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Otto's life prior to 1996 is unknown to his current daddy. It is thought
that he was about 7 when found wandering wild in 1996.
Otto was found in Haddington, Scotland and was rescued from the rescue centre by
Leo and Gail. When found he had been sleeping rough and was in a bit of a mess looks-wise.
A brief stay with the vet had Otto shaven bald and ready for a new and better life.
For a short time Otto lived in Longniddry where his Empire became
firmly established and he became well known and admired. Despite disliking
other cats, he was quite uninterested in the birds and other animals which visited
his Empire and he led a tranquil life snoozing, eating and patrolling. He developed
his computer skills at this time by jumping up and sitting on the keyboard when Leo
was using his computer, then pushing the mouse around. He also got his licence to
drive Otto-mobiles and other cars. When Leo took him to the vet in a cage, Otto
used to miaow and cry. However on the way home Leo let him out of the cage, but
there was no peace until Otto was allowed to drive. His driving was very fast
because he ccouldn't reach the brake pedal. Just when it seemed he had found a happy
home (caring mummy and daddy and all the food he could eat) he had to move.
A very brief stay in Edinburgh had to end due to several Otto-incidents with Pharaoh
the "feardy" cat.
So he found himself with a new mummy (Leo's sister Bianca) at North Berwick, and a new
friend Digby. Digby was able to stand up for herself (yes herself) and so she and Otto
had a healthy respect for each other. Otto quickly settled in and made friends with the
neighbours, spreading the Otto-man Empire. This home was in the countryside
so the Otto-man Empire expanded greatly. Otto's gentle nature showed here when one day
he brought home a small bird. He was not interested in harming it and it seemed that he
had brought for Bianca to take care of. Bianca thought that the chick had fallen out of
its nest and Otto had found it, he certainly wouldn't have been able to get to it in the
thick hedgerow that Bianca returned it to. One day when Bianca went home she found Otto
with his left eye damaged and it had to be removed. The most likely cause was that he
had been fighting with another cat but it is not certain. Despite this he had a very happy
few years but then it was time to move on with Bianca and back in a circle to Haddington.
This time he was living above a pub and being a bit of an Otto-preneur he seized the
opportunity to become the official doorman/bouncer for the pub. Being a gentle
giant he was loved by the good and feared by the bad.
Otto's skills also developed into helping Bianca with the accounts for the pub - he's an
ace with paperwork! In September 1999 it was time for another move, back to live
with daddy, as Bianca (Otto's best mummy) had gone to live in Spain. This meant a slightly
quieter life than at the pub, but at least there were other cats to associate with.
In between terrorising Antiques (a black cat who thought he was the
local hero), Otto had the opportunity to swing his spanners by helping keep Leo's car
in good order. His expert area is checking the Otto cycle. Soon he took over the garage
and regularly got his paws dirty with brake pad and timing belt jobs. Otto's best mummy
used to visit her favourite cat but sadly she died in April 2001 in Spain.
Otto's computer skills ensured he had kept in touch with Bianca by e-mail
and after his photograph appeared in the "Cats Protection" magazine he got e-mail from
a new friend. This was a ginger/red Persian who has the same name as Otto's daddy - Leo.
Leo the Persian had contacted Otto to pass on tips about being a cat with sight
difficulties. Leo the Persian is unfortunate to have lost both eyes, although he still
has some vision. Despite his handicap Leo still manages to lead a comfortable life,
even able to climb up on top of the fridge. Of course Leo the Persian is fussed over by
his mummy and daddy but is truly a magnificent cat and makes Otto feel humble. Another
long distance friend of Otto is Ozzie who is also virtually blind. Ozzie similarly copes
amazingly well with his restricted vision. Ozzie's mummy and daddy gave him a raised
bowl to ease water drinking. Leo the person copied this and Otto used to drink "Ozzie style"
sitting up. Ozzie and Leo the Persian were Otto's Heroes as they have coped so well with
their difficulties. After and other couple of happy years Otto's kidneys became diseased and
although typically carrying on regardless the pace of his life did slow down. On 25th July 2001
Otto's somewhat tragic life came to an end and he hopefully moved on to find a better one.
