Cat care: the overlooked corner of the pet services market

Cat owners are a different customer. They know their pet is independent. They don't expect daily updates. They don't need three photos mid-visit — they need one good one and a note that Miso ate something and didn't hide the entire time.

But when cat owners do book, and when a sitter actually gets it right, the retention curve looks nothing like dogs.

Booking frequency and loyalty

Cat owners book about half as often as dog owners on average. But their 12-month retention rate on TOOF is 18 points higher. Once a cat owner finds a sitter who earns their cat's trust — which takes patience and time — they almost never leave.

The data shows: if a cat books with the same sitter three consecutive times, 91% of them will book at least 10 more times in the next year. That's a remarkably strong signal.

What cat owners actually want

From our NPS survey data, the three things cat owners care most about are: (1) the sitter recognizing and respecting that shy cats need quiet and patience, not forced interaction; (2) accurate medication administration with a photo log; and (3) honest recaps — including when the cat hid the whole time, which is completely normal and shouldn't be covered up.

What they don't care about: elaborate route maps, park excursions, or the number of photos. One real, clearly-lit photo of the cat in its natural state is better than four blurry ones.

The pricing gap

Cat drop-ins are broadly underpriced across the industry relative to their complexity. A two-cat household with one cat on medication is operationally more demanding than a single dog walk, but priced 30-40% lower in most markets.

We believe this reflects a supply-side assumption — that cats are easier than dogs — rather than actual demand data. Cat owners in our market research are broadly willing to pay more for quality care. The opportunity for operators is to raise cat pricing toward service parity and differentiate on the specific signals cat owners value.