The following story was submitted in the Pawsitively Picture Perfect photo contest. The top three finishers received $500 in cash, as well as $2,000 in cash and supplies for their favorite shelter. To read more stories, click here!
Indie is a beautiful girl that I adopted from the Humane Society of the Southeast in Newnan, Georgia, in 2018. I could not bring myself to go to a shelter to look for a cat because it kills me when there are so many around that want to go with you and you just can’t take them all.
Instead, I went online to Adopt a Pet.com and searched for cats within 45 miles of where I live. Indie was the last cat on the last page of my search and it struck me when I saw her picture because she had no eyes!
I also loved her orange striped cheeks and how beautiful she is! It was definitely one of those situations where you just know you have to go for it. I read her story and saw pictures of her when she was found as a stray with really bad eye infections requiring both of her eyes to be enucleated. I put in an application to adopt her and then stopped myself saying, “Wait…what exactly will be involved in caring for a blind cat?” I had no idea who to ask to prepare myself for a life with a special needs cat.
I tried googling to find any rescues that might help blind cats and found this amazing place called Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary in North Carolina. When I emailed them to ask about what I could expect taking on a blind cat as a pet, they replied simply that blind cats don’t know they’re blind, they just know they’re cats and act like cats.
Five years later and I have found this statement to be entirely true! Life with Indie is just like having a normal cat! I spread the word about my experience whenever I can to let people know to give those special needs babies a chance! Indie plays, has all the crazy kitty quirks, can find her litter box just fine, and definitely lets me know when she’s ready to eat! Some of her favorite things to do are play fetch with crinkle balls and snuggle up with me for naps!
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
