Notes on cats, franchising, and building a business you love.

Every year the shelter numbers come out, and every pet business posts the same headline. More adoptions. Growing market. Great time to invest. The 2025 data deserves a closer read than that, because the interesting part isn’t the total. It’s who did the adopting, and what that tells you about how cat care is going […]

Pay attention to the word “pet” for a week and you’ll notice something. It almost never means what it says. A pet store is a dog store with a cat aisle. A pet sitter is usually a dog walker who will also feed your cat. A pet franchise is, nine times out of ten, a […]

Next month, our sister location, MEOW! At the Lake turns five. That milestone belongs to Michele and to the cat parents of Lake Monticello who trusted her with their feline family and their homes. But it matters to anyone considering a MEOW! of their own, because Lake Monticello is not Tampa Bay. It is a […]

Founder’s Thoughts Last weekend I went to my local pet store for something completely ordinary — a topical treatment for my cat. I walked the whole store twice and couldn’t find it. Finally I gave up and asked the woman at the register, and she pointed me to the dog section. That’s where they keep […]

Deanna Jones, Founder · June 7, 2026 In 2026, the pet care sector continues to shine among franchise industries — and cat-care franchising in particular is being singled out by many experts as a high-potential niche. Below, we explore the key reasons why, especially for entrepreneurs who love animals and want a business with both […]

How Pinellas County Became the Prototype for the Nation’s Premier Cats-Only Pet Sitting Franchise Deanna Jones, Founder · June 6, 2026 Before MEOW! A Cat Sitting Co. became a franchise system, it was a working business in Pinellas County, Florida. Years of cats fed and medicated. Holidays covered. Sitters hired, trained, and refined. Clients earned, […]

In These Uncertain Financial Times, Why Cat Care Franchises Offer Stability Deanna Jones, Founder · April 29, 2026 When economic uncertainty hits, business owners start looking for stability. If you’re researching franchise opportunities right now, you’ve probably noticed that not all business models weather financial storms equally. Some industries contract when wallets tighten. Others? They […]

Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 Remember coming home to an empty house, a key around your neck, and only the cat to tell your day to? Like, totally. We were the latchkey generation, and that early bond with our cats stayed with us. Now that our own kids are heading out and the […]

Where MEOW! Franchise Opportunities Are Currently Available Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 As we continue to grow our MEOW! cat sitting franchise, our expansion has never been about scale alone. It’s about maintaining a standard. A standard of care. A standard of service. A standard of ownership. One of the questions we’re asked […]

The Cat Renaissance: Why Experts Are Calling 2026 the Year for Cat Franchises Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 Here at MEOW! we could not be more excited about the latest pet care industry data — and about why 2026 is shaping up to be the year for cat franchises. For decades, the pet […]

Cats Are Outpacing Dogs: The Cat Industry Trends Cat-Only Businesses Should Be Excited About Deanna Jones, Founder · March 14, 2026 A notable shift is unfolding in the pet industry, and for cats-only business models like ours it’s a big one. Cat acquisition is now outpacing dog acquisition. For entrepreneurs operating in the cats-only space, […]

The Year of the Cat: How Cats Became the Center of the Pet Industry Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 If there was ever a moment to call “The Year of the Cat,” it’s now. The American Pet Products Association’s 2025 Dog & Cat Report put 49 million U.S. households in the cat column […]

What I’d Tell My Younger Self Over Coffee: Don’t Wait Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 If I could sit down with my younger self for a cup of coffee, I know exactly what I would say. I wouldn’t talk about the mistakes, the hard days, or the moments when things didn’t go according […]

Why Cat Lovers Keep Telling Us “There’s Nothing Like This” Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 At MEOW! Franchising, we hear something almost every week from people who inquire about joining us. There’s nothing like this. In a franchise landscape full of duplication — burger chains, fitness studios, dog daycare centers — very few […]

What It’s Like Owning a MEOW! Cats-Only Business Michele Baughan, Owner · MEOW! at the Lake, Lake Monticello, Virginia · July 26, 2026 Michele owns and operates MEOW! at the Lake, an affiliate location rather than a franchised one. She is also founder Deanna Jones’s sister — a connection we mention up front because you […]

Marketplace or Local Business? What the Meowtel Acquisition Says About Cat Care Deanna Jones, Founder · January 30, 2026 In January, Rover Group — the largest online pet care marketplace, itself acquired by Blackstone in 2023 — announced it had acquired Meowtel, the cat-sitting marketplace founded in 2015. Meowtel brings more than 4,000 sitters and […]

In today’s evolving business landscape, more aspiring entrepreneurs are rethinking what business ownership looks like. Instead of opening a storefront or managing high overhead, many are turning to home-based franchise models built around niche markets — an approach that offers flexibility, affordability, and strong growth potential. Home-based franchises let owners run their business from home […]

Cats have a reputation for improving lives. They reduce stress, bring comfort, and quietly become the center of their households. But beyond companionship, there’s something else cats are surprisingly good at: They make business better.   At MEOW! Franchising, we’ve built an entire franchise model around cats — not because they’re cute (though they absolutely […]

The pet industry is heading into 2026 with momentum — and a few important shifts that savvy entrepreneurs should understand before they invest. From changing consumer expectations to new technology and premium services, today’s pet parents are fueling demand for brands that feel specialized, trustworthy, and easy to use. Here are the top 2026 pet […]

For decades, cats were quietly overlooked in the pet care industry. While dog-focused businesses expanded into boarding, daycare, and training facilities, cats were often treated as an afterthought — assumed to be independent, low-maintenance, or simply easier to care for. That assumption is no longer true. And neither is the market built around it.   […]

Why Protected Territory Is Built Into the MEOW! Franchise Model Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 When you invest in a franchise, you’re not just buying a business. You’re investing in a future, a community, and a brand. At MEOW! A Cat Sitting Co., we understand that success is deeply tied to ownership — […]

Starting a Cat Sitting Business From Scratch vs. Buying a Franchise Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 For entrepreneurs exploring the pet care industry, in-home cat sitting is an attractive niche: a service in real demand, without a facility to build, doing work that clients come back for. But a decision comes early on. […]

Feline Favoritism: Why the Global Pet Care Market Is Shifting Toward Cats Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 As the pet care landscape continues to evolve, one trend is capturing attention: the rise of what Euromonitor International calls feline favoritism. Consumers are increasingly choosing cats — and specialized in-home cat care is more sought […]

Recession-Resistant Franchise Opportunities: Why Cat Care Holds Steady Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 When the economy tightens, many entrepreneurs start looking for recession-resistant franchise opportunities — businesses that stay stable even when consumer spending slows. Historically, several industries hold up through downturns because they provide essential, emotionally driven, or routine services that people […]

Why Specializing in Cats Makes for a Smarter Franchise Model Deanna Jones, Founder · July 26, 2026 In today’s competitive pet care industry, standing out matters more than ever. While many franchises serve a wide range of pets, few specialize deeply in one. At MEOW! A Cat Sitting Co., we’ve built our entire business model […]