This isn’t about financial ability, it’s about the work that goes into owning an animal and making sure that you know how to care for them. I don’t know about all shelters, but I’ve volunteered with cats at an animal shelter and it was a great guide on how to take care of one. You get used to cleaning plenty of litter boxes, taught how many times to feed them wet and dry food each day, practice cleaning out their cages and dishes, and get used to interacting with a variety of cats. We were even encouraged to take out up to two cats at a time in a certain room to play with and socialize them, so you can even see what toys cats tend to like more. It gives you a solid idea of the amount of work that goes into caring for a cat each day and practice doing it so that if you choose to get one, you can make an informed decision. It can also give you a hint if you have allergies that are only apparent after spending extended amounts of time with cats. Furthermore, if you get close to any of the cats, you can get a solid read of their personalities before getting them - you’ll know what food they eat, what toys they play with, if they’re friendly, if they’re skittish, etc. Even if you don’t decide to get a cat in the end, at least you got to help out by volunteering. While you can always find lists about how to care for an animal online, actual experience can really show you how hard or easy different tasks are and the time that they really take to complete. A lot of things are very different to do in theory versus in practice and it’s good to learn all of that before committing to owning an animal.

Why YSK: It gives you a better idea of whether you’re ready to own a pet and gives you practical experience caring for said animal.