Exploring Life & Business with Catalina Esteves of Cat Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catalina Esteves.

Hi Catalina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since I was very little, I’ve always been passionate about nature and animals! As an only child, I had to learn to be creative about play and there was always a neighborhood cat or dog that I’d make friends with. I think what this taught me was that humans and animals can connect and bond despite our species differences. As I got older, I became very aware of the terrible conditions some pets ended up in, at shelters and the street, and it broke my heart. I always wanted to help but wasn’t sure how. As an adult, when I moved from my home country Argentina, to the United States, I became a volunteer at a cat rescue organization in Santa Barbara and became very involved in assisting them with getting more cats adopted through photography and helping them care for the cats and clean the facilities. I’m a musician and so I’d play my shows in the evenings and dedicate a lot of my day to rescue work. One day I drove all the way to San Bernardino (it was a 4 hr drive for me) to rescue a cat that was about to be euthanized at a shelter, and that’s how I knew this had to somehow become my full-time job.

As time went on, I became more and more passionate about the idea of creating a business that would help cats as well as facilitate people’s connection with them, regardless of their ability to adapt. That’s briefly how Cat Therapy was born!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think business in general is never a smooth road, and that’s a great thing to keep in mind. I mean that’s life too, right? I think my favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is having to come up with solutions to keep your business moving forward through the biggest challenges. Cat Therapy has been open for five years, and since then, we’ve had closures due to a massive fire called the Thomas Fire, which made us evacuate our cats, a mudslide that cut off our road to LA to where we get our cats, and then, of course, the pandemic.

I’d say the pandemic was our biggest struggle. We had to shut down and really take time to consider our next steps. It was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had creatively as an entrepreneur. How do we keep a business going when we can’t even receive guests anymore? So we created a fundraiser to keep our staff on to take care of our cats, then opened an online store to sell cat-themed merchandise and cat products. It worked enough to get us through a few months until we were able to open our doors again. Retrospectively I’m so happy that happened because now we have refreshed the business and we have the online store as a new revenue stream, but in the moment it was very scary.

We’ve been impressed with Cat Therapy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cat Therapy helps rescue cats facing euthanasia by fostering them in a cage free environment, a beautiful space we’ve designed in the heart of Santa Barbara, CA. Most shelter cats live in cages or kennels until they are adopted. This can produce a lot of stress and a cat that isn’t feeling good is unable to show its true personality to potential adopters. By housing these cats in a comfortable, safe and nourishing environment, we drastically improve their quality of life and give them a temporary home while they wait to find their forever family. When a cat is fostered at Cat Therapy, we provide them with the socialization and love they need to thrive and be ready for the day their purrfect human walks through the door.

We partner with organizations who save cats at risk of euthanasia in high-kill shelters and cats facing homelessness on the streets. By fostering these cats in our space, we are able to make more room in their facilities to use for cats that need immediate rescue, therefore saving more lives. By housing cats in an environment where they can be socialized, recover from trauma and feel comfortable, we allow them to show their true personalities. This makes it easier for potential adopters to connect with them the same way they would at home. We have been able to make over 500 kitty-human matches due to our unique approach to cat adoption.

To ensure we can fund our mission and continue helping cats, we offer experiences where you can visit our cats in person. We now also sell awesome apparel, accessories, cat products, cat sponsorships and virtual tours & events, so you can get involved with our cats from anywhere in the world without leaving the comfort of your home. We also have an online store where you can shop cat-themed merchandise as well as our favorite cat products! You can shop from anywhere in the US.

I am proud of Cat Therapy for encouraging people to do good for cats, regardless of their ability to adopt or foster. We have built an amazing community of animal lovers that support our mission and stay connected with our cats. We have also helped rescue and re-home over 800 cats and raised over $50,000 for the rescue organizations we partner with.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Building community around your business is incredibly important. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the wonderful people that have connected with our business and have stepped up to come visit us, purchase gift cards or shop online when we had to close due to the COVID shutdowns and other challenges we’ve faced. I think it helps that our business has a clear mission of helping cats, and people with the same mindset that animals should be treated fairly are able to connect with us and support us.

Pricing:

• $22 Hour Visits to the Cats
• Private Visits Starting at $65
• T-Shirts $34

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cattherapysb.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cattherapysb
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cattherapysb

Image Credits
Catalina Esteves