Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Pasek.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story starts when a project dismantling a small research nuclear reactor for NASA was winding down. I decided to take some time off from the stresses of field environmental and safety consulting. The career sabitical turned from a few weeks into not wanting to go back into the high-pressure world. Instead, my focus became more grounded in the world around me. I spent a few years working at a garden center and then for Wild Birds Inc. as a sales associate at the Bay Village Nature Center. Retail though, was not where I would eventually find my passion for life again.
During this time off, I was volunteering for several cat rescue organizations. I fostered all kinds of cats and kittens, including a few that were critically ill. Several years went by, and I used to call my house the finishing school for cats and kittens that would go up for adoption. Some arrived fearful, others put on hospice, and still others in need of a lot of medical care. The guiding whisker through all these purrbaby’s cases was they all needed training or behavior help.
This was a time when behavior help for cats did not exist. Advice that was often provided by well-meaning veterinarians or shelter staff was not as helpful as it needed to be. I felt there had to be a better way, and coming from a science background, I set about learning animal behavior. I read one of Karen Pryor’s first books, On Behavior. This book contained numerous cases and examples of how animals of all kinds can and do learn. With that perspective in mind, I began to apply the concept of positive reinforcement to my “cat student volunteers.” Teaching a cat to accept ear pricks and insulin shots to kittens to not scratch the furniture or jump on counters, I started to wonder if I could use these newfound skills to help a wider pet community.
A lot has changed since I started my company in 2010 as Finicky Feline & Fido. In 2019 I made the branding change to Finicky Cat Sitting & Behavior moving myself away from dog training and pursuing my ideals for cat parents. This branding change was met with so much excitement within the pet-sitting community it has returned the blessings of all those earlier years.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. When my company started, it was common one needed to walk dogs in order to generate enough cash flow. Walking 5-7 dogs or more a day is physically demanding work from dogs that pull, are reactive, or those that are never walked by their owners. In order to overcome those obstacles, I developed 5 basic walking commands that the dogs could learn in about 2 weeks. This became what was called a Structured Dog Walk. The world was not quite ready for that idea. But I certainly was ready for it from a safety background. A dog walker needs to be able to have the dog respond to basic commands, enter Karen Pryor’s concept of positive reinforcement.
The real struggle, though, began when I had a medical emergency that set me physically back in 2015. It was Memorial Day weekend, and I ended up in the emergency room with terrible abdominal pain. I needed to call a friend and pet business colleague to take over my business for nearly 3 weeks. I ended up needing major surgery to save my life. While the initial setback and recovery was 3 weeks, this struggle would last years. The damage done to my body and finances from over 100K in medical bills would really test my commitment to my little business.
Two years after that emergency medical event, things were just not improving in many ways. Financially the Marketplace insurance failed to cover much of my medical bills from 2015. I ended up in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. My strength sapped, and unable to handle the larger dogs anymore, I started looking for options and wisdom. It is not easy looking at your business and trying to decide, does this work anymore or do I have to let it go? I called on a well-known pet business coach, Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. I had followed her for many years on Facebook, I thought now I really need some thoughtful insight from someone smarter than me.
I had already reviewed my business financials, and the business would be fine, but it was operating at 90% cats care now. The question I needed answered was how to change from one brand to the new brand. When I scheduled the consultation call with Bella, I had already been running a second website that would become the business I am today. The consultation call was a disaster. It was supposed to be an hour-long consult that ended in less than 25 minutes. It became painfully obvious that Jump Consulting was not a good fit. But that call taught me more about the attitude of many in the pet-sitting business: it is all about the dogs. Bella never got to hear my perspective, never saw the new website, and never saw the explosive growth the new brand was already making. My business needed a recovery plan, just like my body needed a recovery time.
Navigating the branding change became the place both of those would push me towards. The pandemic would bring its challenges as well since people were not traveling. But it also brought opportunities to focus and explore more thoroughly developing the behavior-related end of the business. The 2020 year brought my first best-selling book, Understanding Cat Behavior, I earned my Elite Fear Free Certified Professional credentials, completed the cat consulting course through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants too.
Obstacles or challenges in my life are more like opportunities pushing me to be my best self, my authentic self and being able to deliver those skills to help others.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Finicky Cat Sitting and Behavior, LLC is first and foremost a pet sitting company with a focus on cats only. I do not accept dogs of any kind. Pet sitting for cats is often someone stopping in to do food, water, litter box, and then they leave. Juxtapose that to a dog sitter who comes in, feeds the dog, and then walks the dog or plays in the backyard. There is a whole aspect of the cat visit that is missing key components to be sure your cat remains happy, healthy, and not stressed. We strive to offer those key environmental factors for your purrbaby.
We offer in your home cat sitting services and overnight care. Cat behavior consultation are available on a limited basis by scheduled appointment.
One of the items I am most proud of is having authored the best-selling book in cat training, Understanding Cat Behavior. This book discusses my approach to handing cats and is a quick guide for cat owners when things are going wrong.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
This question was funny as well, as noted in my interview the early book by Karen Pryor, On Behavior, was instrumental in setting things in motion for me.
Another good little book is by Dr. Bruce Fogle, The Cat’s Mind. While some material in the book is now dated, it is a good start if you keep in mind the science of cat behavior has changed since the book was written.
A great place for current resources and perspectives is Fear Free Happy Homes blogs and websites. For professionals, becoming Fear Free Certified is a resourceful credential to have as well.
My favorite podcast is Pet Sitter Confessionals, where they talk about everything in the pet-sitting business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://finicky.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnckycat/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095633257186
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrb1J129zUXnioxAOKDEPkA
