Leena's Humanitarian Award recognizes photographers who use their lenses to advocate for animals. I am honored to receive it for my photo essay on the bond between unowned, stray, and feral cats and the advocates who care for them. Taken during my collaboration with Indy Neighborhood Cats (2021–2024), these images compare the relationships people cultivate with stray and feral cats to those typical of traditional pet ownership. They show that the human–animal bond transcends the idea that an animal must be “owned” to be regarded and valued as a companion: empathy becomes responsibility, expressed through companion-style care and community-based spay/neuter efforts.
