Meet Mary Winters of Have Catnip Will Travel Pet Sitting in Woodland Hills and West Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Winters.

Mary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, it’s been a long road getting to where I am and what I do today. I had no idea I would ever be a pet sitter even though I always loved animals. When I was younger and in school, I wanted to be an actress so after high school, I went to the Pasadena Playhouse to study acting. After graduation, I moved to Hollywood and got a room at the Hollywood Studio Club where a lot of hopeful young gals stayed while pursuing careers. My roommate was the beautiful Sharon Tate. I mention this only because my friendship with her made me reconsider the acting thing completely. I realized there was no way I stood a chance competing for parts. I was way out of my league. I remember one interview that confirmed my realization. My agent sent me on an interview to Paramount studios to meet with a producer working on a new film. We talked for a long time and he finally said to me, “Mary, you’re a very sweet person but what we need is a real woman and you’re just a little girl.” The part went to Jane Fonda and I decided to reinvent myself for the first time. I went to night school and learned to type and take shorthand. Armed with my new tools I went to work for Chuck Barris on his tv show, The Dating game. From that job I went to work for Joey Bishop when he was doing his late night talk show for ABC. The next few years went fast while I did production work for tv production companies, movie studios, and tv networks. I was lucky and the jobs were always there and I loved it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My last job in the entertainment industry was for Unsolved Mysteries. I worked there eight years and when the tv show was canceled I knew the industry was changing and I was ready to move on. I decided to reinvent myself again. I went to work for a temp agency and was sent on many day assignments. After a few months, I was sent to work at a manufacturing company and stayed there eight years. Then I was offered a job at a health insurance company and decided to change hats again. I worked for Health Net for four years but when the company was sold I was out of work for the first time in my life. Really out of work.

I had always gone from one job to another and now the economy was awful and I couldn’t find a job doing anything I wanted to do. It was a scary feeling. I owned a home and had a mortgage to pay so it was time to put some soul searching into what I really wanted to do. It’s tough to compete with kids just out of college who probably have better skills and to whom technology is second nature. I thought I may never find a job and be forced to move to a city where I could afford to live. But I love L.A. and didn’t want to leave it.

About this time I read an article about how the jobs of the future would be in service industries; small companies doing things for people who were too busy to do themselves. Made sense to me too. But what could I do? What did I like that could become a business? One day after feeding an out of town friend’s cat I knew I found my niche. Pet Sitting was my business. And why not? I love cats, dogs and every little creature out there. Time to reinvent myself again. I spent weeks researching other pet sitters on the internet to see how they structured their websites, what services they performed and what made them successful. Have Catnip Will Travel Pet sitting was born and I’ve never been happier.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Have Catnip Will Travel Pet Sitting story. Tell us more about the business.
Have Catnip Will Travel is a one woman tiny pet sitting company. I take care of people’s pets when they have to work late, take a business trip or go on holiday. I do for them what they would do if they could be home. I walk their dogs and give them their outdoor potty time. I feed their cats and clean the litter pans. I medicate when a pet is on special medication. I transport pets to vets and groomers and do overnight stays to safeguard the client’s home and pets. I groom the pets and shower them with hugs and kisses. I spend time with the pets so they know they haven’t been forgotten.

Obviously, there is no glamour in cleaning a litter pan but I know every pet owner wants their pet’s environment clean and healthy. So I take pride in knowing when my home visit with the pet is over that I have left the pet’s world in better shape. And when the owner comes home from vacation they find a happy, relaxed, unstressed Fido or Trixie.

I’m very pleased that my clients know they can trust that when I’m on the job their pets come first. I take pride in showing up on time and giving 100% to every job. I value my client’s trust in me and appreciate the word of mouth referrals to their friends. I’m happy to spend more time making a pet’s day more fun.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Well, I think bad luck is when lightning strikes your car and totals it. In business, people blame bad luck on things when they should blame poor preparation in performing their jobs. I believe in being prepared but I know that sometimes even the best planning ahead doesn’t work for everyone all the time. It’s those times that it’s easier to say we had a stroke of bad luck. Okay, I get it. I prefer to accept what’s happened, move on and reinvent myself. Take what’s good and has worked in the past and move it into the future.

In my life, I’ve been an actress, a background actor, a production secretary, a personal assistant, an interior decorator, a sales person, a billing clerk, a receptionist, a data entry clerk, an administrative assistant, a nanny and a pet sitter. Good luck or bad luck, it’s all good with me.

Contact Info:

• Address: Best way to contact me for jobs in the West San Fernando Valley is through my website or email.
• Website: www.havecatnipwilltravel.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
World’s Best Cat Litter