A small Bristol team that builds one thing: a clear record of what pets cost.
Xoruwu is a mobile app for tracking household pet expenses. We started in 2021. Today 15 of us work from an office on Cotham Hill.
How it started
The idea came from a kitchen drawer. One of our founders kept every vet receipt, every bag of food and every grooming slip in the same drawer. At the end of a year she tried to add it all up and could not. The numbers were scattered across paper, bank statements and memory.
She was not alone. Friends with dogs, cats, rabbits and a very expensive parrot had the same problem. Nobody knew what a pet really cost per month. Nobody could plan for the large bills either.
So in 2021 we began building a simple tool. It records spending by pet and by category. It shows trends over time. It reminds you of recurring costs such as insurance, worming treatment and boarding. Since then we have grown into a team of 15 and have worked with 600 clients, completing 1,091 jobs in total.
Mission
We want pet owners to see their spending clearly. That is the whole mission. A person who knows what the last twelve months cost can budget for the next twelve without guessing.
We do not tell anyone how much to spend on their animal. That is a personal choice. Our job is to make the numbers easy to read.
Vision
We picture a household where every pet has a simple cost history. Food, vet care, insurance, toys and travel all sit in one place. Families share access. Owners compare one year with the next and spot a rise before it becomes a problem.
We keep the app plain on purpose. If a feature needs a long explanation, we rework it.
Values we work by
These are the habits that shape each decision, from a new screen to a support reply.
Plain language
Labels say what they mean. A category called "Vet" holds vet costs. Nothing more to decode.
Respect for your data
Your spending records belong to you. We ask only for what the app needs to function and explain every request in our policy pages.
Steady improvement
We release small changes often and read every piece of feedback. Most updates begin with a message from a user.
Experience and expertise
Five years of work have taught us where pet budgets go wrong. Owners usually track food well and forget irregular costs. A dental clean, a replacement harness or an emergency call-out can double a month's spending. Our category structure and reminders are built around those gaps.
We also work with the people around the pet. Some clients are single owners. Others are families who split costs between adults, or small groups managing several animals at once. We serve nine districts across Bristol and the surrounding area, and we usually reply to a request within 8 hours. For the full list of what we offer, see our services.
Of the clients we have worked with, 205 came back for a second job. We take that as a sign the work was useful. We do not publish satisfaction scores, because we cannot back them up.
How the work is organised
Every project follows the same four steps. The order stays the same whether the job is small or large.
- Listen firstWe ask how many pets you have, what you already track and what you find hard. This takes one short conversation or a written reply.
- Set up the structureWe agree on categories, recurring costs and who in the household needs access. Nothing is added that you did not ask for.
- Build and testWe configure the app for your case and check it with real entries before you rely on it. Errors found here are fixed here.
- Hand over and follow upWe walk you through the finished setup and check in after the first month. If something needs adjusting, we change it.
The people behind the app
Here are four of the 15 people you may hear from.
Hannah
Product leadDecides which features get built and which wait. Reads user feedback every week.
Marcus
Mobile developerBuilds the app screens and keeps entries quick to add on a phone.
Priya
Client supportAnswers requests and helps new users set up their first pet profile.
Tom
Data and reportingDesigns the monthly and yearly summaries so the figures are easy to read.
Want to see what your pets cost?
Tell us about your household. We reply within 8 hours on working days.