Sophomore Kiera Papi talks about her dog and two cats in this edition of Critter Corner.

Q: What are the names of your pets?

My dog’s name is Daisy, and my two cats are Patches and Crystal.

Q: Why did you name them this?

Daisy’s name – we actually didn’t rename her. We just kept the name that her breeder gave her. And our cats, my brother named them. We named Patches because she has little white patches on her, and Crystal had blue eyes [like crystals], but her eyes ended up turning green.

Q: When and how did you get them?

We got our cats first. We found our cats in our garage, and Patches had babies with her. Crystal was one of the babies. So, we brought those two inside because they were able to be house cats, and the other two that we found weren’t able to come inside. They kind of had to just be wild.

Q: When and how did you get your dog?

We got Daisy when I was like nine from a breeder in New York. She’s a Pomeranian.

Q: What do you like to do with your pets?

I mostly walk my dog, take her on long walks, and I throw a ball. Those are mostly our activities. And with my cats, we just kind of chill and I pet them, sitting down, doing my homework.

Q: Could you tell me an interesting story about your pets?

That part about finding my cats in the garage was the most interesting story.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with your pets?

They’re really great. I mean, I’ve had my cats pretty much my whole life. I actually don’t remember not having them ever because we got them when I was really, really young. And my dog, honestly, she’s great. She’s really sweet and cuddly, but she can also be a little mean. She growls sometimes.

We’re pretty close since we’ve basically been through every major life event together, except for me being born.