It’s hard to believe that four years ago, we were all in a lockdown due to the pandemic. This time changed the lives of many people and not always for the positive. Many people lost their jobs and struggled to find their place in this new way of life. Others took the opportunity to begin something new. To take their passions and turn it into a business. Make lemonade out of lemons. And that is exactly what Martha Breed did when she started Henry Noodle.
Trash Into Treasure
Living in California during the pandemic provided Martha with lots of opportunities to do things that normally would not be possible. Taking walks was one way to break up the monotony of having to shelter in place. It was during these walks that Martha was hit by inspiration. As she walked, Martha noticed the amount of trash littering the streets. Dorito and FunYun bags, candy wrappers, and other snack items. She started thinking about how cute it would be to make catnip toys based on favorite snack items but with a cat inspired twist.
So, she started coming up with ideas and her inspiration into reality. At first, the catnip toys she made were for friends and family as gifts. Making their cats toys based on their humans’ favorite snacks. And like any great idea, it took off and Henry Noodle was born. Henry Noodle provides organic catnip and silvervine toys based on popular snacks. Would your cat prefer Purritos or FurYums? Or do they have a sweet tooth and would prefer some W&W’s Walnuthead candies or Big G’s Deli Ham Cups, both which are named after Martha’s two cats, Big G and Winston Walnuthead. If your cat likes both the sweet and salty, you can order a Noodle Snacks Gift Box and give them the best of both worlds.
Passion and Purpose
Way before Martha’s passion came into fruition, she was a Cat Mom and when her first cat that she had as an adult passed, she was heartbroken. Later, Martha decided took in a semi-feral cat, Henry, who chose to hide under her bed for the first four months of being with Martha. But as with all of our cats, Henry came into Martha’s life for a reason and with a purpose. He taught Martha about patience and love. How to slow down and enjoy life. Martha started to realize just how big her heart was and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a motto of “Less Work, More Cat”.
Sadly, Henry passed away in 2019 from cancer. Martha, once again, was heartbroken. Once she started Henry Noodle, she knew that she wanted to be able to give back to cats in need. A portion of all proceeds from sales goes to UC Davis Feline Cancer Fund. When Martha heard about Mission Meow and how they are able to provide grants to non-profit cat centric organizations, she knew that she needed to be a part of it. As a Mission Meow Business Partner, Martha is able to so many cats in need and that truly warms her heart.
Real-life Inspiration
Currently, Martha lives with her two real-life inspirations, Big G, a mesmerizing grey rescue, and Winston Walnuthead, a long-haired tabby beauty. These two sweeties not only provide Martha with daily inspiration for her business, but also with love, joy, and happiness. They work hard to ensure that Martha continues to slow down and enjoy life. To always live by the motto of “Less Work, More Cat”. With Henry Noodle, that is exactly what Martha is able to do. Because it is not really work when you are creating fun cat toys and helping cats in need while you are doing it.
“As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the humankind.” – Cleveland Amory
Lora Lee 
