It was spring break during my sophomore year at college when I got the call from my roommate. “I got you an early birthday present!” she said hastily when I picked up the phone. It took me a minute to process the words, and in that short time, she said, “I got you a kitten! I knew you’ve been wanting one, and a lady called my gram at the SPCA and said that if we didn’t pick up the kittens that they had, they were going to throw them to the curb.” I immediately thought, who would do that?

The first time I held my kitten, just a few short days after that phone call, he stretched up and put his paws on my shoulder, almost as though he was giving me a hug, and saying, “Thank you for saving me.” I started to cry. Who would leave this sweet, innocent kitten on the street to fend for himself? It took less than an hour for this wonderful ball of white and orange fluff to warm my heart. And now, I couldn’t even imagine my life without all of his late night cuddles, the way we have to share peanut butter (it’s his favorite food), the way he follows me everywhere I go, like I’m going to disappear, and the way he always watches the toilet water go down after someone flushes it (I never said he was normal). Even as I’m writing this, he’s curled up in a ball with his head resting on my leg. One look at his face, and I wonder, how would he have survived in the cold, harsh world?

The sad truth is that he would have become hostile and bitter, afraid of anyone getting close to him for the fear of abandonment or opportunity to be abused or even killed. He would be scrounging for food, and the only cuddle buddy he would have is a plastic bag he might’ve found in the garbage. When I look at him, I can’t even fathom just how close he was to living that life.

Now, he brings laughter to my whole family and me with his crazy antics. He roughhouses with my miniature Pomeranian and attempts to get along with our other cat, even though she doesn’t like him that much. He basks in the sun in his favorite window, cuddles up with his favorite blanket and plays with his favorite toys. He’s being trained to be a therapy animal and is saving me as much as I saved him. He visits nursing homes and comforts the residents with his presence. Ultimately, he is the sweetest, strangest and most loving cat that I have ever met. He brings a smile to the faces of everyone he meets and, if you’re sitting down, he will cuddle on your lap and fall asleep.

What I’m saying is simple. Give these animals a chance. Don’t just drop them out on the street corner, in the middle of the woods or wherever you decide. Find them a home. Take them to an animal shelter. Take them to someone who will love and cherish their existence. Give them a chance to find their forever home in the place of someone’s heart.