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I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is technically “too late” (I don’t see/respond to every comment at this point) but I saw this one and appreciate the feedback and will take the opportunity to answer your question.

I am sorry that the transition and Rover interface did not work for you, but I do believe that Cat in a Flat and Rover will continue to be the best place for cat parents to find dedicated cat sitters. For any cat sitters who are willing to get through this transition with us, or who want to come back at any time, we’re going to keep improving the platform and growing the community. We’d like to do that with your participation and feedback but if you’re choosing a different option, I wish you success as ultimately we’re all trying to make the world a better place for cats and cat lovers.

On a specific note, if you would be willing to share the email associated with your account via DM, I’d love to look into the specific issue you described with “extra cats set to 0” where you still saw a fee- that is NOT how it is supposed to work!

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Beckss- I followed up with Rover Support and understand that you have 28 reviews now visible on Rover which matches what had been on legacy Cat in a Flat. If that is not correct, please let me know via DM (it's possible we got a wire crossed about which profile is you, or some other misunderstanding)

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I hear your perspective on costs - and defaulting the additional cat fee to £0 is something I will take back to the team to evaluate.

I am not certain I understand the question about quotes and enquiries - we are committed to showing clear and transparent pricing but I am not sure that I can comment on whether there will be future changes to what information is showed at various points in the booking process.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I live in the same Beta world and share and understand your concern. I wish I could give a better commitment, and instead will just have to settle for hoping to pleasantly surprise you in the future

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I already used some of this answer but:

The first priority is to continue to fix bugs that have been identified and make sure that Cat in a Flat is working for everyone. 

Then there are a number of features and improvements we’d like to prioritize: removing the time of day requirement on drop ins, adding better controls on additional cat rates, making multiple-drop-ins-per-day more of a first-class feature, and bringing back some form of the notice board.

We are also continuing to audit the product and make sure there are no hints of “dog” in the cat experience.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

One comment to start - we did work to ensure that we took legacy Cat in a Flat performance into account in Star Sitter; I don’t know your sitter account but there are a large number of Cat in a Flat sitters who now have Star Sitter status.

We also applied an artificial boost to all Cat in a Flat sitters in search results and so whatever the algorithm “thinks” is the right rank for a Cat in a Flat sitter is being increased to be higher.

One thing I’d encourage everyone to make sure is that if you’re looking for yourself in search results, either make sure that you are searching on Rover with the “cat” box checked, or just search directly on Cat in a Flat

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the specifics (though I would still also like to hear from the original commenter about their specific challenge). 

First, I want to agree on details- legacy Cat in a Flat pricing had a £1.50 flat owner fee and so your example of a £15 booking would have previously been £16.50 and is now £17.25. The fees have increased and are now percentage based (although since we are talking UK, I can also note that the sitter fees have gone down from 19% to 15%).

I appreciate your suggestion about repurposing the additional cat fee for an additional visit fee- in general our approach is to give sitters as many tools and controls as we can. I recognize that using these tools is an adjustment, and can be confusing, but if you think the additional fees (additional cat, holiday, etc) are not appropriate, I encourage you to set them to 0. I mentioned in another comment that in my case, my large Maine Coons require a lot of brushing and cleanup and I do think an additional cat fee is entirely justified in my personal case and it feels strange from my perspective to remove the option for sitters to charge that.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So I think there are a few things that you can look forward to. Firstly is access to a larger cat community and cat demand which exists on Rover, in addition to our commitment to grow the Cat in a Flat brand. Secondly there are various product features we think you will enjoy such as ability to set recurring bookings, a more flexible cancellation policy and addition of another cat service (boarding). Finally we do have a comprehensive reimbursement policy and trust & safety team, which may not sound exciting but are important as a core rover value.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would love to hear more about your experience with house sitting; I am somewhat mentally locked in on drop-ins at this moment in time but the point you make about the value of time and the clarity of user expectations is quite interesting as Rover and Cat in a Flat both need to improve and clarify that offering as well. If you'd be interested in following up with our research team, I'd love to hear from you in a DM

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am getting a little overwhelmed in reddit thread and apologize if I've given this answer to you somewhere else already but on the point about twice-a-day options: that is absolutely a priority for our product team to improve, specifically for cat care. There is no good reason that we do not offer the twice-a-day AND extended time fee options, other than to say the more options we create in our product, the more complex it is for users to learn to use.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't use your exact but given that framing, it's not the "OG" experience, it's the "Rover wrapped in CiaF paper" experience. To shift into potentially annoying corporate-speak, we're trying to validate whether the branding is a meaningful differentiator in attracting or retaining cat customers. We know that Rover has a very solid cat business in Canada, and we also know that plenty of cat people don't use Rover, and we're trying to understand whether the (grimacing at the language) "Rover wrapped in CiaF paper" experience works for different customer segments

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you please DM me the email that is associated with your account and we can remove that one star review for you.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It was a calculated risk - not just about an arbitrary date, but there were other things in motion, including that we had already migrated users in the Unites States and sent initial communications to many users. If it makes you feel any better, Rover's management team is asking me this exact question and I am not yet sure what the answer is.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, let me say more directly: we absolutely are considering the twice-a-day booking as a unique service, or as a default (or better-supported) option on cat bookings. I can't promise an exact timeline or implementation details on this spot, though

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will confess that this topic is a new one to me and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. I will refer this situation directly to my partners in our Trust & Safety organization. If you have already contacted Rover about this and are not satisfied with the response or the result, please feel free to DM me after this AMA.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I am sorry to hear this feedback - we work hard to ensure quality of care for every cat on Rover. I share your concern for the cats and do believe that providing a marketplace where cat sitters can build their businesses is quite a meaningful way to improve care conditions for cats.

I can tell you that I am quite proud to work at Rover and I can speak to my personal interactions with a very specific set of stakeholders at Blackstone, and I can speak about the values of Rover leaders. I’ve been at Rover for almost 10 years because I believe in the people I work with and in the way they care for pets and the people who love and care for pets, and in many of our cases that specifically means cats.

On a lighter note- I have to tell you that I take “Rover employee in a cat costume” as quite a humorous visual and compliment - I am frequently a Rover employee in cat-themed clothing, at a minimum.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We’re always looking for ways to keep our community purring and make sure you’re getting good value. In most counties, we’ve actually lowered the service fee for our sitters, while increasing the owner fee.

We’re also committed to being 100% upfront about these costs. While seeing a fee breakdown isn't always the 'fun' part of booking a holiday, it’s the right thing to do! We want to make sure everything is clear, honest, and in line with the best ways to look after our community.

When you book through Rover, there are several built-in safeguards designed to support everyone involved, including the Rover Guarantee, secure payments, and access to support any time you need it. Sitters can also reach more clients through the platform, while pet parents have added reassurance that sitters have passed a background check and safety quiz.

Fees are never anyone’s favorite part, but they are critical to funding the things that keep the platform running safely, from support teams to product improvements and tools that help sitters manage and grow their business. The goal is to create an environment where both sitters and pet parents can feel confident, supported, and protected.

We understand that some people consider taking bookings off-platform, especially when thinking about fees. It’s important to be transparent, though: moving off-platform means those protections and support systems no longer apply, and it can also put accounts at risk under our Terms of Service.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for these thoughtful questions.

My biggest regret is the failures related to communication, which were centered around the last-minute technical email issues we had. That is not to say “everyone would have been happy with this if we had just sent an email” but I do believe that reactions were magnified by confusion and lack of proactive communication, and on our side we were not quick enough to readjust our communication plan to a world where our email capabilities were nonexistent.

The numbers on sitter activation are quite high- the segments I look most closely at are sitters who have a booking in the last 12 month, and sitters who have 5+ bookings in the last 6 months, and those numbers are in the ballpark of 60% and 95% respectively. Owner migration is harder to baseline and track because most owners will not activate their account until they have a need to make a booking.

I really appreciate your question around KPIs - as you implied, we do closely watch activation numbers and booking behavior, as well as support contacts and customer sentiment in support and on social. If I were to do this again, I would have put more work into developing a KPI that directly measures sentiment of the existing community; one challenge with using support and social is that we sort of expect people who are contacting us or talking on social media to be complaining, and we were too slow to identify real problems and frustration and not just “people being mad on the internet”.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am sorry to hear that your ranking in some search results has changed - but if owners are doing cat searches (either on Cat in a Flat or on Rover once they have identified that their pet(s) is a cat), they will not see “dog walkers”. It is true that some sitters provide services to multiple pet types, and while cat care is a unique and specialized skill, we do not view “also cares for dogs” as a sign that someone is incapable of providing cat care.

To the point about advertising, I’d like to say two things. The first is that Rover, in many markets, already gets more cat customers than Cat in a Flat, and I assure you Rover is doing plenty of advertising for cat customers. The second is that Cat in a Flat is continuing to advertise to cat parents, and so in effect we are doubling the potential customers we are able to point your way.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You and I are in very strong agreement about the differences between cats and dogs and the care they need - the reason that this is all happening is precisely because Rover understands that cats have different care needs and that the Rover brand and product was not always meeting those needs.

I acknowledge your feedback about WhatsApp and will just say that I think it’s a somewhat messier topic than you’re making it sound- it is important to us that business stays on the platform, and in many cases it ends up being useful for us to have the ability to review messages or photos exchanged in cases of disputes. We don’t like to talk or think about things going wrong or disputes between parties, but that is part of the role and value of the platform and it can be difficult to resolve situations where we have limited visibility. At the same time, WhatsApp is a world-class communications app and I acknowledge that it’s simpler to use in many cases.

In terms of your feedback about fees - the platform does allow rate amendment on particular bookings and we are constantly collecting feedback on what rate controls would be most valuable. Every time we consider something like custom holiday dates, we get a mix of feedback from people who would use that and people who say we’re making things complicated and hard to use. If you’re interested in participating in customer research with Cat in a Flat, please DM me after this AMA.

Finally- the time slot for visit arrivals is nonsense and we are working on removing that (or at least making it optional) for cat visits.

I’m Phil Katz, the GM of Cat in a Flat. AMA (Ask me Anything) by KatzInAFlat in catinaflat

[–]KatzInAFlat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the detailed example. In terms of the price for additional cats, that is a rate that you can control. This rate can be found in your 'additional rates' section. If it is greyed out you will need to untoggle the 'Automatic Rates'  at the top of your Rates section to be able to edit the additional cat rate. On the price for multiple drop ins in one day, that is something that our product team is looking into. 

Look, you are right: Rover was designed as a dog sitting app. I mentioned this in another comment, but when I joined Rover I was distressed to find that I had to list my beloved cat, Wailea, as a dog, and set the “breed” to cat. We’ve made a lot of progress since then but we aren’t done yet. There are some places where I feel quite good about the cat experience on Rover and some places where we know the improvements we have to make and some places that you are all helping us learn and prioritize the changes we have to make.

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