Before, I was never one to even think about going into an animal shelter, let alone actually adopting a kitten.

I have always been a dog lover and usually, I let my parents decide which dogs to buy, especially since they were hundreds of dollars. But recently, my sister and I heard about a promotion where in the month of July, kittens were only $10 at our local animal shelter.

I am a sucker for baby animals so we checked it out and immediately fell in love with a 2-month-old male kitten. As soon as I held him and saw his blue eyes, I just knew. It broke my heart to walk into the shelter and see dozens of kittens stuck in stacked boxes with barely any room to move around.

I knew the transition from summer to my departure for college was going to be difficult for my little sister so adopting this kitten was something we would be able to share and for her to be occupied by.

We wanted to raise him together and eventually when we both move out, we will take turns having him live with us. The adoption process is very easy, once we filled out the paperwork and made a donation to the shelter, we walked out with our kitten, Fitz. The joy of saving an animal from a life stuck in a shelter or on the streets brought tears to my eyes. I thought about how for just $10, I essentially saved a life.

People underestimate shelters due to its reputation for diseases and low-quality animals. But I can tell you, the shelters are fully equipped. Before taking him to the vet, the shelter had already microchipped, neutered and gave Fitz 3/6 vaccinations for free. Fitz is a beautiful grey and white striped tabby cat with little white socks on all paws. I have never seen a cuter animal and when the day came to move 2 1/2 hours away from him, I couldn't believe it.

Animals are good for the soul and every time I come home, I immediately run up to his room and let him play on my lap. Also, a major plus with cats is they are relatively low maintenance and the shelter already trained him to use the litter box, which is a major advantage to puppies who you have to house train.

If anyone is looking for a new animal in their life, please consider your local animal shelter before going to a breeder or online. Make sure to ask the animal shelter about any shots they have already had and been well informed of what will be needed for the animal you are adopting. I promise you it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Happy adopting!