In loving memory...
Hi All,
This is Courtney, Romeo's person. As painful as it is, I am writing to tell you that tragedy struck our little family yesterday, and Romeo is no longer with us. This final blog post is an attempt to pay tribute to my baby boy - the mancat of my dreams.
So much has happened since he last wrote - and I will do my best to tell his story.
Romeo's life is a story of a rockstar cat who was taken from this world far too early - but in the peak of his life, as it often goes with rockstars. My heart is shattered by this loss. I loved Romeo more than most things in this world and Romeo loved me back, harder than any cat I have known. Really more than most people I have known. He was a loud purring, face licking, ear biting, head butting, koala hugging mancat - whose name couldn't have been more suited for another. Romeo graced this world on March 8th, 2007 in a little Canadian town near Spokane and soon after, my world would be forever changed.
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| 5-5-2007 - just a baby kitty, already posing for the camera. |
I came across Romeo in August of 2007, while searching for Abby breeders in the Washington area. This was an entirely spontaneous search after losing Felix, my Abby of 16 years, to renal disease in March. I didn't think I could handle a replacement cat, but Laya needed a mate, and she reminded me every day how very lonely she was.
Romeo was already 5 months old and had been returned to the breeder because his adopted parents lost their home. After seeing his picture, I didn't hesitate to put down the deposit and plan my trip to meet my new baby. I drove to Spokane, stopped in for a quick visit with my pops, his wife, and my grams, and went on my way to pick him up. Romes rode in my car, with the top down, the whole way home. Just snuggling on my lap. I knew immediately that we were meant to be together.
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| Day 1 with Romes - obviously not phased by car rides, even with the top down. |
When we arrived home - he forcefully introduced himself to his new sister, Laya, and ran his spunky self around his new digs. He was a happy kitten and I was so thrilled to have him home (though I'm not sure Laya felt the same). Laya took some time to warm up to this little rascal, but understandingly so - as he was king from the minute he pounced through the door. In time, she fell as madly in love with him as I did.
While I tried to prolong it, he quickly figured out how to use the cat door - and his true shenanigans began. He loved the outdoors vigorously - even water.
Romes was a gorgeous cat, inside and out. While he may have had some crazy habits (such as waking me up at all hours of the night, walking all over the kitchen counter, eating any bit of food like substance left out, sleeping on the kitchen table, puking on the bed, and bringing in countless numbers of rodents over the years) - I loved him unconditionally, and embraced his wild nature.
He was an intense lover and while that might sound wrong (and was the source of many household jokes) - let me explain. Romes would purr so hard, it sounded like he was whining and he would try to get so close - it felt like he wanted to crawl inside of my head. He could never be close enough to me. He and I had a very special bond that will never be replaced. I will forever miss the mancat who insisted on sleeping on my face. What I would give for one last snuggle session.
Romeo had many adventures in Covington, some of which are documented in his blog. What he didn't tell you about were his indoor adventures - and his love for his siblings. I know they will miss him dearly, once they realize that he is not going to pounce through the cat door again.
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| Laya loved her some Romes and doted on him whenever he gave her a chance. |
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| Berkley joined us in November of 2009 and was instantly obsessed with her mancat. |
When we moved to Seattle, in February of 2012, I feared the worst. I knew that I had to keep the kitties in the house for several weeks and Laya, nearly 9 at the time, had never been locked inside. Romeo, nearly 5 at the time, clearly needed the outdoors to be happy. The first month was rough for everyone. Romes refused to let us sleep - and he was absolutely miserable. Laya was also unhappy - and I knew, at some point, I would have to introduce them to their new turf. I was terrified that they would get lost, or worse. Romeo had one escape - and after 15 minutes of chasing him, by a miracle, I was able to capture him. He was less than thrilled, but I knew if he escaped, he would run frantically and not know how to find his way back. Only a week later, this fear was realized. He got out and disappeared in an instant. We immediately put up signs, posted on websites and blogs, and put a cat door on - so that if he did come back, he would be able to get into the house. After a week went by, I received a call from an angel - a woman named Kerry who saw, what she thought was an Abyssinian in her neighborhood, about 8 blocks from where we were living. She saw my post on craigslist and called to let me know that she "might" have spotted my cat near her home. I spent hours in HighPoint, calling him, searching, talking to people who lived there - but there was no sight of mancat. I was broken, but hopeful.
A day later, Kerry's neighbor called to let me know that she had put some food out in her garage. Someone, or something had eaten it. She had no idea if it was Romeo, a raccoon, or rodents, but she gave me permission to put whatever I liked in her garage. We were downtown, but headed home immediately at the slight chance that he was somewhere in the vicinity. We grabbed some of his wet food from our house and started driving with the windows down through the neighborhood that I had spent hours in two days prior, calling his name. To my overwhelming joy, he jumped from the bushes - looking very frightened and wild. It took him a few seconds, but when he realized it was me, he pounced. We jumped in the car and headed home to be a complete family once more. I was beyond happy.
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| Romeo and Kerry meet after she inspired his return. |
My mancat was back - and we were all so thrilled to have him safe at home once again.
Romeo's life in West Seattle was lovely. He spent so much more time at home, with his family, and laid around on the deck on sunny days. In the past year, he only had 1 fighting injury - that occurred when a stray cat came into our house and attacked me, puncturing my arm with 14 lovely holes. Romeo was also injured.
Even though his injuries subsided, we spent some time at the vet for other issues - primarily his asthma. We started him on an inhaler, which he took to quite nicely. He was always so good at letting me play doctor. He knew I was helping him. I could feel it.
His hunting continued, but in such a slight way. He brought in maybe 20 gifts in the course of a year - which he easily doubled in a month in the country.
He was calming down - growing up - and causing me less anxiety with each passing day.
I was shocked to get a text from my sister on Wednesday, asking if Romeo was ok. The animal hotline had called her, but left no details. I knew they had to have scanned him to get her information, so it wasn't going to be good. It took what felt like an hour to get in touch with someone - I was panicked; pacing around the house, not able to catch my breath. They confirmed my fears when we finally connected. A woman brought him into a nearby animal clinic, and he was dead upon arrival. They can only assume that he was hit by a car ... but I guess we will never know for sure what took him. I cannot help but feel at fault for this. If only ....
I rushed to the clinic and spent some time with his body. He looked like he was sleeping. No evidence of injury. Peaceful, but gone. I can only hope that he did not experience any pain and that he is pouncing around in fields with Felix in some parallel universe.
This picture was taken 4 days before he passed. So beautiful and happy. RIP Romeo, the Mancat. We will love you and miss you always.
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| Romeo 3/8/2007 - 4/3/2013 |
posted by Romeo @ 12:42 PM
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