Rebecca Rescate loves her cat Samantha very much, but she doesn’t like cleaning the cat’s litter boxes. So, she invented CitiKitty, a training set with a 5-week program that can be attached to a toilet. In the 5-week program, the cat is trained to use the toilet training set for pooping and peeing.
Rebecca came to Shark Tank Season 2 to seek help from the Sharks to expand her cat toilet training kit product nationwide. Did any Sharks decide to invest in her business? Let’s find out.
| Company Name | Citikitty | |
| Founder/Co-Founder | Rebecca Rescate | |
| Founded | 2005 | |
| Product | A toilet training kit for cats | |
| Asked For | $100k for 15% equity | |
| Final Deal | $100k for 20% equity | |
| Shark | Kevin Harrington | |
| Episode | S2 E8 | |
| Air Date | May 6th, 2011 | |
| Business Status | In Business | |
| Website | Visit Website | |
| Headquarters | Bristol, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Lifetime Worth (Sales) | $21M *estimated | |
| Buy and Watch | Buy Now | Amazon Prime |
Business Pitch Episode Recap
Rebecca demonstrated her toilet training kit for cats to the Sharks and explained that cats can be trained to poop and pee in the toilet within 5 weeks. She mentioned that cats are afraid of water, so the toilet set hides the water below, making it comfortable for them.
After 5 weeks, cats will develop the habit of using the toilet for pooping and peeing, eliminating the need for the toilet training kit.
Rebecca shared that the product retails for $29.99, and manufacturing 10,000 units costs her $4.76 per unit. Impressively, she has sold 40,000 units through her online website. Last year’s sales reached $225,000, and this year, sales have already hit $350,000. Additionally, she has achieved total sales of $1.4 million solely through her website, without any advertising.
Initially, Rebecca invested $20,000 into her business. Once sales started coming in, she planned to spend money on marketing to further grow her business.
Robert Herjavec said this business is not investable for him and he cannot add any value to it, so he is out.
Kevin O’Leary said, “I hate cats but love money,” but still decided to be out.
Kevin Harrington expressed interest in the deal and wanted to bring the product to TV. He offered $100k for 40% equity. Rebecca wanted to hear other Sharks’ offers before countering.
Daymond John said he was out. Barbara Corcoran offered $100k for 15% equity.
Rebecca countered Kevin’s offer with $100k for 20% equity. Kevin countered with 25% equity, but Rebecca did not want to go beyond 20%. Kevin accepted the 20% equity offer.
Sharks Offers list!
| Sharks | Offers |
|---|---|
| Kevin Harrington | $100k for 40% equity |
| Kevin O’Leary | No Offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No Offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | $100k for 15% equity |
| Daymond John | No Offer |
| Founder’s (Countered) | $100k for 20% equity (Kevin) |
| Final Deals | $100k for 20% equity |
Citikitty Shark Tank Update
Citikitty is one of the successful businesses featured on Shark Tank. After the episode aired, Rebecca sold millions of dollars’ worth of Citikitty toilet training kits. By 2018, the company’s lifetime sales reached $8 million.
Rebecca invested $100,000 in Christopher Hindley’s business, HoodiePillow, Inc., becoming a co-founder. Both appeared on Shark Tank Season 4 Episode 15 with a new product. This time, they secured a deal, with Robert Herjavec investing in their company.
As of August 2024, the company’s estimated worth is $45 million, and its current annual sales are approximately $2 million.
Rebecca Rescate currently owns four brands: Top·Down Planner, HoodiePillow, Inc., CitiKitty Inc., and Luvsy.
Check out Shark Tank Season 2 Business Update.
The progress report of more businesses from Season 2 is shared here.
