Let me tell you how TopKnot Scratching Posts came to be. I do not make posts and furniture for a living. This came about out of necessity and then as a desire to make quality scratching posts and furniture for our cats. Then my immediate family's cats. Then our friend's cats. Then ... , well let me explain.

My family decided to get a cat, mainly for my two daughters. Then we decided, because my wife and I have full time jobs and our girls were at school most of the day, to get another cat for our cat. Binford, our first addition, is a orange tabby male. Then came Sylus, a long haired Manx male. Both were acquired from the local Humane Society with all their shots and each was neutered.

We purchased all the necessities for these cats, including scratching posts and some furniture at the local pet stores. The quality of these items were generally poor and within about a month they began to shake, rattle and fall apart.

At first I began to fix them and saw how they were made. The construction was very bad and the materials were mostly of less than adequate quality. The carpet was cheap, the bases were made of partical board and the posts were thin cardboard tubing. This was especially true of the scratching posts. After the cats began trying to use them and they tipped and fell over a few times, the cats would no longer go near them.

My wife wanted to get some better quality posts and furniture, but after checking the catalogs and internet sites and seeing the prices for some of these items (most were in the $200-$300 range and some even more!) she asked if I could build what she wanted instead. Because I had experience in repairing the scratching posts and furniture previously purchased and knew the flaws in their construction, I knew I could build them better and for a lot less.

Thus began my endevor into building cat furniture and posts. This began an interesting cycle of events. I first started with a scratching post for our cats. Then a relative saw it and asked me to build them one. Then one of their friends saw it and asked for one too. Then a neighbor, and so on. A few of these people began asking for custom cat furniture and the cycle began all over again. My wife and I both work for Airborne Express and many of the materials I ordered come to me at my work station. Fellow employees asked what I used these for and after explaining to them and showing some examples of my work they ordered some. Then some of the contract truck drivers also wanted items. The next thing I knew I had a thriving side business going making scratching posts and furniture which I found both fun and satisfying.