Sylvester.ai’s bet on feline health (and why the market may finally be ready)

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Welcome back, readers.

We’ve got a treat for you today. Are you a cat parent? Or maybe just a cat admirer. Either way, many will agree that cats can be hard to read at times. That’s partly what makes cats so alluring, but it’s not so great when they’re hiding a physical ailment.

Susan Groeneveld, founder and CEO of Sylvester.ai, is looking to change that. The Canadian startup is disrupting the pet tech space with AI-powered tech that can spot signs of pain or distress based on five facial areas: ears, eyes, whiskers, nose, and muzzle.

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In today’s issue, we talk to Susan Groeneveld, Founder and CEO of Sylvester.ai.

• Founded in 2020 in Calgary, the startup detects signs of feline pain using facial analysis and machine learning

• The tool can be integrated into platforms via API, used in-clinic, or accessed by cat owners via the companion app

• Sylvester.ai raised US$1 million in a pre-seed round in 2024, including backing from Metiquity Ventures. A seed round is planned for fall 2025

• Sylvester.ai was inspired by Susan’s beloved cat, Jack. Unbeknownst to everyone, Jack had become ill and was hiding his pain. Heartbreakingly, Jack passed away on his own. This experience spurred Susan to found Sylvester.ai to address the under-served cat care market.

Hello Susan! Tell me about Sylvester.ai.

When we first started, we had 54,000 downloads of the tech in one week. That's when we realised this is something people really want: understanding their cats. We’re on a big mission. Cats are finally having their moment.

I’ve been in this industry a long time, and in the past, every time there’s a surge of interest in cats, something new in dogs would come out and everyone would shift back. But I actually think this time it’s going to stick for cats. It’s a great moment for the species.

Definitely. There’s so much AI being built to understand cats, from vocalisation to behaviour. Sylvester.ai reads micro-expressions and posture, is that right?

Yes. I used to work with animal health and pharmaceutical companies, so I was familiar with feline pain products and treatments. But we weren’t seeing cats come back into clinics. They’d come once, and that was it. Most cats euthanised haven’t been seen in a clinic the year prior. So I thought: how do we get them better care?

Because of my work, I knew about cat pain scales – facial pain indicators based on five facial areas: ears, eyes, whiskers, muzzle and head position. They’re accurate but subjective. People can be trained to use them, but when we applied AI - especially computer vision - the accuracy went through the roof.

I imagine AI could detect tiny facial changes down to the millimetre.

Right. There’s a big debate in our world between using landmarks versus deep learning. We’re leaning toward deep learning, looking at the whole face, and working with institutions like the University of Surrey and the University of Haifa. Our aim is to be more accurate than the existing pain scales, and that’s all about feeding more data
into the algorithm.

So you’re refining the pain scale and removing human bias?

Exactly. People interpret scales differently. You and I might judge the same cat’s face differently. AI removes that bias. And it’s not something ChatGPT or general AI can do, the datasets don’t exist. So we’re building them. We’ve hired a feline behaviorist and have data licensing agreements with shelters for access to medicalised cats.

And the goal now is pain detection - binary, yes/no?

Yes, pain/no pain. We're not trying to diagnose right now. We want to alert the cat parent so they go to the vet, who can then use diagnostic tools. That’s the real value: nudging action.

That said, we are gathering data tied to diagnosed conditions like diabetes or UTIs to see if we can start predicting visual markers. But we're more focused on behaviour and emotion, the subtleties of how cats express discomfort or distress. It’s early days, but that’s the direction we’re heading.

You have to speak fluent cat, right?

You really do! And the people who love them are similar. Loyal, intuitive, a little elusive.

I read about Jack, your farm cat, who inspired this. Would you mind telling me more?

Oh wow. I just got goosebumps. I haven’t met a cat person who doesn’t have a story like that. Jack represents a failure. We watched him suffer and didn’t do enough. We didn't know. I believe knowledge is power, and that this technology can help people do right by the animals they love. Cats can’t speak. It’s karmic, we’re their guardians. Jack’s story fuels everything I do.

That’s incredibly moving - I’m so sorry.

Switching gears a bit: where’s your biggest market so far?

The U.S., because of its size and speed. Americans move fast. But Europe is close behind. I pitched at an event in London and was struck by how much better Europeans care for their cats. We’re having exciting conversations in the UK and France. We were also in both of Purina’s accelerators.

And Asia?

We had downloads in China, Singapore, Russia, Brazil, everywhere. But I’m cautious about Asia due to patent concerns. There’s already a university project in Japan doing something similar. I do think we’ll see innovation coming from Asia, and I’m talking to groups in India, Nepal and the Middle East. But right now we’re focused on North America and Europe.

What’s your growth strategy?

Three approaches: 1. Direct-to-consumer, which got us traction but wasn’t scalable. 2. Clinic integrations, where vets can use it for remote monitoring. 3. White-labelled AI plugin for digital pet or vet platforms, which is our biggest opportunity.

We’re now embedding into digital vet platforms. Think: a camera icon during an app’s intake flow. It fits into pet-vet journeys without disruption.

And the biggest challenge?

Honestly? The value people place on cats. In the U.S., cats are only 30% of clinic traffic. Europe is better, but still cats get less attention and less care. Changing that behaviour is hard. People assume cats are low-maintenance. But they hide pain well. And vets are just starting to understand how AI can help.

Why is cat care so undervalued in the U.S.?

One reason may be some vaccination protocols, and cats that are indoors are frequently overlooked. Cats are only vaccinated every 3 years there, compared to annually in Europe. People forget to go. Plus, you can still get kittens for free. So there’s this perception that cats are cheap, and they don’t need as much vet care, which just isn’t true.

How many users do you have now?

We reached 65,000 downloads early on. Now we see around 1,000 monthly users. Direct-to-consumer is intermittent - people scan when something seems wrong. But we’re finding clinics want integrations most. That’s the stickiness we need.

Last question - what about dogs?

I always get asked that! We have access to dog datasets, but facial pain scales are less accurate for dogs due to the placebo effect. Dogs mirror us, they’ll “smile” if you smile. Some really sore dogs will still go on walks to please you. So for dogs, full-body movement tracking is better.

But right now, I’m scared to take any focus off cats. They need us more.

IN THE NEWS

🇺🇸 CATalyst Council releases 2025 Feline Market Insights Report Volume II ● The U.S. feline vet market is valued at US$12 billion, growing at nearly 9% per year, despite falling total healthcare visits. There’s a US$20 billion growth opportunity in simply closing the care gap between cats and dogs.

🇺🇸 'Petflation' hits two-year high in May ● Veterinary and pet services drive overall pet industry inflation to 2.2% year on year, while pet food costs remain stable, according to Pet Business Professor. 

🇬🇧 UK dog food prices expected to rise another 50% by 2035 ● Survey by TopDog says pet parents are being squeezed by rising prices and shrinkflation.

🇺🇸 Farmina opens first U.S. manufacturing facility in Reidsville, NC ● Italy-based Farmina invested US$115 million in the facility, which allow the company to localise its production and shorten distribution times. 

🇺🇸 Chewy posts Q1 results ● Chewy reported an 8.3% increase year on year in first-quarter net sales to US$3.12 billion. Chewy Vet Care locations have increased to 11 locations across four states.  

🇬🇧 UK Competition and Markets Authority extends inquiry to 2026 ● The CMA's investigation into competition concerns within the UK veterinary services market for household pets was extended to allow it to assess consultation feedback.

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