Kids' Corner: Introducing Curio

Sage:
Wednesday morning we heard some noises in the basement. We went down in the basement and we saw a little kitten. We tried catching it. Finally we caught it. We were looking around for it in the basement and I noticed that it was in the box that we were trying to catch it in, so we tipped it up and it was caught. We named it Curio and we petted it and played with it. Then we gave it to somebody to take care of it. Then, the next day, we got it back to keep. It was furry and cute. I like holding Curio, and it purrs when I pet it. It has soft, fuzzy fur and pointy claws. It likes chewing on lots of things: blankets, cushions, paper, and it licks you when you stick your finger in front of its mouth.



Ian:
I think it's funny when Curio gets stuck under the couch and when it falls asleep on my lap. Nora is very excited about Curio. She chases Curio every time she sees it. Curio thinks this is not so good. Lucy is a little too overexcited about Curio--she gets overenthusiastic and accidentally hurts Curio while playing with him/her. Now that Curio is here our house has a center attraction--every time we get home from a trip, every time we haven't seen Curio for a little bit, we go over and pet her when we get back. My favorite thing about Curio is that it is soft to pet, and the bottom of its paws feel like rubber.



Lucy:
I like Curio and I want him to lick my finger. I like to play with Curio--I give him baby toys and he tries to catch them. I pet Curio--you pet him with your hand, like this [makes petting motion]. I need go potty.

Nora:
[trying to say "Cat"] Khuht! Khhht! [delighted squeal.]

Dad Fills in the Blanks:
No, we weren't planning to keep it, but the kids were so enchanted that K.'s resolve began to erode even after somebody took it (temporarily) off our hands. Once the kids named it I think we were doomed. We won't know its gender until Tuesday when we take it to the vet, but we're pretty sure it was feral--it hissed at us when we first found it, but didn't take long before it warmed to human company. It seems to regard K. as its mother, nuzzling and staring at her when it gets thirsty--very sweet, actually. I have no idea how it got into our basement. Seeing it go moon-crazy every night, I would believe anything.