A Century of Pivots – How Innovation and Compassion in Pet Care Created a $40 Billion Market and a Vision for the Future of Sheltering

By Sandy Cagan, Founder of Orlando Cat Café

 

Imagine it’s the early 1900s, and a New York baker named FH Bennet is on a mission to save his struggling bakery by creating something nobody knew they needed: a treat for dogs. Fast-forward more than a century, and pet food is a $40 billion industry. What can a dog biscuit teach us about animal welfare and sheltering?

Surprisingly, quite a lot.

Through years of persistence and pivoting, Bennet’s invention — Milk-Bone dog biscuits — ushered in a whole new category of products, as did subsequent efforts by companies like Carnation and Purina. With persistence and creativity, they each revolutionized the pet food market and changed how we think about animal care. Today, we’re experiencing a similar transformation in animal sheltering.

 

The Origins of Pet Food: A Surprising Beginning

 

Bennet’s Milk-Bone biscuits were the product of a humble bakery’s need to survive. But this tiny innovation opened the door to the modern pet industry. At the time, dogs were hunters and cats were vermin hunters. Why invest in food for animals when they were already considered useful as scavengers and pest controllers?

In 1908, Bennet’s Milk-Bone dog biscuit first appeared in stores, and eventually, he sold the brand to Nabisco, marking the first instance of a human-grade company investing in pet products. This development paved the way for grocery stores to carry pet food alongside human food, turning the tiny pet industry into something we now see in nearly every household across the U.S.

Today, the pet industry is worth billions, with companies constantly developing high-quality, nutritious options for our pets. The story of pet food is a story of ingenuity and of pushing beyond what people assumed was possible.

Pivoting in the Face of Challenges

 

But what does pet food history have to do with animal shelters and advocacy today? At its heart, the story of companies like Bennet’s, Carnation, and Purina is about pivoting. When one approach didn’t work, they took the risk to try something else, opening up markets that didn’t previously exist. These companies identified trends, sought partnerships, and ultimately set new standards.

Now, let’s consider how animal shelters might take inspiration from this history of pivots to drive their own missions forward. Shelters have changed in incredible ways over the last century, moving towards more humane practices and standards, but the need for constant evolution remains. In Orange County, Florida, for example, a $95 million, 122,000-square-foot shelter was proposed. But as my friend Fraily Rodriguez from Best Friends said, “That’s just a 122,000-square-foot dog and cat jail.”

Shelters must ask: How can we evolve in ways that people didn’t know they wanted?

Just as pet food companies reinvented an industry, shelters have an opportunity to reinvent how animals find their homes.

 

A New Model for Adoption: The Orlando Cat Café

 

In 2016, I opened the Orlando Cat Café, a cozy haven where potential pet parents can meet cats in a comfortable, café-style environment. We became the first cat café in Florida, offering a radically new way for people to interact with adoptable cats. Since opening, we have successfully matched over 2,800 cats with loving homes, and we work closely with SPCA Florida to make this happen.

Visitors to Orlando Cat Café can enjoy coffee and pastries while interacting with the cats, who roam freely in a spacious area designed to feel more like home than a kennel. This fosters a natural environment for cats to show their personalities, creating deeper connections between pets and prospective adopters.

Shelley Thayer from SPCA Florida, our partner, frequently reminds me, “I wish we had 10 Orlando Cat Cafés.” I agree, and I’m committed to expanding our model across the U.S. by franchising our café. I believe this model has the power to become more than a trend—it can reshape how adoption happens.

 

Proactive Collaboration: A New Path Forward for Shelters

 

Shelters don’t have to stop at simple partnerships, they can embrace proactive collaboration. This involves going beyond reactive problem-solving and instead actively seeking innovative ways to serve animals and communities. With proactive collaboration, shelters can anticipate challenges, strengthen relationships, drive innovation, and foster a culture of accountability.

Through our work with SPCA Florida, we’ve seen how collaboration improves outcomes for animals and creates more sustainable support for shelters. In our café model, 100% of adoption fees go directly to the shelter, providing them with a steady revenue stream while allowing us to focus on finding homes for the cats.

 

Building a Nationwide Network of Shelters and Cat Cafés

 

Just as EH Bennet needed Nabisco, or Purina eventually merged with Nestlé, Orlando Cat Café needs strong partnerships. Together, I believe we can build a network of shelters and cat cafés nationwide. Imagine a shelter system that leverages new models to keep pets out of large, stressful facilities. Instead, animals could reside in smaller, welcoming spaces that create better experiences for them and their potential families.

There was a time when having gourmet pet food or a treat specifically for cats would have seemed absurd. But these innovations took root, and the industry grew because of them. I believe the same kind of transformation is possible in animal sheltering. By bringing cats into warm, social spaces like Orlando Cat Café, we’re giving them a better shot at finding forever homes and giving families the chance to adopt pets in a more humane and enjoyable way.

So, here’s my message to shelters and rescue organizations across the country: Let’s pivot. Let’s create new markets for adoption, innovate to reach more people, and work proactively to support the animals who rely on us. Together, we have the power to make a profound difference, shaping the future of animal care and adoption in ways we might never have imagined.

For more information on the Orlando Cat Café and how you can partner with them in their franchise model, visit www.orlandocatcafefranchise.com or contact Sandra Cagan directly at sandy@orlandocatcafe.com.