Paw Print Keepsakes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #IAMSCat #CollectiveBias

We didn’t have a lot of pets growing up. We tried a dog for awhile (short while), but it kept escaping from our backyard and so she went to live with my grandparents. (Who were actually the ones that found her as a puppy and gave her to us.)  We also had a pet rabbit for a short time that my Dad named Buns. And then when I was in high school my family got their first cat. And they have been cat people ever since.

When my husband and I got married we were living in an upstairs apartment in Utah. After being out one day we came home to find a cat curled up on our doormat trying to stay out of the snow. When we opened our front door he came right in and wanted something to eat. And you know what happens when you feed a stray cat? They become your cat. His name was Cosmo. (Funny story, we later found out who his previous owner was. She was a friend of mine. He didn’t like her other cat and ran away and she was happy that he had found us.)

My husband never thought he would be a cat person, but since Cosmo we have had at least one, but usually two cats, ever since. Our two current fur babies are Ranger, a 4 year-old tabby cat, and Coco, an almost 7 year-old calico cat. Ranger was named after our favorite baseball team and Oldest Twin named Coco. With cats being such a big part of our family I realized that there are lots of craft ideas for memorializing your child’s handprint at different ages, why not make a memento with your cats paw print? So that’s exactly what I did.

See how proud they are of their work?

Coco even does tricks. She stands on her back legs when it’s treat time. She loves the new IAMS™ treats (I make sure to get the Mega Bag). And I love that IAMS™ now offers functional food and treats by targeting specific dietary needs—Hairball Care, Digestive Health, and Oral Care. And the treats come in both Chicken and Salmon flavors.

Since they are indoor cats I really like the IAMS™ Proactive Heatlh Weight & Hairball Car Dry Cat Food. He’s posing so well because I’m holding a treat in my hand for him! 

I picked up the IAMS™ cat food and treats at Walmart, as well as the supplies needed for our keepsake craft.

I used a wooden board that I spray painted white for my keepsakes. Once the paint was dry I added the text. And I used a little trick for getting the lettering how I wanted it. I actually printed the text. I took the printed paper and turned it upside down, then I traced the letters. I flipped the paper back so it was right side up, placed it on the board, and then traced the letters again. This transferred the lettering to my board.

Then I went back over the letters with a black fine tipped paint marker. I picked a different cat saying for each of their paw prints.

The paw prints were a little tricky, I won’t lie. I used water based paint and spread it out thinly on a piece of cardboard. I wrapped my cats up, one at a time, in a towel. Then I dipped their right front paw into the paint and onto the board. Off to the bathroom we dashed and I washed their paw with shampoo and lukewarm water to get the paint off (which came off easily).

I liked the black and white simple theme for our keepsakes.

How do you celebrate your cat?