Melancholy shelter volunteer decides to make his day brighter and help one precious tiny kitten find a furrever home: 'Sometimes the best way to deal with [it] is to show up for others'

Briana Viser • Writer and Editor

Mar 31, 2026 1:30 PM EDT

For anyone who's struggled with melancholic days where you can't get out of bed, this story will be even more heartwarming.

Sometimes people start their day on the wrong foot. They wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or they just can't muster the strength to start the day. It comes and goes, but if you know the feeling of how hard it can be to begin something or enjoy it, then you'll know how this shelter volunteer felt. He didn't want to get out of bed, but the day turned out better than he ever could have expected. He tries to find lightness even in fog or darkness, and though he felt low, he did try to see the light. He's a long-term volunteer at his local animal shelter, and he knew the shelter needed help for the adoption event. He calls himself the "quiet volunteer," meaning he just stays in the background. For some reason, people kept coming up to him on this specific day to ask about the kitties. Maybe they could tell he was going through something, and needed a purpose.

Dealing with his feelings by showing up for others is an incredibly inspiring way to go about life. While he was there, he met a tiny kitten who didn't weigh more than 3 lbs, and she completely melted his heart. He knew he had to be the one to help him find his furrever home, and he did! He picked up the little guy and carried him around like a baby, quietly introducing him to all of the potential adopters who were roaming around the room looking at all of the adorable kitties. Then, just like that, he found the family that would adopt the little one furrever. A woman asked to hold him, and he immediately put his tiny paws on her face and pulled her in for a kiss. He smiled, and the woman and her husband said, "well, I think this cat has chosen you." She decided to let her husband hold him, and he did the same thing – the tiny kitten was pulling at the man's beard, trying to get a kiss. It has to be the most heartwarming sight and for this melancholy man, it was one of the best things he'd done to be able to witness this adoption is 7 years of volunteering.

Even when you're down in the dumps, you can still change the world.

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