Licki Brush on ‘Shark Tank’: Where are They Today?

Licki Brush from PDX Pet Design is possibly one of the most memorable pitches from Shark Tank. The product is a cat brush that a person attaches to their tongue in order to brush and bond with their pet.

PDX Pet Design is a company that makes pet grooming products for cats. Though the Licki Brush is one of their best sellers, it isn’t all they make. They also make the SHRU, which is an egg-shaped toy with a feathery tail.

Prior to appearing on Shark Tank, Jimmy Kimmel shared the Licki Brush Kickstarter campaign. He later tweeted the video with the caption “The dark days of not licking our cats back are OVER! #LickiBrush.”

Husband and wife Tara and Jason O’Mara are from Portland. When they pitched their product in the Shark Tank in January 2017, they were seeking a $300,000 investment for 15 percent of their company.

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PDX Pet Design ‘Shark Tank’ Pitch

The O’Maras originally started the business with a Kickstarter campaign, raising $170,779.

During their pitch, they said they would like to “improve your relationship with your cat while enhancing your cat’s lifestyle.”

“For our next product, we looked at the fact that cats groom each other as a form of social bonding. There’s also evidence that your cat looks at you as a big cat, not a human,” she said. “… well, with Licki brush, you don’t have to be left out anymore.”

Tara then demonstrated the Licki Brush to the Sharks. That’s when the sharks started laughing hysterically at the product. Mark Cuban told them they should drop a mic after that pitch, and Kevin O’Leary told them that their cat was now “psychologically disturbed.”

The husband-and-wife entrepreneurial duo said they had sold $250,000 in SHRUs and $52,000 in Licki Brushes. Kevin O’Leary scoffed at their $2 million valuation and was the first to take his name out of the running.

One by one, all the other sharks dropped out as well, leaving PDX Pet Design without a deal. They did get Shark Robert Herjavec to try out the Licki Brush, though, which is something he will never live down in the eyes of the other sharks.

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The Company is Still Open and Operating

Even without a Shark Tank deal, PDX Pet Design is still operating. Though the owners still seem to be working their full-time jobs in addition to running PDX Pet Design, the products are all still for sale on the website and their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages are active.

They attend CatCon each year where they sell their merchandise and talk to potential customers. PDX Pet Design also shares cat facts on each of their social media channels.

The SHRU Intelligent Cat Companion sells for $119, the Licki Brush is $25, and the SHRU feather and tail attachments are $6 each. They are all available to purchase online.

The Shark Tank: Greatest of All Time special airs on Wednesday, February 27 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. Tune in to see the Sharks speak about one of the most bizarre pitches they had ever seen.

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