The archive · Hardware & Devices · Product decision · 2017–2026
CATLINK bets smart litter boxes win global pet care: Prime Day +450%
Chinese smart-pet brand turns AI litter boxes with health alerts into a global business: 119 countries, 1M cats served, Prime Day +450% in 2026.
CATLINK (联宠智能)
What the business is
CATLINK is a Shanghai-based smart pet-care brand selling AI litter boxes, feeders and water fountains whose app tracks each cat's weight, feeding and toilet data to flag health anomalies.
How it started
Founder Jason Zhang (张晓林) started CATLINK in Shanghai in 2017. The team spent nearly two years on the first AI litter box, SCOOPER, before its 2019 launch; it reached about RMB 10 million in domestic sales within four months.
What happened
CATLINK expanded market by market: Southeast Asia first to validate the product, then Japan and South Korea to build brand credibility, then Europe and the US from 2022. In 2026 it debuted the Scoop Robot at CES, billed as the first litter box with dual internal and external cameras plus a 4-liter auto-refill system, while the entry-level Scooper Open-X topped Amazon US New Releases. Amazon Prime Day 2026 day-1 sales grew 450% YoY and exceeded the entire 2025 Prime Day. Founder interviews in 2026 put expected GMV at RMB 300-400 million, about 3x the prior year, with overseas business up 4x.
How it ended up
Scaling: 119 countries, over 1 million cats served, roughly 1 billion health data points accumulated, and a stated five-year goal of becoming the world's #1 smart litter box brand; still private and founder-led.
Background
CATLINK is a Shanghai smart pet-care brand founded in 2017 by Jason Zhang (张晓林). The company spent nearly two years developing its first AI litter box, SCOOPER, before launching in 2019; the product reached about RMB 10 million in domestic sales within four months, using weight sensors for multi-cat identification and toilet-based health alerts.
The bet was that the litter box — the one device every cat uses — could become a connected health platform. CATLINK layered data collection, an app that tracks each cat's eating, drinking and toileting, and proactive anomaly alerts (for example flagging acute urinary blockage risk), then pushed the same product family into 119 countries with market-by-market localization: bentonite-clay filters for US litter habits, open-top designs cats accept, and darker home-friendly finishes for Europe.
By 2026 the strategy was compounding: Exploding Topics ranked CATLINK the top trending startup in its Company category with 14.8K monthly searches, Amazon Prime Day day-1 sales jumped 450% YoY and beat the entire 2025 Prime Day, and founder interviews projected 2026 GMV of RMB 300-400 million, roughly 3x the prior year with overseas up 4x. The company debuted the camera-equipped Scoop Robot at CES 2026 and aims to make CATLINK the default global brand for smart litter boxes within five years.
What has to be true
- CATLINK chose a device every cat owner must use — the litter box — as the entry point for connected pet care, instead of a novelty gadget.
- Health alerts based on toilet data gave the hardware an emotional, life-safety reason to exist, justifying premium pricing beyond automatic scooping.
- Sequencing markets (Southeast Asia to Japan/Korea to Europe/US) let CATLINK validate the product before betting on the hardest, most competitive market.
- Localizing one product family per market — filters, finishes, open designs — kept costs low while adapting to local cat habits and home aesthetics.
- The 699 RMB entry model lowered the first-purchase barrier for smart litter boxes, creating a volume base the premium line could build on.
What can be applied
The data is a sales argument, not the product: CATLINK won by making hardware cats accept and users can afford, then letting health alerts — not dashboards — carry the premium story.
Aftermath
As of September 2, 2026, CATLINK is scaling: its business spans 119 countries with over 1 million cats served and roughly 1 billion accumulated health data points, and 2026 GMV is projected at RMB 300-400 million, about 3x the prior year, with overseas revenue up 4x. The company showed the camera-equipped Scoop Robot at CES 2026 and plans a Pang Bao Pro (胖宝Pro) upgrade to its RMB 699 entry model, keeping 70-80% of resources on litter boxes in pursuit of a five-year goal to become the world's #1 smart litter box brand.
Sources
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