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Ten-year-old boy makes annual donation to local cat shelter

Ten-year-old Evan raises money for Philadelphia cat shelter City Kitties.

Ten-year-old Evan love cats.

Since 2009, the Philadelphia boy has been donating money from his allowance to the same cat rescue from which he adopted his own pet kitten, Macha.

Evan's story went viral this week on Reddit after copies of the letters he sent City Kitties each year accompanying his donations were posted to imgur.

In 2009, Evan donated $46.75 after months of diligent saving.

"I can barely explain this, and I can't help but brag about it. Evan saved up his allowance for months and donated $46.75 to City Kitties, the cat rescue from which we got our adorable (if mischievous) Macha. He wrote them a sweet note. They posted it on their Facebook page, and it went viral," Evan's mother, Lisa, wrote in an email.

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People were touched by the little boy's donation and agreed to match it. Within hours of the letter being first published, the shelter received $400 in donations.

In 2010, Evan sold figs from his family's tree to help boost his donation, which totaled $86. To thank the philanthropic boy, City Kitties staff gave Evan a cat named Calvin, the feline Evan had grown attached to at the shelter, as a surprise.

"Evan’s dad had told him that Calvin was getting adopted and that Evan should head over to Baltimore Pet Shoppe to say good-bye and wish Calvin luck in his new home," City Kitties staff wrote on their website. "As we suspected, Evan asked us if Calvin would be living nearby. We showed him the address of where Calvin would be living, which prompted squeals of joy from Evan and his mom. At last report, Calvin has settled into his forever home with Macha, and has taken to curling up in bed with Evan at night. Rumour has it, both Evan and Calvin can be found purring with joy during the night."

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In 2011, Evan donated $97.

In 2012, Evan donated a record $110. His parents matched the donation for a total of $220.

When his latest letter — written in cursive this time — was posted on Facebook last week, commenters praised the boy for his generosity and for inspiring them to match his donation.

"I look forward to Evan's letter every year! What an awesome young man," Lauren Schivley commented.

"This always makes me cry. What a great kid," Carol Anne Pagliotti added.