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Andrey Grigoryev, of Fort Lee, made a puzzle feeder and cat toy after noticing his own cat was bored with his toys years ago.
"Mooky’s inspiration and patience, together with Andrey’s obedience and opposable thumbs, eventually bore fruit," the Cat Amazing website reads. "Surrounded by scraps of cardboard, torn papers, and various cutting tools, Andrey held up the result. He studied it, looked over at Mooky, looked back again, and stammered out the first words that came into his head:
"'Cat...! Amazing...!' Mooky sighed, but decided to humor the dunce. So the name stuck."
What started as a hobby for Grigoryev and Mooky soon became a full-blown business, Cat Amazing — complete with cat and human CEOs. In 2017, he left his corporate job to pour his efforts into Cat Amazing, NorthJersey.com reports.
On last Friday's episode of "Shark Tank," the entrepreneur told the sharks that he moved to the US from Russia when he was 8 and formed some of his strongest bonds with his pets instead of children, due to a language barrier.
"My parents didn't bring me here to not seize opportunity," he said on the show.
Grigoryev ultimately leapt for Greiner's offer: $200,000 for 22% of the company. He also agreed to giving 5% of Greiner's share to cat shelters, and then match that with his own shares.
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