Cecelia Carrera | CEO & Founder, BistroCat

Cecelia Carrera has spent her career inside the pet industry, working across nutrition, product development, and go-to-market strategy. But as a cat parent herself, she kept running into the same problem: despite all the innovation in dog care, cats were still being treated as an afterthought.

That frustration led her to found BistroCat, a connected wet-food feeding system designed to make proper feline nutrition easier, cleaner, and more proactive. In this conversation, Carrera breaks down the health crisis facing cats, why hydration matters more than most owners realize, and how BistroCat is positioning itself as more than just a feeder.

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What inspired you to create BistroCat, and what gap in the market did you see?

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I’ve spent my career in the pet industry, working with amazing companies like BrightPet Nutrition Group and The JM Smucker Company, so I’ve seen firsthand how much innovation has gone into dog nutrition and care—yet cats have often been an afterthought.

BistroCat was born out of both professional experience and personal frustration as a cat parent. There wasn’t a feeder designed specifically for wet cat food, and as a result, cat owners were stuck with messy, inconvenient options.

But this is more than just a convenience issue—cats are facing a major health crisis. Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores designed to get their hydration from their prey. They aren’t wired to drink large amounts of water from a bowl.

Without adequate moisture in their diet, cats become chronically dehydrated, leading to serious health issues like kidney disease, urinary tract problems, and poor skin and coat health. Just two wet meals a day can provide up to 80% of a cat’s daily moisture needs.

Yet, because feeding wet food has traditionally been inconvenient and messy, many cat owners turn to kibble—contributing to the fact that over 60% of U.S. cats are overweight.

The challenge goes even deeper: nearly 80% of cat parents don’t take their cat to the vet after the first year of life. Not because they don’t care, but because cats are experts at hiding pain—even purring as a form of pain management. By the time symptoms become noticeable, pet parents are often met with intensive care plans and high vet bills.

BistroCat is designed to change that. We’re not just creating an automated feeder—we’re building a connected system that helps cat parents be proactive about their cat’s health. By making it easy to feed fresh, moisture-rich meals and track eating behavior, BistroCat provides a simple, effective way to support feline health while making life easier for cat parents.

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Hardware is notoriously difficult — did you have any prior experience in hardware design before launching BistroCat? What were the biggest challenges in developing the product?

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I didn’t come from a hardware background, but I had deep experience in product development and go-to-market strategy within the pet industry. From the start, I knew that building a connected device—especially one designed to handle wet food—would be an enormous technical challenge.

That’s why having the right team was critical. My co-founder and CTO, Peter Franklin, has extensive experience bringing tech to market, and his leadership has been instrumental in turning BistroCat from an idea into a reality.

Together, we’ve assembled a world-class team of electrical and mechanical engineers, as well as top-tier firmware and software developers, all working together to ensure BistroCat is not just functional, but exceptional.

One of our biggest challenges was balancing performance with user experience. It wasn’t enough to create a feeder that worked—it had to be sleek, reliable, and easy to clean while seamlessly integrating with different food brands. Food safety was another major hurdle, particularly with wet food.

Through countless iterations, we perfected the feeding mechanism, optimized portioning, and designed a system that keeps food fresh while making feeding effortless for pet parents.

Hardware is notoriously tough, but with the incredible team we’ve built, we’ve created something that’s not just an automated feeder—it’s a game-changer for feline health and nutrition.

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BistroCat isn’t just a feeder; it’s a connected pet health platform. Can you explain what that means and how it sets you apart from other cat feeders?

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Most cat feeders today are just portioned dispensers. BistroCat, on the other hand, is an intelligent system that not only automates feeding but also tracks a cat’s eating behavior, health trends, and nutrition intake.

Because our system works with food brands, we can personalize feeding recommendations based on a cat’s age, weight, and dietary needs. We also collect real-time data on consumption, so if a cat suddenly starts eating more or less, or develops an unhealthy feeding pattern, BistroCat can alert the owner—potentially catching health issues early.

This level of patent-pending insight and automation is something no other feeder provides. We’re not just making feeding more convenient; we’re helping pet parents proactively manage their cat’s health.

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The pet industry is booming, but dogs still dominate much of the market. Beyond the U.S., do you see international opportunities for BistroCat?

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The pet industry is indeed booming, and while dogs still dominate in terms of overall market size, cats are actually outnumbering dogs in many countries worldwide. In fact, globally, cat ownership has surpassed dog ownership in several regions, and this trend is growing year over year.

Having worked with various pet food brands globally, I’m excited about the potential for BistroCat to reach a broader international audience as cat owners increasingly seek smarter, more efficient feeding solutions.

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What are some of the biggest differences between the cat and dog markets that most people don’t realize?

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One of the biggest differences is feeding behavior. Dogs tend to eat on a schedule, while cats prefer smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. That’s why traditional pet tech, which often starts with dogs in mind, doesn’t always translate well for cats.

Cat parents are also more likely to buy online and prioritize convenience, which makes direct-to-consumer and subscription models particularly effective in this category.

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You’ve raised around $2M so far. What is it about BistroCat that’s getting investors excited?

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Investors see that BistroCat isn’t just another smart pet gadget—it’s a platform that changes how cat parents interact with nutrition, automation, and pet care.

We combine hardware with recurring food subscriptions, work directly with food brands instead of competing with them, and serve a highly engaged but historically underserved market.

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Your food brand partnerships are a big part of your business model. How do they work, and what’s the long-term vision?

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Our partnerships operate through a licensing model where food brands earn incremental royalties while gaining access to valuable consumption and behavior data. Over time, we see these collaborations expanding into deeper integrations across feeding, health insights, and personalized nutrition.

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Is the focus going to be on e-commerce, retail, or a mix of both?

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Our primary focus is direct-to-consumer e-commerce, where we can own the customer experience and drive subscriptions. That said, we’re also exploring selective retail partnerships to expand awareness and accessibility.

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