Shy cat sprinkled with love

“It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” We all know this is true. But sometimes, it takes a little something special to intrigue us, to pull us in, to make us want to learn more. In Indy’s case, it was a donut.

Indy is a 3-year-old kitty who looks like a fluffy sunset. She comes off as shy at first, but once she feels at ease, her lovable personality shines through. Her foster volunteer described her as a mix of independent and affectionate (especially when it’s time for bedtime snuggles). She also has a playful streak and isn’t afraid to show that catnip mouse who’s boss.

It’s easy to understand why Indy was wary of the world. After her person passed away, she ended up in a Georgia animal shelter, confused and surrounded by unfamiliar faces. She also wasn’t feeling her best; a skin condition made her itchy and uncomfortable. But soon, Indy was on her way to the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York City. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill, and that means animal welfare organizations working together to give every pet what they need to move out of the shelter and into a happy new life.

[Cats tackle life’s challenges together]

Adjusting to her new life in NYC wasn’t easy — and neither was solving the mystery of Indy’s itchy skin. Just like her shyness concealed her true personality, her luxurious coat hid open sores that wouldn’t go away. No matter what the vet team tried, the lesions kept coming back. So they arranged for Indy to see several veterinary skin specialists. The specialists performed biopsies and eventually discovered that she had a strong bacterial infection that would require months of antibiotics to treat.

To prevent Indy from grooming and irritating her healing skin, staff put her in a cat-sized shirt — and to say Indy disliked the shirt is putting it mildly. So they tried a soft donut collar instead. In this case, it even looked like a donut, a chocolate one with rainbow sprinkles. During her time at the lifesaving center, Indy would sport a variety of colorful collars, which made her grumpily cute face even more adorable.

[An itchy cat’s total transformation]

As her skin began to heal, the team posted several Instagram videos of Indy (who was then known as Stardust) to bring attention to this special girl. Just as they hoped, her bright pink collar caught the eye of some adopters. They came to meet Indy the very next day and loved her even more in person. After being counseled about her skin treatment, they decided to adopt her and officially become Indy’s family.

As expected, Indy retreated under the bed when she first arrived home, shyly taking in her new surroundings. But as soon as her adopters opened a lickable cat treat, it was game over. These days, she is able to be her sweet and curious self, enjoying all the head scratches and belly rubs a cat could want. The only thing Indy is hiding now is her favorite toy, not her sparkle.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.