Direct-to-customer cat food brand KatKin has secured $22m (£18m) of investment funding from a group of venture capitalists and angel investors.

KatKin is described as being a rebel in a fast-growing market, challenging the pet food industry to do better for cats.

The company has grown significantly in recent years in line with growing demand for its industry-first fresh-cooked cat food. Perwyn and Verlinvest join Octopus Ventures and angels as investors in KatKin.

Led by co-founders and siblings Brett and Nikki O’Farrell, KatKin is the brand that dedicated cat parents can trust to be uncompromising when it comes to their cats’ wellbeing. 

Its fresh recipes have been formulated by a Board Certified veterinary nutritionist to meet the biological needs of cats. Each recipe uses 100% human-grade meat, that’s gently steam cooked and then frozen fresh, featuring 0% fillers, grains or preservatives. 

KatKin also controls its entire supply chain, from UK sourcing to carbon-neutral shipping, making sure its fresh cat food is free from any risks associated with mass production. The business prides itself on doing things the right way, even if that means taking the hard way.

Brett O’Farrell, co-founder, commented on growth and the use of investment: “KatKin began when Nikki and I questioned what we were feeding our cats Molly, Kiki and Columbus. The more we asked, the more horrified we were at what we found. There’s a huge demand for products that put cat wellbeing first; we know that because KatKin’s customer base has been doubling every six months.

“The new funding will help us go even harder for cats. That means we’re investing in personalised health plans, expanding our world-first fresh cat food manufacturing site and growing our team. Using a data-driven approach, our researchers are working on developing new recipes – including developing nutritional solutions to issues making cats unwell, like diabetes and renal disease.

“We’re grateful to Lopo and Cecile at Verlinvest and Andrew at Perwyn, as well as for the continued support from Octopus and our angel investors. This support doesn’t just invest in our business but in the health and happiness of cats and cat parents.”

Nikki O’Farrell said: “We’re cat parents that love hard. Cat wellbeing happens to be our profession but it’s our passion first. And it shows – we’re the highest-rated cat-food brand on Trustpilot. With this investment, we’ll continue to grow our offering to improve every area of cat wellbeing – with sustainable tofu-based litters, worming tablets, and flea treatments to launch this year.

“It’s about creating awareness and lighting a fire in cat parents everywhere, bringing them together as a community to drive change. We’ll never stop innovating until KatKin’s love-hard attitude becomes the standard for cat care everywhere.”

Andrew Wynn, founder and managing partner of Perwyn, added: “Following our previous investment in the healthy pet food sector, and the invaluable experience that we built up in this market, it has been a delight to get to know Nikki and Brett O’Farrell and to learn about KatKin and the enormous success they have had with their brand. We are very excited to partner with them and to build the next chapter in KatKin’s story. The business is well positioned to drive growth in the rapidly expanding fresh food market for pets, and we look forward to supporting KatKin on the execution of its expansion plans.”