Story and photos by Madeline Funk

Pets can be expensive. Food, clothes, shelter and toys can add up quickly, so one Albert Lea resident decided to do something about it.

Resident Patti Floyd makes animal products, especially cat toys, that she sells at the Albert Lea Farmers Market.

Floyd has known she wanted to be involved with animals since she was 9 years old. As a child she was involved in Girl Scouts, which allowed her to create useful items. Little did she know that she would use that skill later in life.

Floyd graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in animal behavior and nutrition. She has been making cat toys and other things to sell at the farmers market for the 8 years she has lived in Albert Lea.

“Albert Lea doesn’t have a lot of jobs so this is a good way to get out there,” Floyd said. “Its a good way to get me out in the community.”

Floyd makes a variety of products from crochet beds to collars to cat pom-poms. Floyd said she doesn’t have a particular set of products she makes.

“Whatever strikes my fancy in the middle of winter,” Floyd said.

In her eight years in Albert Lea she has met many new people at the farmers market. Floyd says that she has kept a steady business over the years with many loyal customers who come back for more of the same product regularly.

One of her most popular sellers is the cat pom-poms.

“They tend to get lost under couches so people come back to get more.” Floyd said.

Cat toys are Floyd’s speciality. She also makes candies, truffles and bracelets for those who don’t want just pet products. Floyd also holds obedience classes and training.

In Floyd’s free time she also fosters for the Freeborn County Humane Society, holds events and fundraisers for the Freeborn County Humane Society and is on the Albert Lea Farmers Market board.

“I like to be busy,” Floyd said.

Most of the homemade products are made from yarn. Others have catnip, which is a natural herb Floyd grows in her garden.

Floyd has had a lot of experience with pets. She is the owner of two cats, Buddha and Princess, and two dogs, a boxer mix named Percy and a Nova Scotia terrier named Billy.

According to Floyd, if you are looking to purchase a pet you should research and ask questions before you buy it. Make sure you spay and neuter them and try to keep them inside where it is safer.

“There are so many diseases out there that animals can carry,” Floyd said.

If you have any questions about Patti Floyd’s stand you can visit her at the farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You can also give her a call at 507-402-7043 or visit her website at sweetlymadegifts.com.