While cats continue to rule the Internet with their cute videos, they’re also clawing their way into the billion-dollar pet pampering market.
According to the 2015-16 American Pet Product Association National Pet Owners Survey, U.S. citizens have 312.1 million pets — including 85.8 million cats and 77.8 million dogs.
Entrepreneurs continue to come up with high-tech pet technologies, clever cat supplies and newfangled ways to pamper four-legged family members. Seven Israeli companies are jockeying with their technologies and services for a cut of the $60 billion that Americans spend on their pets annually.
PetPace’s connected pet collar uses non-invasive sensors to monitor data including body temperature, pulse, respiration rate, activity level and movement throughout the day. If the collar detects any abnormalities, an alert is sent in real-time to the pet owners and veterinarians. PetPace was named Israel’s most promising startup in a 2015 competition.
Cat2See is all about making Tigger happy. The company’s products include a webcam controlled by app or browser that lets you keep an eye on your favorite fur ball, a cat game that can be controlled remotely to keep kitty entertained and a feeder you can program to serve fresh morsels at set times. The Cat2See team has also created a social network for cat owners and cat lovers. This is the place to find the next viral cat photo or video.
De Cat Palace is a multifunctional, high-tech litter box promoted as a “place of wellness, beauty and joy” for your cat. This luxurious litter box features a scratch pad and food dispenser, noise sensor, smart humidity monitor, smart ventilation system, computerized central control system, and a free app to control the palace from your smartphone. It sends a text message if the litter needs to be replaced or when Fluffy needs a refill of water or food, and tracks your cat’s behavior. The company is trying to raise start-up funds with an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign.
The fancy litter box is designed by award-winning Israeli artist/designer Ruth Kedar, best known for designing the basis of the original Google logo.
CatGenie, automated self-flushing cat box, is for people who love their cats, but hate cleaning the litter box. The Israeli company PetNovations, located in Moshav Batzra, developed the system. “It works like a cat box, acts like a toilet, and cleans like a modern washing appliance,” according to PetNovations. “The CatGenie is the product of years of research and development, and utilizes several technologies to achieve a unique solution to cat care needs.” The device uses washable litter granules that are cleaned by the machine, which is hooked up by a hose to a water source. Solid waste is dissolved into liquid waste and then drops into a sanitation chamber and gets flushed down the drain. Pet owners don’t have to touch or buy cat litter again.
Keepi smart litter box is a patent-pending innovation intended to monitor your cat’s health and detect early signs of illness. The team behind this medical technology won a prestigious startup award in Israel in October 2015. Keepi, which not yet on the market, was developed by Oded Yarkoni — who worked at Check Point Software and is a former officer in Unit 8200, the IDF unit that works in high tech security — together with Noam Hadas, an expert in medical technology, and Hippotec Design.
Yarkoni is working with veterinarians to fine-tune the sophisticated behavioral and urinalysis technologies in Keepi, which will also include a mobile app that sends cat owners alerts when early disease symptoms are detected.
Terminal4pets is a door-to-door VIP (very important pet) courier service for jet-setting cats. Terminal4pets helps pet owners fly with their furry friends or ship them to wherever they need to go. The company offers in-flight veterinarian service, pre-flight checkups and recommendations for a safer and easier trip, flight kennel solutions and custom flight arrangements.
Terminal4pets deals with all kinds of pets. It has even arranged for stray dogs adopted by U.S. servicemen in Iraq to be flown to new homes in the United States.
Qruso produces a smart ID tag that uses a type of matrix bar code and electronic communication technology to trace your pet if it gets lost. If your cat gets lost, anyone who scans the Qruso smart ID tag will be able to access your cat’s details and notify you of the GPS location of the finder and the cat. The tags do not require a battery, have no range limit and are all-weather durable.