Our Story

How a few cat lovers and frequent travelers built a community of care

[Community gathering with cats]

It started with a simple problem: We loved to travel, but we also loved our cats. Finding trustworthy care was expensive, stressful, and often felt impersonal. Professional services cost a fortune, and our cats always seemed traumatized when we returned.

After one particularly expensive pet-sitting disaster (involving our escaped Spaz, three days of searching, and a $800 emergency vet bill), we realized something had to change. We had friends who traveled, friends who loved cats, and friends who needed both. Why weren't we helping each other?

Caretakr was born from late-night conversations over wine, sketches on napkins, and the radical idea that community care could work better than commercial services. We started with just five friends, a shared spreadsheet, and a WhatsApp group. Today, we're a thriving community of travelers who believe in mutual aid, trust, and the power of knowing your cat is being spoiled by someone who genuinely cares.

The Founders

[Founders Team Photo]

🎨

Devon T

Chief Cat Whisperer

Pastor's daughter turned digital nomad. Raised 4 rescue kittens who think they own their south Philly apartment. Started Caretakr after almost missing Burning Man for the first time in three years.

🌿

Mikey B

Chief Tech Bro

Primary software engineer & business consultant. Also raising 4 rescue kittens as a cat dad. Wanted to bring them to the Burn. Recently turned freelancer & visual artist.

✈️

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Social Media Expert

NOW HIRING! Currently seeking a social media guru to handle all of our dirty work. One dogs chew toy is another cats collar? Might be unintentially too layed.

Our Resident Felines

The real bosses behind Caretakr

[Cat Gallery Photo Collage]

🐈‍⬛

Lily

CEO of naps, destroyer of houseplants

🐈

Mimsy

Food critic, professional lap warmer

😼

Boots

Chaos coordinator, midnight zoomies champion

😸

Popcorn

Window supervisor, bird watching expert

"We're not trying to build the next unicorn startup. We're trying to build something better: a community where your cats are loved, your plants are watered, and you can actually afford to take that trip."

— The Caretakr Founders

Why We're Different

We're not a business. We're not an app trying to disrupt the pet care industry. We're just a group of friends who figured out that helping each other works better than paying strangers.

Every member is vouched for by someone we trust. Every caretaker is someone who understands that cats have personalities, plants have preferences, and homes have quirks that only a friend would respect.

We run on donations, not venture capital. We grow through trust, not marketing. And we measure success by happy cats and thriving plants, not profit margins.