Are you eager to spend more time with cats? If the answer is yes, you have something in common with online cat boutique owner Esra Gulenc of Houston, Texas. Back in 2003, Gulenc's job meant 40 hours a week away from black medium-hair Supercat and tabby Alexander the Great. She wanted more quality time with the kitties, but also needed to earn a living. Gulenc decided to use her passion for cats, as well as their paraphernalia, to create an online store tailored to felines.

Today, Felinerina both pays Gulenc's rent (for her home and two separate offices) and lets her indulge in an almost daily, worldwide search for unique kitty booty. “I do what I love, but to make sure I had a chance at being successful, I did my research and found my niche,” she explains. The success was not overnight. It took a year and a half for Gulenc to turn a profit. It was worth it for the ultimate payoff: “My cats can come to work with me!”

Gulenc is only one cat fancier to turn her passion into profit. Here, other cat-lovers turned cat-professionals offer advice on what it takes to develop cat-ching.