WASHINGTON — Here’s the thing about kittens. Sure, they’re really, really cute. “Then they turn out to be a total terrorist cat,” veterinarian Dr. Katy Nelson tells WTOP.

“You just never know what you’re going to get when you have a younger animal,” Nelson says.

That’s where the beauty of an older pet comes in. They don’t come with surprises.

“What you see is what you get,” Nelson says.

November happens to be Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Nelson, who’s known as Dr. Pawz, offered up plenty of reasons to adopt an older pet.

She says wisdom comes with age — even when you’re dealing with a four-legged friend.

“When you are a 30-, or 40-, or 50-year-old person, you’ve kind of found yourself. You kind of know who you are. It’s registered with you,” Nelson says. “It’s the same thing for our middle-aged, to older pets.”

Middle-aged pets, she says, have gone through their wild streaks. They’re a little less destructive. They may even have some manners.

“Once you walk in and see them, you know that’s who they are and that’s how they’re going to be for the rest of their days,” Nelson says.

But what about that saying about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks? It’s simply not true, Nelson says.

“You absolutely can,” Nelson says.