had trouble getting a cat scratch post to work, DO THIS!!!! It saved our new carpet:

    Buy a can of catnip SPRAY.
    Once a day for two weeks, make a big show of spraying the post. Your cat will be curious, and unable to resist.

    After two weeks, back off to every few days, then once a week. I only spray occasionally now when I think about it or happen to see the can… and our cat who NEVER used the darn thing uses it every day now.

    I used soft paws for a long time, but I stopped when the paw cap got caught in something and ended up tearing the cats entire nail out because the nail ripped out easier then the super glue let go.

    Hope this helps.

  • Penni

    Hi Taylor.

    Morris is gorgeous. I have to say that there is no way I would get soft claws on either of my cats, and they are so laid back sometimes I wonder if they are still actually alive LOL!!!

    However, in the UK de-clawing is illegal!!! I do have a small hole in the carpet at the top of my stairs, but usually my cats are very good at using their scratching posts.

    Also, if Morris goes outside, he will need his claws to defend himself if he gets into an argument with another cat.

    I would give the soft claws a go – but maybe you shouldn't get pink ones for him – do they make blue ones for boy cats ?!!!

    Have a great day.

    Hugs
    Penni
    X

  • Jen Tapler

    Morris is the cutest!! We've been using Soft Claws for years on both of our cats and love them! I don't go for the colored ones, we just get the clear ones, which you can't even see. One of the cats, Spooky, has totally stopped even trying to scratch anything. But the other one, Nani, still has that need to scratch and scratches at the carpet and furniture, etc – but it's fine with the soft claws. I will warn you that we did have one "incident" with them only once – Nani got her claw caught in a strand of the carpet on a bath mat a few years ago and it caught between her skin and the soft claw (like the little space as the soft claw grows out) and she FREAKED out – then she started throwing herself on the ground, twisting all around trying to get free, which only made it more tangled, and of course then I was FREAKED out. Looking back, it was probably quite amusing – the cat was squalling, I was screaming and crying and yelling for Joel to hurry up and just DO something already while trying to get her to calm down (I was convinced she was going to rip her own claw out trying to free herself), and Joel was just trying to get me to calm down. We just had to cut the strand of carpet from the bath mat to free her (which was difficult because she was squirming EVERYWHERE and I was worried Joel was going to cut her "finger" off!). Anyway, then I was totally paranoid for months that it would happen again, but it never has and we still use them. But I'm very careful when I have to put new ones on that I try to get them all the way on so there's really no space up in there for something to get caught (of course, as they grow out, there will totally be space, but whatever). My point is, I highly recommend them. I don't know why I even shared my scary story other than to amuse a fellow cat lover who I know could probably relate to my major meltdown!! 🙂

  • Tori Wild

    🙂 I'm so happy to see Morris got to join in the fun!! I could see some fuzzy bunny slippers on his paws to stop the scratching. Okay– maybe that wouldn't work, but it would be cute. I HAVE heard of some spray you can use to deter them from scratching, but that might be hard with carpet… I had a cat who wouldn't leave the corner of a couch alone, so I know it's frustrating!!

  • Purrfect Paper Creations

    Hey Taylor,

    Have you tried that spray that is supposed to make it smell bad for cats? We have to use it on our Christmas tree every year . . . .(I got mine at Petco, called Nature's Miracle for Pet Behavior). Like Michelle said in the post above, I also have that box for the cats to scratch. I have purchased them at Trader Joe's, they work great!

    Also, to get them to use the scratching post more . . . I have had to not just say "No" but each time carry them to the scratching post, take the two front paws, and show them to scratch on the post. It's a lot of work, but in the end it has paid off.

    Good Luck!

    Chris L.

  • Anonymous

    Hi Taylor,
    We had the same problem with our cat only it was clawing the furniture. I saw these boxes on tv for cats. They're like scratching posts but they're made from cardboard and rectangular. We put them next to the side of the furniture the cat was scratching and suddenly, he stopped and just clawed the box. We also, put a little cat nip in the bottom of the box for drawing him to the box. I don't remember the name of the product or if it works for everyone but it was a lifesaver for us and our furniture.
    Maybe someone else will know the name of the product after reading this. Hope this helps.
    Michelle

  • Elizabeth Bracco

    He is the cutest thing ever! As the owner of 2 cats can I just say, 'wood floors'. Floor rugs are easier and cheaper to replace if necessary. 😉

  • Radha

    lol T!!!
    I see him with those colored nails!!!
    Is like having 5 kids? Hi hi lol
    My friend uses clothes to cover her furniture it does take the beauty away… can MR Cat live on the balcony? with warmers?

    Happy holidays girl enjoy!
    Radha

  • dstandard

    Well I'm on the opposite side of the fence – my cats were de-clawed for the same reason – they go inside and out (and we live in the country), can still climb trees, catch birds and do pretty much what they want – but they don't destroy my furniture. Good luck!

  • dorism6220

    We tried soft paws – had the kennel put them on while he was there. Pricey and they didn't stay on too long but they worked. HOWEVER – I think the cat was so traumatized by the experience, it now takes 3 people to hold him down to trim his nails. He just hates the staff there. I take him elsewhere to get his nails trimmed and he behaves for everyone else. He still thinks my legs are his scratching post. My hands and feet are deifnitely his toys. Don't know how to break his habit (and its only when I have my nightgown on).

  • Amber Hight

    OMG I wish I could get some for my dogs, lol! Not that they scratch, but I super LOVE the colorful caps, those are so fun, lol! I say give 'em a go! MUCH less painful for poor Morris and also less painful on your wallet should he continue to shred your flooring!

  • Carol Dee

    Good Luck! Morris does seem pretty laid back. He just might tolerate the soft paws very well. 🙂

  • Vikki Jo

    Now that I have wiped the tears of laughter! I can't imagine my cat allowing me to dress him let alone put those caps on him. BUT I did find them on FB and tons of ppl talk highly of them!

  • JenMarie

    I have a friend who uses them on her cat.
    However, my cat came home and chewed every one of them off, LOL!

  • Emily Branch

    First, let me say. I am IN LOVE WITH THIS PICTURE and the fact that Morris WEARS CLOTHES!! I am a major car lover, and if my husband wasn't so deathly allergic to cats, I'd have some of my own.

    And, to answer your question, soft paws do work. A lady that I nannied for in college had a cat that was destroying the side of a brand new designer chair, and de-clawing was a definite toe. (It's akin to cutting off the entire part of your finger where the nail grows, it's very painful and your cat can never venture outdoors)

    So, she heard about Soft Claws from the vet, and decided to try it. It was a HIT! No scratching, the cat doesn't even notice them, and the kitty can still go outside when it's sunny!

  • Wanda G (stampcat)

    Hi Taylor! OMG I so relate to this story. Mr. Buddy scratches his scratching post and then ONLY the good couch…not the old one of course! We tried the soft paws and he chewed them all off in one day. There is no easy answer to this question. I saw a commercial for a thing that makes a noise they don't like and I was going to try that next.

  • Anonymous

    Hi Taylor,
    I worked for a pet store for 7 years – most people who use the soft paws on their cats had very good luck with the product. They don't work for everyone and we didn't sell a lot of them for dogs but we had regular customers for the cats. All you can do is try them and see if they will work for Morris.

  • Janet

    I've got soft paws for my cat. They are God's gift to scratchy cat owners! My cat hates me when I put them on and it takes me a few days, as I put on a couple each day, but they all do go on and it saves my furniture for a while. They are definitely worth it. I'd say try it. Your carpet and wallet will thank you. BTW–I use white to match my cat's normal color of nails. No self respecting cat would want colorful nails–unless Morris wants red to match his new sweater.

  • Mona

    Hi Taylor! I got the softpaws for my dog, she wouldn't even let me put them on! Try spritzing Morris with water when he does it. But don't let him see YOU spray him, he'll figure out quickly if you aren't around, he won't get wet. Good luck!

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