[Blindtlk] Quick introduction and a question for pet owners

[Serena Nickell]

I am the owner of two cats, one who thinks she's a little escape artist at times.  She only tries to get out if the door is held open too long and even then if the door gets shut she makes a lot of noise in protest to come back in.  I used to have collars with bells on them so I could tell them apart until my Nightlight got caught in the blinds and almost hung herself.  I guess that's rare but it freaked me out so I took both their collars off.  I have hard wood floors so I'm able to hear most of what they're doing.  My Tiggerous, the escape artist, is extremely vocal so as long as I'm paying attention I can usually tell what they need.  
Good luck with the shelter.  I hope this helps.
Serena


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 11, 2014, at 11:07 AM, Lucy Sirianni via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
>     I'm Lucy, a doctoral student and graduate student instructor in the English department at the University of California, Berkeley, and a new member of this list.  I wanted to reach out to this group to ask for suggestions regarding a situation I'm currently attempting to resolve.  Over the weekend, I contacted a local animal shelter who had indicated a need for foster homes for its animals, thinking this would be something I'd enjoy doing and knowing I met all of the specified qualifications.  The staff member I talked to initially expressed a lot of interest and immediately matched me with a cat who seemed like a great fit with me and who was going to be euthanized in a matter of days if no one stepped forward to take her (unlikely, I was told, since she's on the older side).  I was eager to meet this cat and seriously consider taking her into my home, but when I happened to mention to the staff member in charge that I am blind, she became concerned and is now uncertain of my ability to care for the cat.  Her main concern is that I may not be able to keep the cat from leaving my house, despite the fact that I have explained to her in detail the measures I would take to ensure the cat's safety and assured her that I have countless blind friends who routinely and successfully care for animals.  I've told her that I would plan to have a bell on the cat's collar so I'd consistently know where she was, as well as my name and contact information so that she could be returned if she were ever to get lost; I've also suggested that, before leaving my home, I simply place the cat in a comfortable area from which she wouldn't have access to the entrance to my apartment.  This is all in addition to pointing out the rather obvious fact that vision can't in fact keep a cat indoors and that sighted pet owners have to deal with similar worries.  I would welcome hearing from blind cat owners who may be able to suggest other techniques or allow me to mention their situations in further conversations with the people in charge at the shelter.  I'd hate to see this cat end up dying because of ignorance surrounding blindness.
> 
> Thanks, everyone, and I very much look forward to being a part of this group!
> 
> Lucy
> 
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