Catnap + Dogdays
2311 St. George Street
Los Angeles CA, 90027
Blame it on Rio
To be accurate, the whole idea started with Rio, my best friend's Chihuahua. While in a desperate search for a unique Christmas gift idea, I rummaged through my house and found a few things that I thought could be turned into something: a piece of lumber, some red velvet and foam. All of a sudden it struck me - I could create a small couch for Rio. Obsessed with the idea, it took me long hours to finish the piece. The gift was a great success. Everyone loved it. Even tiny Rio. But the little dog was quickly chased away from the "specially for her custom-designed" couch by my friend's cats. They simply took over, claiming the little couch for their long naps during the day. Rio had no other choice but to crawl back onto her owner's lap.
Later I decided to build a few more of these little pieces of cat furniture for my friends. My 14-year-old daughter Malina was eager to help improve the design and even came up with her own ideas. My mother Ingrid's experience in sewing and her advice in working with the fabrics was highly appreciated. The whole adventure became a three-generation thing. The creative family was quickly extended when my friend Kirsten joined in and pushed me to start a business with the little couches. She created the CATNAP logo and identity, designed the web-page and developed a marketing strategy. But most of all, she pushed me with her strong belief in the success of CATNAP to go further.
But what would CATNAP be without Oliver - our tabby. He came to our family, when he - only about four weeks old - was simply left in Malina's hands at the flea market while the previous owner just took off. Oliver became our first model and works as our guinea pig. So every CATNAP couch is tested and approved by Oliver before it goes into production.
So far many cats have followed his example and curled up in our comfortable couches for a real good CATNAP!
