Whisker embarks on the future of feline wellness
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The Litter-Robot 4. Photo: Courtesy of Whisker
Your cat can't tell you when it's sick, but a local pet tech company is working on an app for that.
The big picture: The Litter-Robot — an industry-leading automatic litter box that runs up to $700 — is made by Whisker, an Auburn Hills-based company that has sold more than 1 million robots since it started in 2000.
Zoom in: Now that Whisker has helped cat parents with their most annoying chore, the company is developing food and water products to give them a more comprehensive picture of their cat's health.
What they're saying: "We believe that if we understand everything going in your pet and everything going out of your pet, we can tell you that whole health story," Whisker CEO Jacob Zuppke tells Axios.
Between the lines: Zuppke, a self-described Apple geek, says Whisker's products communicate with each other with an Apple-like ease.
- The company also has an automatic feeder called the Feeder-Robot and an app with 750,000 active users that tallies cat weights 4 million times per day.
State of play: Zuppke wouldn't go into too much detail on the new products because they aren't on the market yet.
- But he says that they will be intended for cats who eat dry or wet food, or both, or pets on medication.
- Water products would monitor cats' consumption while accounting for evaporation, humidity and other factors.
Catch up quick: Whisker has more than 600 workers between its headquarters in Auburn Hills and its production facility in Juneau, Wisconsin.
- The company has been profitable for 19 straight years without relying on venture capital to fund its growth, Zuppke says.
- Whisker spent $3 million last year on a new research and development center in Auburn Hills.
The latest: Tuesday morning, the company announced the hiring of five new Auburn Hills-based executives to support its product innovation.
What's next: As a stateside manufacturer, Whisker is in a good position to weather the Trump administration's tariff policies.
- The company started to move its suppliers out of China shortly after Trump's election, Zuppke says.
- "I think we're uniquely well-positioned for the climate that we're in."