I recently came into possession of a kitten. I have always been more of a dog person and had figured I would one day get a puppy when my life was a bit more settled. Then I started facing the facts that with my long hours away from home, a dog would be impossible.  A rabbit was my second choice and I started researching the responsibilities of being a rabbit owner. I don’t mind cats – we had them growing up – but I wasn’t fond of the general cat personality.

A few weeks ago, I went for my car’s yearly undercoating and had no sooner arrived when I saw a posting on Facebook by the owner saying they had found kittens and were looking for a home. Liking all animals, especially baby ones, I wanted to see them and hear the story of where they found them. There were 2 kittens and their mother, the kittens being about 11 weeks old or so. One was pure white with pale blue eyes and fluffy fur; she would be a gorgeous cat as she grew. But it was the little black male with a few white markings that caught my attention. It was coming up to a long weekend and they were desperate for homes for any of them so they wouldn’t have to be taken to the animal shelter, and I couldn’t think of any legitimate reason not to take one home.

  Sale of the century – free kitten with undercoating

A name wasn’t coming immediately to mind for my affectionate little ball of fuzz, so I decided to ask for recommendations amongst friends and family on Facebook. There were quite a few great suggestions, but the one that I decided to settle on was Otto – a play on words for Auto for where he came from. He has been settling in well. He’s affectionate and playful, needy and loyal. He also likes to “talk” to you (squeak, really).  And for being a kitten, he’s pretty good. He does have his moments, of course, but he’s still learning. We are both still learning, really.

This is what I learned last week:
How To Get A Kitten Used To Riding In A Car
Step 1. Book an appointment with a vet who is 40 minutes away
Step 2. Leave an extra 20 minutes early, just in case
Step 3. Follow GPS commands instead of common sense
Step 4. Take GPS’s “shortcut” through back trail
Step 5. After 20 min of off-roading with your car, turn
Step 6. When within cell-phone range, cancel missed vet appointment. At this point kitten should have calmed somewhat from howling stage.
Step 7. Decide since you are part-way there, you should find proper route so you will know for rescheduled appointment.
Step 8. Total journey should not exceed 2 ½ hours (kitten bladders are small). By now kitten should be calm and adjusted to car. Give kitten treat upon arriving home.