Young entrepreneur: CitiKitty founder Rebecca Rescate with her daughter Lilah
Where's there muck there's brass and Rebecca Rescate is clearly proving that to be true.
Her CitiKitty cat toilet training kit has so far made $700,000 in sales is projected to reach $1 million in revenues by year end.
Mrs Rescate, 32, from Philadelphia is scheduled to appear this week on the ABC show Shark Tank for the second time.
Stroke of genius: The kit is designed to gradually train the cat away the litter box
Produced by Mark Burnett, known for Survivor and The Apprentice, the show has entrepreneurs trying to persuade five wealthy business people, called 'sharks,' to invest in their businesses.
During her May 13 appearance, Kevin Harington invested $100,000 in CitiKitty for a return of 20 per cent equity.
The publicity caused her sales to rocket, bringing in $350,000 that month alone.
To keep up with demand, Mrs Rescate had to hire six temporary, part-time workers.
Making a mint: Rebecca Rescate's website advertises her next appearance on the ABC show Shark Tank
CitiKitty, which sells for $24.98, helps to transition cats away from the litter box.
The product, which consists of a series of trays, is filled with litter and inserted underneath the toilet seat and over the mouth of the commode.
The first tray is solid; but the follow-up trays have holes of increasing size in the centre of them, which means the tray and the litter over time disappear.
Simple idea: The kit comes with simple instructions
In the end, the cat is using the toilet without a tray or litter.
Jason Merithew, a spokesman at the American Animal Hospital Association, said: 'Cats are the number-one companion animal and with that regard there's a huge market.'
He admits he's thought about springing for a toilet-training kit for his cat, mostly to avoid cleaning the litter box.
HJe said:'From the pet-health side of things it's very important to clean out the litter box daily.
'If it's a dirty litter box it could cause some issues where the cat might not want to go in there and start relieving themselves elsewhere."
While sharing a cramped Manhattan apartment with her husband, Rescate got the idea for CitiKitty.
source : dailymail