“They had been left … in a cardboard box as if they were trash.”
Aubree Johnson was finishing a normal shift when something unexpected happened. After clocking out, she walked through the dark, mostly empty Indiana parking lot toward her car — and spotted a small, fuzzy shape by the vehicle next to hers.
“When I got to my car, I saw her under the truck beside me, rubbing against the tire,” Johnson told The Dodo.
To her surprise, it was a tiny tabby kitten. Johnson had never seen a cat around the parking lot before, and certainly not on such a cold winter night. With the temperature dropping quickly, she knew she couldn’t just leave the little cat there.
But the kitten wasn’t ready to trust her.
“I got out, she came close to me and then went under my car,” Johnson said.
The kitten dodged every early attempt to be picked up, but Johnson refused to give up. She told herself she’d stay as long as needed to make sure the kitten ended up safe — even if it took an hour.
Thankfully, it didn’t take that long. The kitten, later named Lottie, warmed up quicker than expected.
“I crouched down, and for about 15 minutes she’d come toward me, then run back under the cars,” Johnson said. “Eventually she rubbed against my leg and let me pet her.”
Johnson was amazed by how affectionate Lottie became after being so timid. She wanted to bring the kitten home but wasn’t sure how to safely grab her without a carrier — until she remembered how cold it was.
“It was freezing, so I opened my car door, and thankfully she jumped right in,” she said.
She snapped a photo of Lottie perched on the dashboard and posted it in local Facebook groups, hoping someone might recognize her. But after half an hour with no responses, her suspicion grew stronger.
“No one was looking for her,” Johnson said.
So Lottie went home with her rescuer. After a warm night indoors, Johnson took her to the vet for a full checkup. Lottie was healthy — but she didn’t have a microchip, confirming what Johnson feared.
No one had been missing her. And that’s when Johnson made her choice.
“I kept her!” she said.
One month later, Lottie has settled beautifully into her new home. At first, she was a bit nervous — even scared of some of the toys Johnson bought. But soon she relaxed, and now she spends her days exploring, cuddling, making biscuits, chatting constantly, eating well and playing nonstop.
She also made a best friend: Johnson’s young golden retriever, who patiently lets her chase and pat his tail.
Johnson never expected her quiet walk to the car that night to end with a new family member. But now, with Lottie safe, happy and curled up in her arms, she can’t imagine it any other way.
“It makes my heart so full that she trusted me,” Johnson said. “People keep saying she’s lucky I found her, but honestly, I’m the lucky one.”