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ATTLEBORO - My cats were trumped Saturday morning by their younger, but larger, cousin. And there was nothing they could do about it but sit and glare.

An unnamed light tawny lion cub stole my heart in a way that my cats, Isabella and Cleopatra, have only done a few times. When the baby lion looked into my eyes as I held him, everything else was erased from my mind.

I took part in an hour-long session at Capron Park Zoo where participants were allowed to interact with the new cub, son of the zoo's celebrated white lion, Ramses.

For one hour, I was allowed to be in the same room with the cub, who was set free to roam and play (or cat nap, as he did several times).

Zoo instructor Corey Shumaker was in the room with me and nine other people. Zoo Director Jean Benchimol was also on hand to help out. In between the "aww's" and camera flashes, Shumaker answered questions and talked about the other lions at the zoo. The hour was also supposed to be educational, and Shumaker did so in a relaxed and casual manner that had the young and old involved.

Despite being distracted the whole hour by the cub's spotted fur, big ears and seemingly cavalier attitude as he sauntered between a stuffed lion and red chew toy, I learned a lot about the lions in the zoo and the plans for the little tyke.

For instance, when the lion cub rolled on his back so that 8-year-old Attleboro resident Emma Kintner could rub his tummy, I discovered settlers in South Africa originally thought the white lion was a myth.

I also found out that Capron Park Zoo initially didn't release information that one of its lionesses was pregnant because lions have a lot of false pregnancies.

Emma, who turns 9 in March and was there with her mother, Pat Kintner, called the cub "my little buddy," as she stroked one of his large, soft paws.

"What are the chances we could get this close to a lion?" Pat Kintner said, adding that she jumped at the opportunity to enroll for a session.

The cub, who gave Emma and several other participants kisses, liked his belly scratched, which was Emma' favorite part. He rolled on his back for several minutes, allowing her to scratch him.

Mariah Gorman, 17 and also an Attleboro resident, was one of the only teens taking part in that session.

"He's so cute," Gorman said. "You don't get to do this everyday."

Gorman's mother, Maureen, said her daughter text messaged all her friends to let them know what she was doing. I did, too, using Facebook as my bragging tool.

While meeting - and cradling - the cub made for an incredible start to the new year for me, my cats could have cared less.

Cleopatra put her ears back at the smell of the cub still lingering on my hands, then went right back to sleep. Little Isabella didn't even deign to acknowledge me, or the smell of her tawny cousin.

Sessions are an hour long and cost $35 for one nonmember, or $65 for two. One zoo member pays $30 and two pay $55.

To participate in one of Capron Park's hour-long cub encounter, call Melanie Stoehrer, curator of education, for more information.

Shumaker said the encounters are only going to last a limited time, probably until the end of January, when the cub gets too big.