Meowtel: Pioneering the in-home cat sitting experience

Dog owners have a plethora of options for care—some may say it’s an overserved market—but cat owners face a challenge. There’s a shortage of high-quality, qualified cat sitters. Cats come with unique needs and quirks, and when cat owners travel, it’s often difficult to find someone who truly understands cats. 

Meowtel has carved out a niche in the pet care industry with its pet-sitting services tailored specifically for cats. The cat care industry is a $6 billion market, and the opportunity is ripe for Meowtel to continue to become a household name in the cat care world. 

We recently sat down with Sonya Petcavich, founder of Meowtel, to hear about why cat sitting requires its own solution, how partnerships have helped them meet more cat needs, and their approach to slow smart growth. 

Understanding the feline perspective

Cats are unique creatures with distinct needs and behaviors, and Meowtel recognizes this fundamental truth. The platform’s search filters prioritize the unique needs of cats, allowing owners to find caregivers who can accommodate special medication requirements such as insulin injections or inhalers. “Our solution is different from Rover because we cater to cats, not dogs. We understand that cats essentially get PTSD if they leave the house. Cat parents love our cat-centric approach, in-home care, and ease of use,” says Sonya.  

Unlike dogs that can travel and stay in different environments, cats have an aversion to unfamiliar environments, making in-home care the only realistic solution for the majority of cats. They’re set in their routines and often experience anxiety and stress when taken out of familiar territory. This can lead to behavioral issues and stress for the cat owner when away, provoking serious incidents. In Meowtel’s early days, they offered boarding in the cat sitter’s home as a service option but quickly discontinued it in 2019 after seeing the amount of stress this caused their kitty clients. 

Meowtel’s core focus on in-home care ensures that cats remain in their comfortable surroundings while receiving the attention and care they need. Their professional cat sitters are vetted with thorough reference checks, background checks, and an interview. Meowtel minimizes the discomfort and disruption typically associated with traditional pet boarding services by coordinating meet-and-greets ahead of time to make sure the sitter is the right fit for each client’s cat.

Strategic expansion through partnerships 

Meowtel has forged partnerships to provide cat owners with more services and to help acquire new customers. Once a cat owner trusts Meowtel, he or she is more likely to turn to them as a trusted source for other pet care needs. Here are a few such partnerships:

Insurance coverage in case something goes amiss

Meowtel partners with a pet-specific insurance underwriter to provide insurance coverage for cat-sitting services. If any incidents occur during a cat’s care, this partnership appropriately compensates customers. For instance, a cat might have an accident that isn’t caught by a sitter in time, which could require a rug or a mattress to be replaced. Other times it’s bigger things like the cat knocked over an expensive vase and damaged both the vase and the wooden floor. 

Additionally, Meowtel maintains its own insurance policy to cover edge cases not included in the underwriter’s coverage to guarantee comprehensive protection for customers.

Telehealth support on demand

In addition to insurance coverage, Meowtel partnered with Purina brands like Fancy Feast, and they partnered with Petzey to offer wellness resources for their community.

These partnerships not only expand the company’s value-add to cat lovers but also contribute to its growth and reach within the pet care industry. “Based on our data, there are strong indications that a lot of cat parents would be interested in purchasing a health insurance plan for their kitties,” says Sonya. “Hopefully we can set up insurance as a perk of being in the Meowtel community or as a post-checkout upsell offer.” 

Why Meowtel doesn’t take a traditional funding approach

Startups get to a maturity level where the question of funding arises. Some take funding at inception, and others are more resistant. Sonya falls squarely in the second camp. 

Meowtel has raised less than $1M to date and hasn’t raised what would be considered a seed round by today’s standards, which typically amounts to at least a $4M round. They’re so laser-focused on quality growth, not quantity, and that’s the main driver that’s preventing Sonya from taking additional funding. 

“Once you raise a Series A, you get on that hamster wheel and there’s no getting off,” she says. “The expectation is you grow as fast as you can and hit that Series B in two years. You’re held to specific milestones and expected to grow on insane terms, which doesn’t always align with a mission-driven company that provides a highly emotional service. I went through three accelerator programs, and I’m one of the only companies in each cohort that’s still alive. The others took the poison pill and made it all about the fundraising cycles.” 

Sonya shares that fundraising puts pressure on the founding team and makes it more difficult in some ways to create a sustainable, long-term business. She’s opted to not take additional funding at this time, which in some ways makes the growth journey the harder but more rewarding path. 

Prioritizing quality over “growth at all costs”

In an industry often driven by rapid growth and scale, Meowtel takes a different approach. They’ve emphasized the importance of maintaining quality and authenticity, even if it means growing at a slower pace. The satisfaction rate as of March 2024 stands at 99.7%. Despite the potential for faster expansion with additional capital, the Meowtel team remains cautious, choosing to focus on sustainable and durable growth.

Behind the scenes, Meowtel is exploring AI-driven solutions to streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens. By automating manual tasks, the company aims to free up resources, so they can scale quicker and service customers better. Meowtel will continue to keep humans at the core of the business, for instance, someone can always call the customer service line and talk to their renowned live support team. 

People have asked Sonya about international expansion and she remains committed to continuing to expand in the U.S. to be the most important cat care company nationally. Currently, they cover 15,000 cities and 43 states. They’re focusing on becoming a household name to the point where cat lovers will use Meowtel as a verb. While other companies may prioritize expansion and market dominance, Meowtel remains steadfast in its commitment to becoming the most trusted name in cat care, one happy kitty at a time.

As Meowtel continues to grow and evolve, its focus remains squarely on its mission: to help every cat and cat parent live their best life. While expansion and more partnerships are on the horizon, the company remains committed to its core values of compassion and love for all things cat.