Cat Amazing Before Shark Tank
Cat Amazing, also sometimes known as Pet Amazing, was founded by Andrey Grigoryev. Before Cat Amazing, Andrey studied at New York University to get his Bachelor’s degree in History. After graduation, he began working at New Horizons Computer Learning Center as a Senior Software Instructor before he went on to work as a Digital Services Director for Franklin Healthcom. The jobs he experienced prior to owning his own business, had helped him better his skills such as good customer service, marketing, and digital operations. This made starting Cat Amazing a little less stressful in 2011.
Andrey decided to create Cat Amazing from the inspiration of his own cat, Mooky. He noticed Mooky seemed to be bored throughout the day, although having an array of toys to play with at anytime. This gave him the idea to create an interactive toy to help Mooky and other cats stay entertained. After some brainstorming and designing of the first prototype, Andrey built a sample made from left over paper and cardboard. Once he was satisfied with the design, he had his co-founder, Natalie, tweak and design to the desired appearance. With that, Cat Amazing was created.
Cat Amazing is an interactive puzzle toy and feeder. It was created with the purpose of not only entertaining a cat, but to also stimulate their hunting skills in order for them to find and eat the food within the puzzle. Each box contains a variety of sizes and shapes, creating a maze, in which the cat will need to work through to get to the food or treat placed in the box. Andrey also decided to create Cat Amazing in three basic colors; green, purple, and yellow. These colors were specifically chosen because they are easily visible to cats, as many other colors are harder for them to see.
This puzzle is made from recyclable cardboard and is priced at $16.95 to up to $35.00 each, depending on the models purchased. Given that, there are four different models to choose from; the Classic, the Slider, the Epic, and the Mega. Depending on which model is chosen, the puzzle featured will be different, more challenging, and bigger than the model before it. Speaking of each puzzle getting progressively harder, there are three levels to the puzzles as well; beginner, intermediate, and top cat level.
The beginner level is a great place to start for cats whom are new to this concept. It has green sections that indicate that it’s for beginners, and it has a bigger opening at the bottom to retrieve any food or treats. Intermediate level has purple sections. It is slightly trickier as the cat will have to navigate the treats beside the side of the box until said cat can get them out of the box. Lat but not least, there is the top cat level. This level has yellow sections and is a more elite puzzle for cats. Not only are the openings smaller than the other models, but the various shapes make for a more challenging puzzle to be completed before retrieving the treats.
To kick off Cat Amazing, Andrey introduced in to a Kickstarter campaign in 2019 where he was successful in raising $18,814. From this campaign, he received lots of positive feedback from other cat owners who loved the idea. He even started donating his interactive puzzles to cat shelters in Canada and the USA. The Cat Amazing puzzles began being sold on Chewy and Amazon, as well as on Andrey’s company website. Nonetheless, Andrey would like a shark to help him get Cat amazing further into retail.
Cat Amazing on Shark Tank
Andrey Grigoryev went to Shark Tank seeking an offer of $200,000 for a 10% equity in Cat Amazing. He starts his pitch with a brief explanation about the life of a house cat, explaining how bored they get at times since they can’t or don’t go outside to hunt and explore. He continues on to tell the sharks about how Cat Amazing fills that void and allows indoor cats to participate in similar outdoor activities from the comfort of their own home. Andrey then hands out samples to each shark while he showcases each different sized box. He concludes his pitch by telling the sharks that he donates these boxes to cats that are currently in cat shelters.
Prior to appearing on Shark Tank, Cat Amazing had already made $550,000 in sales, which a predicted $720,000 to be made by the end of that year. The majority of said sales coming from Amazon. With that in mind, each Cat Amazing puzzle box only costs Andrey anywhere from $5 to up to $9, depending on the size. Each box is then sold for anywhere from $16 to up to $30. At this time, the profit margins are at 20% because Andrey wants his products to remain affordable.
Mark Cuban is the first shark to state that he is out of the deal. He tells Andrey that his profits should be reformed. Kevin O’Leary steps in to make Andrey his first offer of the show. Being a fellow fan of cats, Kevin offers him $200,000 and a 10% equity; however, he also includes a $2 per-unit royalty and a $1 perpetuity. Though this might not seem too bad for the first deal, Andrey holds off to hear out the other sharks. Robert Herjavec is next up. He matches Kevin’s deal, as he is also a fan of cats.
Daymond John loves the idea and questions why Andrey isn’t already in retail. With that, he offers $200,000 for a 25% equity in Cat Amazing. At this time, Andrey states what he would do with the potential investment from a shark. He tells the sharks that his cat Mooky had passed away from cancer, and that he made Mooky a promise that he’d dedicate profits from his business towards helping cat that are in shelters. He’d like to keep his promise. Andrey then counter-offers Daymond for a 20% equity in the company as long as Daymond agreed to donate 10% to cat shelters, while Andrey donates 15% himself.
While Daymond doesn’t exactly disagree to Andrey’s terms, he does counter-offer the 25% equity once more. He also offers to donate 5% to the shelters. This is when Lori Greiner chimes in to state her offer. She offers Andrey $200,000 for 22% equity in Cat Amazing. Similarly to his back and forth with Daymond, Andrey asks Lori if she would be willing to donate 5% to cat shelters. Lori agrees and Andrey accepts her offer.
Cat Amazing Now in 2024 – The After shark Tank Update
Since his success on Shark Tank, Andrey Grigoryev and his company, Cat Amazing, has been doing great. As of 2024, the deal Andrey made with Lori Greiner has yet to close. Following the appearance on the show, Cat Amazing had sold out completely on Amazon and Chewy; Andrey actually ended up having to start an option to pre-order the puzzle boxes earlier this year. Additionally, the company was featured in The Conscious Cat and HousePanther and the team has introduced some new products to the Cat Amazing line. They now offer stackable cat condos.
Continuing on with the success of Cat Amazing, Andrey surely kept up on his promise to Mooky. That said, Cat Amazing has two programs in place. One program is offered to cat owners whom need help with managing their cats feelings and their feeding. The puzzles boxes can not only help slow down the cat’s eating habits, but they can also be used to calm a cat if they are restless, angry, etc. The second is where Andrey donates a portion of the sales of Cat Amazing to a Shelter & Rescue Enrichment Program. These donations go towards helping shelter cats while they wait for their forever parents to come adopt them.
Furthermore, Cat Amazing has been a great recommendation from veterinarians, and they now have a blog in which cat owners can read up on information to help their cats live a happy life within their environment. Once more, the Cat Amazing products can be found on the company website, Amazon, and on Chewy; however, some of the boxes are often sold out on Amazon and Chewy. Given the success of Cat Amazing thus far, it’s safe to say that the company will likely continue to grow and succeed in the coming years.