By Shannon Magsam, Ladybug’s mama
It was almost time for the 10 o’clock news — way too late for the loud VROOM of the vacuum cleaner. But the living room floor had been speaking to me all day. “I’m disgusting. You really need to vacuum me. You’ll regret it tomorrow morning if you don’t!”
So I started bending at the waist, doing the pre-vacuum pick-up dance. I found 47 cents, five stray coffee beans from my blue glass dish and … huh? I leaned in closer, trying to identify the tiny white object on the carpet in front of the armoire. Upon further inspection, I saw that it was a little pointy kitten tooth.
For a second, I was dumbfounded. Did she break it off? Then I realized it was just a baby tooth — and baby teeth fall out, whether they be in the mouths of animals or kids.
Before thinking it through, I walked into my office — where Ladybug and her father were playing a computer game together — and asked with a grin in my voice: “Is there a Cat Tooth Fairy?” Ladybug looked up in surprise, stared at what I held up between my thumb and ring finger, and smiled widely — showing that her own two front baby teeth had recently been procured by the Kid Tooth Fairy.
She immediately ran into her room to grab the Tooth Fairy Pillow with the cowgirl and horse on the front (from Cousin Kelly). But then she decided this might require a different protocol. So she placed the tooth in a baggie and started writing to the fairy that has always had her back: “tooth Fairy please Find a CAT tooth fairy for Asia. She once a preasent from the cat tooth Fairy!”
She mused out loud as to what the Cat Tooth Fairy might decide to bring for Asia. She thought perhaps a toy mouse. Since it was super late by then — and way past her bedtime for a school night– we tucked her into bed. But not before she placed the baggie/note in Asia’s pet bed for easy access.
It took her forever to fall asleep.
Her father dutifully drove to the store for a package of rainbow-colored, fur-covered toy mice.
He suggested that I only leave one or two, not the whole bag of mice — for future occasions.
I said, simply: “There won’t be a next time. I won’t be pointing out the next tooth I find. Don’t worry!”
The next morning, Ladybug jumped out of bed unprompted. She immediately ran to the pet bed and was overjoyed to see five colorful mice sleeping on the pink blanket. The kitten was also overjoyed and immediately started batting them around the room. The poodle was overjoyed to have something to eat. We found mouse remains from three of the toys. As in, only the tails and some fake fur remained. Nice.
The kitten with pumpkin-colored eyes has definitely become part of the family. Even the dog finds her cute, unless she swipes at her with sharp kitten claws. Ladybug even walks her on a leash. It’s true. (Well, mostly she just follows the kitten around while she sniffs everything and eats grass.)
Just last night my husband picked Asia up and said affectionately: “I can’t believe how attached I am to this stinky little animal.”
Below, photographic evidence of the leashed cat:
