With the recent rise in popularity of cat wrestling toys, we thought we would share the story of how we invented the very first cat wrestling glove and cat wrestling puppet, going all the way back to 2021.
This is the full origin story of our interactive puppet that began as a dog toy, evolved through years of engineering iterations, helped foster puppies and kittens, and ultimately became the original cat wrestling glove that sparked the entire category of similar toys online.
What Is a Cat Wrestling Glove?
A cat wrestling glove is a padded sleeve and puppet that you wear on your arm so your cat can grab, kick, bite, and wrestle safely. It protects your hand and forearm from claws and teeth while your cat gets a full body play session.
Our version is designed as a plush squirrel character on top of a protective sleeve that covers your arm. Your hand controls the puppet from the inside, which lets you move like real prey while the built in padding and scratch resistant materials protect your skin during intense cat wrestling.
Instead of your cat attacking your hands or ankles directly, the focus is on the toy. The result is safer, more satisfying wrestling for both you and your cat.
How It Started - From Zoo Gift Shop Puppet to Global Pet Toy
Growing up, our parents were not huge pet people. Despite the constant begging from my siblings and me, we were never able to convince them. Once I got to college and was on my own, I got my first dog Luna and was instantly obsessed.
When Luna was just a puppy, I went to the zoo with my grandfather and my nephew and at the gift shop I bought a children's toy fox puppet. I figured maybe Luna would like it. Little did I know that it would not just become Luna's favorite dog toy, but the favorite toy of thousands of dogs and cats all over the world.
Starting Milunova and the First Dog Puppet Prototype
My brother and I officially started Milunova in January 2019. We had more ideas than we had time, but the one that stuck was a hand puppet for dogs. At the time, I had three dogs of my own, Millie, Luna, and Nova (which is where our company's name comes from), plus a litter of four foster puppies. We were dealing with constant teething, nipping, and a lot of energy. We thought this idea could really help us bond and be a great training device and outlet.
Neither my brother nor I had cats at any point in our lives up to that point so it never crossed our minds that this would become a cat wrestling glove.
By February we had reached out to several manufacturers and by April we had our first prototype. As engineers, our product development process closely follows the scientific method. We observed, ran experiments, and iterated. Our foster dogs became our early test subjects.
Designing for Wrestling Play - Why a Puppet and Sleeve Work So Well
From the beginning, the goal was to create something that could stand up to rough play. When dogs or cats wrestle, they grab with their front paws and then deliver rapid kicks and bites. A bare arm or unprotected glove is not enough for that kind of interaction, so we focused on building a puppet and sleeve that could absorb the abuse while still letting the person inside move naturally and comfortably.
Solving the Scratch Problem - The Sleeve
We spent the next two years perfecting the product. We made a number of incremental improvements to the puppet after countless play sessions with rescue and shelter dogs. At first, the toy did not have a protective sleeve. It took many scratches to the arm before we decided to add one. We even have the scratch marks to prove it in pictures where we are trying to decide the optimal size of the sleeve.
The first versions of the sleeve worked but were not ideal. They shifted around during play and were hard to keep in the right place. One day in a sporting goods store, we were inspired by golf club covers and switched to that style of construction since it stayed on the arm much more securely. That basic sleeve idea still underpins the way the cat wrestling glove works today.
Making It Look Real - Fabric and Character Design
One of the gradual improvements we made over time was realism. We wanted our toy to look like an actual animal as much as possible. We spent months carefully selecting different fabrics, tuning colors and textures until we settled on the design we have now.
We have way too many pictures of squirrels saved on our phones that served as inspiration. The more lifelike the puppet looks and feels, the more natural the wrestling play becomes for both dogs and cats.
The Padded Core - What Makes a True Cat Wrestling Glove
The final core element is the padded construction. We do not just have a plush outer layer. We laminate a protective material inside the puppet and sleeve to protect the person wearing it during play. At the time we developed it, this combination of a character puppet with a laminated protective core simply did not exist in any pet toy on the market.
If we made the protective material too thick, it made the toy hard to control and caused the hand to get tired and sore. If we made it too thin, it did not protect the arm enough during real wrestling play. It took hundreds of play sessions to settle on the ideal thickness and flexibility for the product.
Eye Safety and Why We Switched to Embroidery
Another big improvement came from an unexpected test. I heard from the rescue I volunteered with that they just got a new litter of puppies, so of course I brought the toy and went down to visit. At this point, the prototype had been finalized and we were on the verge of starting manufacturing.
During the play session, one of the puppies chewed the eye off the toy. After hearing horror stories from friends about pets needing emergency surgery after swallowing toy parts, we made the difficult decision to delay manufacturing until we could figure out a safer solution. We ultimately decided to embroider the eye and came up with the design ourselves. That change removed a major choking hazard and made the puppet safer for both dogs and cats.
For a cat wrestling puppet, this kind of detail matters. Cats and kittens will grab, chew, and kick the toy right next to their face, so every part of the design has to assume hard use.
Adding Stimulating Elements For Pets
Building a realistic protective wrestling puppet was not enough. We wanted it to feel purpose built for pets, not just a padded sleeve. That meant adding stimulating elements that would keep dogs and cats engaged while they wrestle with the glove instead of your hands.
Each character has details that match the animal it represents. For Nutjob the squirrel, we added a squeaker positioned in the head so it is easy for the user to activate from inside the puppet, and a crinkle tail that cats love to hug, kick, and bunny kick during play.
For Quetzal the bird, we chose a softer squeaker so the sound feels more like a bird chirping and added a bungee tail that works as a teaser toy. Quetzals are known for their long tail, so we made sure that signature feature became part of the play experience.
All of these elements together led us to submit a patent application for the product. This is the engineering heart of what became the first real cat wrestling glove.
Cats Come Into the Picture
In August 2021, just months before we were set to launch the dog puppet, I was the beneficiary of the cat distribution system. There was a stray black and white cat that hung out near my apartment in Houston and one day I noticed that she appeared very pregnant. I had never seen a pregnant cat before, but I was pretty sure that is what I was looking at.
What followed was a month-long saga involving remote cameras, a humane trap, accidentally catching a possum more than once, and crawling underneath a neighbor's house to finally retrieve the kittens. I documented the entire experience on TikTok and millions of people followed along with the kittens' story.
From Hissing Kittens to Cat Wrestling Glove
What came next is what I love so much about fostering. It is nurturing, building trust, and bringing joy to pets through love and play. The kittens went from hissing and frightened to making biscuits while cuddling with me.
Anyone who has had kittens knows you end up with a lot of small scratches. Their energy and relentless desire to climb everything can be brutal on bare skin. Instinctively, while socializing and playing with the kittens, I started wearing Nutjob, our first glove style puppet.
The benefit to me was immediate: no more scratches. At first the kittens were scared of the puppet. Over time, they learned to trust it and it became their favorite toy. I was so taken aback by their first real play session with the toy that we documented it on TikTok in December 2021.
Once we discovered that our foster kittens loved the toy, we started going to friends' houses that had cats and found they had the same reaction. We even took the toy to a cat sanctuary in Los Angeles that has dozens of cats and watched them climb, pounce, and wrestle with it there.
From that point forward, every design decision was made with both dogs and cats in mind. Functionally, this is where the product fully became a cat wrestling glove, even though the core idea had started years earlier.
Designed by us, tested by foster kittens, engineered for safe play.
Timeline - How the Cat Wrestling Glove Was Born
- 2015 - Luna discovers the original fox puppet from a zoo gift shop.
- Jan 2019 - Milunova is founded and the dog puppet concept is chosen.
- Apr 2019 - First arm puppet prototype is built and tested with dogs.
- 2019 - 2021 - Multiple iterations on sleeve, padding, safety, and realism.
- Aug 2021 - Pregnant stray cat and kittens enter the picture, first cat testing begins.
- Nov 2021 - Official press release announces the product as a dog and cat toy.
- Dec 2021 - First kitten wrestling videos with the glove puppet are posted.
- Sep 2025 - Launched new cat wrestling puppet, the Quetzal.
- Currently - Thousands of happy cats and dogs across 22 different countries and counting.
Our First Public Announcement as a Dog and Cat Toy
When we officially announced the product launch, the cats had already had such a transformative effect that we announced it as a dog and cat toy. In our first press release we wrote:
"The new interactive dog and cat toy features a bite resistant fabric and a robust scratch resistant sleeve making it possible for pet parents to play with their dogs and cats as puppies and kittens play with each other. The toy incorporates a crinkly tail and a hidden squeaker which is accessible from the inside to stimulate the dogs and cats during play."
That release was published in November 2021 and it documents what our customers would later describe simply as a cat wrestling glove or cat wrestling puppet.
Read the original Nutjob announcement press release
What Makes the Original Cat Wrestling Glove Different
Since that launch, similar looking toys have appeared, but there are several important differences between the original design and later copycats.
- Years of real testing with both rescue dogs and foster kittens.
- A laminated inner core that balances protection with flexibility.
- A sleeve inspired by golf club covers that stays in place during intense wrestling.
- Embroidered safety features instead of detachable plastic parts.
- Fabric and pattern choices tuned to trigger natural play and wrestling behavior.
- Continuous iteration driven by feedback from shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries.
The result is a wrestling glove that feels good for the human to use, is durable under real claws and teeth, and is deeply satisfying for cats that want to grab, kick, and chew.
Ongoing Work - Catnip Blends and More Fosters
Since that first litter, we have fostered many groups of kittens, a not actually pregnant momma cat that fooled two vets, and donated puppets to shelters to help address single kitten syndrome.
We are currently working on perfecting a catnip blend that we plan on introducing with our cat wrestling glove. We have experimented with catnip and silvervine, different mixes, and different levels of freshness.
We have made many visits to the cat sanctuary and it is safe to say I am now one of the most popular humans there, based on how often I show up with catnip and wrestling puppets. At home, I also leave different catnip blends out in the yard and have Nest camera footage of stray cats testing and enjoying play sessions with our cat wrestling puppet.
Cat Wrestling Glove FAQ
What is a cat wrestling glove?
A cat wrestling glove is a padded, puppet style toy you wear on your arm so your cat can grab, kick, and bite safely. It keeps your skin protected while giving your cat a realistic wrestling target.
Is the cat wrestling glove safe for kittens?
When used correctly and under supervision, the glove can be a great outlet for kittens that want to pounce and wrestle. It is important to introduce it slowly and only play with kittens that have appropriate bite inhibition.
Why not just let my cat wrestle my hands?
Allowing direct hand wrestling teaches some cats that hands and ankles are fair game. A glove or puppet focuses their energy on the toy instead and keeps your skin protected from claws and teeth.
What makes the original Milunova glove different?
It was designed over years of testing with both dogs and cats, has a laminated protective core, secure sleeve design, embroidered safety details, and has been refined through thousands of real play sessions with foster animals and shelter pets.
What if my cat is scared of it?
In our experience, some cats are initially intimidated by the puppet since this is such a novel way of playing. Introduce the product slowly and over time it will become their best friend. We also started including catnip pillows with the glove to help with the introduction process.
Designed by us, tested by foster kittens, engineered for safe play.
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