“Cat furniture helps cats be happy.”
It’s a bold claim, but a quick glance through Vancouver-based Tuft + Paw’s inventive and engaging selection of kitty beds, perches and posts showcase a variety of ways to keep feline companions purring.
While kitty furniture isn’t a novel concept, many the company’s designs, as well as their approach to cat accessories, set the brand apart.
Vancouver Is Awesome spoke to Jackson Cunningham, founder of Tuft + Paw, who explained why he started the company.
“We started in 2016, after a few events coincided to create a good opportunity. I have an e-commerce background, and I was hoping to help my girlfriend start her own store — she loves cats,” he said. “We also just arrived back from a trip to South America where homeless cats were extremely commonplace. And we just rescued our own cat and were having an incredibly hard time finding nice cat furniture.”
Cunningham notes that Vancouver real estate is expensive, and therefore many cat-owners live in small apartments and lofts. A tacky scratching post is an eye-sore in any room, but it is especially noticeable in a smaller home.
![Photo Tuft + Paw t hree](https://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.23658762!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_size/photo-tuft-paw-t-hree.jpg)
“It seemed like the perfect opportunity, so we started sourcing the most beautiful cat furniture we could find around the world. Fast forward to today, we’re growing very quickly. We have two full-time industrial designers and engineers who are conceptualizing cat products from scratch and we have some very big things coming down the pipeline in 2019. We expect our team to grow to about 10 people in the next year.”
Tuft + Paw works with cat behaviourists, researchers, inventors and engineers to come up with solutions to common cat problems. Cunningham explained how cats each have their own unique personalities, but that a few of the designs are especially popular.
“The cat trees are the best sellers,” he said. “But they also love to be up in places where they can perch and observe a room. As for sleeping furniture, the cat beds are the top picks.”
Cat Furniture with Tuft + Paw
![tuft two](https://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.23658761!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_size/tuft-two.jpg)
- Elana Shepert, Vancouver is Awesome