Introducing X-Purr Pole For Cats With Cats Inspired Tutorials.

1. How this idea occurred to you and Arloa?

Natasha: We attended CatCon in Los Angeles at the end of last June (yes, Cat Convention is an actual thing) and saw just about every cat toy and accessory under the sun catering to every type of cat owner – whether you’re into heavy metal, comic books or yoga. We realized there was no consumer pet product that merged pole fitness and cats, and why shouldn’t there be? Pole dancers notoriously love cats, and cats have been photobombing home cat videos since YouTube began, so why shouldn’t there be a product for them?

The light bulb went off, and we literally came up with the idea for X-Purr right on the CatCon show floor. A week later, we built our first prototype and have never looked back!

2. How was reaction of the first people who heard about it and tried it out?

Natasha: We officially debuted X-Purr at Pole Expo this year in Las Vegas, and the reception was so positive! It’s pretty obvious the X-Purr is a parody of the X-Pole Stage Pole, and X-Pole has been so cool with our project, and will even be handling our ordering and fulfillment. When we first launched our Kickstarter (now ended and fully funded at 129% – yay!) we saw people making Facebook comments like, “Is this for real?” and “Is this a joke?” It’s clear now that it’s not! We’re very serious about making X-Purr the best scratching post it can possibly be, but tongue-in-cheek and catered to polers, of course.

Arloa: What’s more important though, is that cats love it! Between Natasha and I, we have 5 cats, which are all obsessed with the X-Purr (check out my cats Monet and Tabitha getting jiggy with the pole – watch below). We also brought the X-Purr to Cat Connection, a local cat rescue in L.A. where Natasha and I adopted all 5 of our cats. The kitties at the shelter there went nuts. (check out a video of that action – watch below).

3. Are you distracted if you pole cat dance?

Natasha: Well, it’s certainly distracting when you’re training at home and your cat is getting in the way, attempting to climb your pole, or more dangerously, batting at your hair and face when you’re dangling upside down in an inside leg hang! That was one of the things we thought about when we created X-Purr. The X-Purr allows your cat to dance on its own pole while you get to work out in peace on YOUR pole.

4. Can it develop creativity for you as a pole dancer watching your cat?

Natasha: Of course! Cats are an endless source of creative inspiration. They’re lithe, flexible and move with intent and purpose – all qualities we can certainly adopt as pole dancers.

5. How is the cats reaction to music?

Arloa: Cats love anything with a groove and a slinky beat. We don’t think cats like heavy metal though.

6. How does it changes cat´s behavior, for example less scratched furniture?

Arloa: Cats have a natural inclination to rip things to shreds, whether it’s your couch, rug or a roll of toilet paper, and as you know, it’s a massive pain in the ass. Anything you can add to your home that will get in the way of this ingrained destruction is a plus. We want cats to attack the X-Purr, not your expensive couch, so we loaded the X-Purr with catnip. Our sisal rope is treated with catnip after it’s attached to the post, there’s a catnip-filled disco ball at the top of the pole, and we also sell a catnip “Pole Cleaner” spray that people can spray onto the pole, or on any favorite kitty toy.

7. How does a cat behave when you are training pole dance?

Natasha: My cats always look on with concern when I’m hanging upside down, and then they try to spot me, usually in the form of a bat to the face! For our Kickstarter video, we put together a compilation of at-home pole training videos of how difficult it can be to train at home when your cat wants to play too, or when your cat photobombs your video at a critical moment (like in Heidi Coker’s video).

8. Do you think there should be pole dance competition between the cats in 2017?

Arloa: We actually have something similar in the works. Watch for news of this in 2017.

9. What tips can pole dancers take from their cat? Do you see some benefits?

Natasha: Get enough sleep. Naps are good for you. Stretch every time you get off the couch. Look out the window. Sleep in the sun. Never stop playing.

10. Could you teach our readers 2 movements on the pole or floor work that you and/or Arloa learned from your cats.

It will be amazing if you could make 2 funny videos. Maybe people will really get inspired to get the cats and the cat pole for the new moves.

Video Tutorial with Natasha Wang inspired by her cat.

Video Tutorial with Arloa Reston inspired by her cat.

10. For those who love your idea, how can they support your campaign and buy X-Purr pole stages for their cats?

Arloa: Our Kickstarter wrapped already, but those who want to be kept up to date on X-Purr can follow us on Facebook @XPurrPole , where we’re posting all our latest news . We’re shipping to our Kickstarter backers starting in December, and will make the X-Purr available to consumers as of this March. We have other products in the pipeline that merge the world of pole and cats, and maybe some other furry animal species too!

11. Win X-Purr Giveaway T-Shirt from Natasha and Arloa. Here are the rules:

1) Comment below  this post on Facebook with your picture doing pole with your cat.
2) Tag @activonga and @xpurrpole
3) Use the hashtag #XPurrActivonga
4) Like the Activonga and X-Purr Facebook Pages
5) Tag a friend

The winner will be announced in 2 weeks .

Have a great day and get some new moves from your cat pole dancing. Share this article with your friends so that they could participate in the giveaway photo competition.