I’m sure many of you can relate to this situation—my family had a few cats growing up, and I’ve been considering getting one of my own for a long time (a little orange one), but always joked that I needed to learn how to take care of myself first.

So last week, I decided to start volunteering at PAWS Chicago, a no-kill humane organization. I figured this was a nice way to work for a cause and hang out with some animals without the responsibility of ownership. I actually wish I would have found this organization last year when I moved to the city. It’s a great way to get out, get involved and meet other volunteers.

I was incredibly impressed with the organization from the start (Oprah recently featured it on her show), and so I decided to sign up to foster a cat for a few weeks—all the fun with none of the commitment. PAWS provides the initial food and takes on any veterinary responsibilities during the foster period.

I didn’t realized when I signed up that they would be calling so soon.

I got the call three days after signing up. "Squirt," a 7-week-old kitten, needed a place to stay for two weeks. After agreeing to take him, I was shocked to find that he was a little orange kitten—exactly what I’ve always wanted.

This has been my favorite volunteer experience to date. It’s hard to imagine this energetic little guy hanging out in a cage—or meeting a fate worse than that. So if you’re considering getting a cat or dog, but you’re not sure that you’re ready, I strongly encourage you to share some love and foster or adopt an animal.

Squirt from Allie Osmar on Vimeo.

I’ll be adding more pictures to Flickr.