Adopting a cat helped beat my pandemic blues and founded a new business

"In May last year, I decided to foster a kitten from Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSCPA). With the directives that had been put in place in the fight against the coronavirus such as cessation of movements and curfew, they were overwhelmed with the number of animals especially cats that needed care and a home. 

When I brought "kababa" home, he was this tiny sickly kitten, no more than five weeks old. I coaxed him to eat after every four hours, nicely spread a blanket I had stashed on his basket bed to keep him warm, and made multiple trips with him to KSPCA for vaccination shots. 

My brother and a friend who was living with me at the time marveled at the bond that I was creating with the kitten. Essentially, kababa gave me memories of stability and reminded me of a time when I had so much going on. I run a social enterprise called Pad Heaven Initiative, through which we provide reusable sanitary towels to adolescent girls. Further, I am an author of adolescent books – Path to Womanhood, a book on menstrual hygiene and financial literacy for adolescent girls. Before the pandemic, there was so much activity in my life. One day I would be at a workshop and another day would find me offering training on entrepreneurship or empowering girls. Enter the pandemic. We closed the workshop, the training dwindled and my life became clouded by uncertainties. I was stuck in the house with nothing much to do and I was starting to feel hopeless.

As such, I looked forward to feeding Kababa and it grounded me in many ways because I had to make sure it survives as it was very sick.

Later, I fostered two more cats. What happens with fostering is that as a foster, you are responsible for the care of the kittens until they attain eight weeks, the recommended minimum age for re-homing to a permanent home. Before I started to foster, I had two other big cats (Jojo and Lulu) that I lived with. Now, these are the typical independent cats in that they didn't crave cuddles or want them when offered. With the addition of the two kittens, I had five cats living with me.

Within days after settling in, I started noticing that my four-bedroom house was becoming stuffy even though the kittens were living in one room. When you adopt a new cat, you don't want to confuse them with the many rooms and doors. The process of orientation is gradual. 

To help wade off the smell, I ensured that I took the litter outside but that didn't quite solve the problem. "Maybe I should get a room spray and scented candles," I reasoned. However, the products I bought were not long-lasting and those that were highly recommended were priced way above my budget. I resorted to planting rosemary around the house but that didn't work. Then, my Aha moment hit. "Oh, I could make home fragrances!"

I consider myself a DIY creative. If I don't find a solution to my problems, I get down to work. One time, I was looking for pilau ingredients instead of making them fresh all the time. I didn't find a good product so I started making it for myself and sold others.

For the fragrances, I spent the months of July and August 2020, testing various products and shipping because I could not find exactly what I wanted in Kenya. 

Was it crazy that I was thinking of starting a business in the middle of a pandemic? Maybe, maybe not. Truth is, I wanted to keep myself busy so I didn't mind spending time and resources on research or money to ship the products I wanted. Notably, my initial idea was centred on freshening my home. One day, a friend visited from Mombasa and she pleaded to take back with her whatever I was using for my house. "I want what is smelling in your house," she pleaded.

Fuelled by her admission that the house was smelling heavenly, I took it to Twitter where I have a following of more than 11K. I detailed what I was up to and my need for an angel investor. An acquaintance, having read through my proposal invested in the business. In September last year, I established FleoPatra with scented candles, room and linen sprays as our flagship products. In a few weeks, we will introduce a hand wash. The idea is to create spa-like products for homes.

I will be honest. At first, I was concerned that Kenyans were not into diffusers and scents for their houses but scrolling through the various social media platforms, I discovered that there was a gap and a ready market. 

While getting help when overwhelmed with orders like in December last year, I designed the logo, packaging and started marketing the scented candles and sprays on Twitter and Instagram. I do all these things from the comfort of my home which has helped keep the production and overhead cost down. Currently, the candles go for Sh700 and Sh850 for the sprays. 

Every week, I sell at least ten pieces and I must say that I am blessed with customers who not only give referrals but also who are forthcoming with feedback. Now before I make a sale, I have to ask if one prefers say fruity or citrus because preferences differ.

Looking back, I don't know how I would have pulled through with all the bills without the backing from this business. Its success and the kittens I fostered are one of my pandemic miracles. And oh, when Kababa turned eight weeks and ready for re-homing, I let him sit on my lap, purr, and hover around me. Then I decided to adopt him. When my other two cats are in the other rooms unbothered, he sleeps and purrs beside me. Heavenly."

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