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To reserve our new kitten, we had to choose from these three breathtaking kittens from Des Moines, Iowa, based Jinxy’s Den Maine Coon Cattery, which we of course recommend.

How does one go about doing this when you want all three and already have two Maine Coons, Freya and Siggy?

In addition to being a cat daddy, I teach media ethics at Iowa State University, focusing on the conscience. My goal is to have students get in touch with their second brain, the gut, which chronicles all our emotions from past experiences. The gut has billions of neurons that inform the amygdala in our brain so that we can avoid past mistakes. Consciousness, or our frontal cortex, analyzes what we perceive, basing its selections in the present moment.

Here’s how I chose our reserved kitten.

1. I asked family and friends to view the three kittens and tell us their favorite. Of these, the majority chose Damian.
2. I asked breeders and expert cat owners, and they were split between Damian and Dixon. No help there.
3. I asked breeder Susan Evans about their weight and paws, and Susan noted that Damian was a bit heavier and Dixon a bit longer.

That is not much to go on. It was between these two kittens, a veritable tie. Both had the same father and mother. Here’s a photo of Lucy, mom, and King, dad.

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At this point, my brain chose Damian, based on appearance. He is a poster child for a cat calendar. Then I remembered what I tell my students when they need to make a life choice, and owning a cat, let alone three, is a life choice.

So I meditated for a half hour and looked at the photos of all three kittens.

Concerning Cheyenne, nothing. No inner gut ping to amygdala at all.

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Concerning Damian, a slight positive feeling in my gut, hardly overwhelming. That doesn’t mean Damion would not be a good choice. All three would wonderful because breeder Susan is among the best in the state and elsewhere.

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Concerning Dixon, ping, ping, ping and even echoes of my university’s campanile!

The choice was easy. A few minutes afterward, I chose Dixon.

When choosing any kitten, Maine Coon or rescue, do the same: meditate, focus on your gut instinct, and then pick. It worked for me. Your results may vary, depending on how often you listen to your heart instead of your head.