I got a text from my best friend Brandon with a picture of a dirty kitten in a stroller. He had heard meowing in his garage and looked around until he discovered a cute grey baby kitten covered in dirt and leaves. Brandon and his neighbor caught the kitten and put her in this little stroller to keep her safe.

After seeing Brandon’s text, I immediately drove over to his house to help make sure the kitten was okay. She kept meowing and hissing at us until we finally picked her up and then she stopped crying. Brandon and I took her to the vet to get her shots and make sure she was healthy. I contemplated keeping her but one of the main reasons why I do not have an animal is because of my travel schedule. I know we are not traveling right now but normally I am gone for weeks to months at a time and I feel like it is unfair to get an animal with a schedule like that. If I had a boyfriend or husband then that would be a different story but I am single and I do not want to rely on friends or a babysitter. I figured I would get an animal in the next 3 years but in the meantime, fostering works perfectly because its short term, and you save an animal’s life from being on the streets or euthanized.

I took the kitten home and took care of her which was such a deeply rewarding experience. I live alone so it was nice having a little buddy to hang out with even though this cat kept me up all night long meowing. She never wanted to be on the ground so I had to hold her at all times. I ended posting about the kitten on my Instagram stories and my good friend Bri reached out to me saying that she wanted the kitten to give to her mom. Her family’s cat died a few years back so she thought it was the perfect time for her mom to get a new one.

After Bri picked up the kitten, I called my mom crying since I already felt an attachment to her. She honestly was the sweetest little kitten but I knew it was the best decision overall to give her to Bri’s mom.

Bri’s mom named the kitten Maddie after her sister that recently passed away. It truly was all meant to be.

Bri sends me pictures of Maddie every couple of weeks so I can see her grow up. It really makes me happy knowing that we found this kitten on the streets dirty, scared, hungry, alone and now she is living her best life in a loving home.

If you are feeling lonely during quarantine or have extra time to care for an animal, reach out to your local animal shelter or foundation and try fostering. It was a beautiful experience that I will always hold close to my heart.