📝 Meowtel Survives Without VC Funding

Author

Liam Gill
June 11, 2024

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Dogs are the most popular pet in the U.S., with 65.1 million households owning one, compared to 46.5 million households with cats, according to the American Pet Products Association. Despite the popularity of cats, most pet industry innovations focus on dogs. Sonya Petcavich, founder of the cat-sitting app Meowtel, believes cats and their owners deserve more attention. Inspired by the loss of her cat Lily in 2015, Petcavich invested $100,000 of her own money to create Meowtel, a marketplace exclusively for cat sitters with specialized skills. The company, which employs a rigorous six-step vetting process for sitters, has been largely stealthy since its 2015 launch but is now profitable, with its gross booking volume growing by 50% annually. Meowtel, with over 2,200 sitters and more than 95,000 completed sitting requests, aims to expand from major cities to smaller ones. Despite the venture capital community's dog-centric focus, Meowtel has raised just under $1 million, including investments from angels and accelerator programs. Petcavich argues that cats have unique needs that justify a dedicated sitting service, and Meowtel's success supports this niche market.

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