HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / REALITY TV

The weirdest 'Shark Tank' pitch involved licking a cat on live TV and seeking a $300,000 investment

The couple strode confidently onto the set looking for a $300,000 investment in return for 15% of their company.

In the colorful pantheon of pitches on ABC's 'Shark Tank,' few have managed to raise eyebrows quite like 'PDX Pet Design's' presentation in the year 2017, whereby a couple from Portland walked into the Tank having just been tossed into this peculiar vision that ways could be devised to make sure cat owners bond with pets through licking. The couple strode confidently onto the set looking for a $300,000 investment in return for 15% of their company, but it was their demonstration that had the Sharks in stitches. "We looked at the fact that cats groom each other as a form of social bonding," Tara said, donning cat ears and talking with an utterly straight face. "There's also evidence that your cat looks at you as a big cat, not a human."

Their flagship product was the 'LICKI Brush,' a tongue-shaped brush that one could hold in the mouth and thereby simulate the grooming action of cats without actual contact with the tongue. When Tara put it in her mouth to demonstrate the product by grooming a cat, the Sharks' reactions were priceless. Mark Cuban was so amused he suggested they drop the mic, while Kevin O'Leary expressed concern for the psychological well-being of demonstration cat Chestnut, as per Market Realist.

Things took an even more entertaining turn when Robert Herjavec volunteered to try the product himself. In a moment he would later describe to Entertainment Weekly as "not my proudest moment on Shark Tank," Herjavec put the brush in his mouth and attempted to groom a cat on national television. "I hate myself so much right now," he admitted immediately after the demonstration.

Behind the quirky presentation were some sound business fundamentals. The O'Maras had raised 170,779 dollars in a successful 'Kickstarter' campaign, and the company was more than just the 'LICKI Brush.' They'd developed another product called 'SHRU'—an' electronic cat toy that simulated the movement of small creatures. Retail price: 119 dollars. The 'LICKI Brush' at its relatively modest 19-dollar price point had yielded 52,000 dollars in sales. But 'SHRU' had brought in 250,000 dollars.

The pitch had gained some notable attention even before airing on 'Shark Tank.' Jimmy Kimmel shared their 'Kickstarter' campaign, tweeting, "The dark days of not licking our cats back are OVER! #LickiBrush." But despite that publicity and this impressive crowdfunding success, the Sharks weren't convinced by the company's $2 million valuation.

Although the O'Maras didn't walk out with an investment, the moment became one of the most memorable to ever hit the show. The pitch was iconic enough to be featured in 'Shark Tank: Greatest of All Time,' a special highlighting the most unforgettable moments from the show's first 11 seasons. Fellow Shark Daymond John would later say of Herjavec's demonstration, "Robert can never take that back. It's out in the universe." Today, 'PDX Pet Design' is still in operation but arguably has not experienced the exponential growth the founders may have envisioned. While their website remains on and links to Amazon, their social media sites haven't had any activity since 2022, where their promised five new product designs never saw the light of day.