Romeo was Lola's brother. I found them both in a cardboard box under a bush on May 30, 2000.
He was a white and ginger tiny kitten, when I found him, with his eyes still closed. They were 10-15 days old. Along with his sister Lola, he was bottle fed and weaned at my home.
As he grew up he developed a strong personality, he was smart and determined. He was Lola's guide. Without him she was lost in the true meaning of the word. She wouldn't have found the way back home without him, even if she was just 10 meters away.
Romeo was solitary and quiet, he loved being alone, on his own. Lola was a bit more lively and rascal when she was a kitten, and would play hard with him despite she knew that Romeo was stronger than her, and inevitably the game would end up with her running away from him and looking for shelter in my arms.
Nevertheless they were inseparable, they would eat together, sleep together, play together, they would just stay together. Always!
On an afternoon, when he was just 4 months old, Romeo looked strange, didn't want to eat, play or stay with us. I took him to the vet who found nothing wrong, he thought he was just bored, and sent us home with a pack of treats. During the next three days the situation wasn't changing and I took him in two more times without receiving a diagnosis, until I thought to look for a second opinion. The new vet found Romeo had a tracheitis. This new vet became my regular vet from that moment on.
I used to go to work by bike. Romeo was very smart and he quickly learned my schedule, so he was waiting for me every afternoon at the same time. He was always there, on the sidewalk, at the beginning of the driveway. He was just sitting there, every single day. And when I was close to him he would stand up, he would raise his tail and that was his way to say welcome back. He would walk by my right foot, down to the garage where I would park my bike. And then he would follow me, always by my right foot, inside home. Faithful everyday.
He was a silent cat, I think I rarely heard his meow.
In two occasions he got stuck inside the neighbor's garage, behind the locked door, and the fact that he was rather silent wouldn't help me during my search, because he would hardly reply at my calls.
He and his sister Lola were living mostly outdoors at that time, they would also sleep outside, where they had two small cat-houses. Every night, before going to bed I would greet them both good night, and would ask them to behave and not to roam too much. Romeo loved to explore the neighborhood, and as soon as he set up to take a walk, Lola would follow him.
It was midnight, Sunday, April 22, 2001, when I greeted them both goodnight. Romeo looked back at me as he was going to tell me something, he had a sad look in his eyes...
I went to bed. About 45 minutes later, at 12:50 am (it was already Monday April 23, like today), the phone rang. I jumped out of the bed and took the call at the second ring. A woman at the other end of the phone was asking me if I was the owner of a cat named Romeo.
Romeo, like Lola, had a collar with a tag with his name and number.
She said she had found Romeo on the road. I said "What a funny cat, tell me where you are, I'm coming and taking him back home right away". She replied that there was no need to hurry, because he had been run over. I got dressed in a few seconds and ran to the spot where she told me she was. Romeo was there, lying on the road, covered in blood. From what I saw it had just happened... I passed out. The woman was with a friend of hers. They were driving home when they found him. They both helped me to stand up, then picked my Romeo and we all ran to the closest vet practice. She had the number of this vet, the same where I had taken Romeo in when he was sick at 4 months of age. She woke him up and asked him to run to the practice. When we got there, 3 minutes later, the practice was already open for us. It was 1 am. The vet tried his best for about half an hour, but all was vain. Romeo was dead at the scene of the accident... The vet was sorry, and offered to keep my cat in his freezer till the following day, when I would have been able to dig a grave in my lawn.
The woman and her friend drove me home and came in and stayed with me and my wife for an hour to try to help us cope with the tragedy.
On the following morning I dug a hole in the lawn and in the afternoon I went to the vet to retrieve my poor Romeo. The vet told me not to let Lola attend the burial, because she could have been shocked. But Lola understood that something was wrong when she saw me coming back home with a box, and she hid in the other room!
Romeo had left me, at the age of 11 months, in total despair, and her sister was now on her own. I cried relentlessly for a week, and it took me a month to get out of the dark when I had fallen into. Lola needed much more time to get used to the fact that she was alone and she had to get smart if she wanted to face the life.
The most shocking thing is that on the Saturday before his death I had gone to a cattery to book a room for Romeo and Lola, because I and my wife were going to have a holiday a few weeks later, I wanted to be sure I had that room with a view on the surrounding mountains, I booked it very early. When I came back home on that day I found Romeo lying on the grass, sunbathing. He turned to me, looked me in the eyes and I told him that I had booked a wonderful room for them both. Then, as I was sensing something weird, I asked him "Romeo, will you still be with me tomorrow?", he looked away... What a crazy question, I thought!
It was only when he died that I remembered my question to him 36 hours earlier, his silent reply and his last greeting to me, a few minutes before he died, with that sad, yet full of meaning, look in his eyes.
Romeo had announced that he was going to leave me, I didn't grasp the message.
He greeted me good-bye in silence, as he had always did in his short life.
I thanked God that Lola didn't realize of him leaving that night, or I would have lost both.
RIP Romeo, you are still in my heart. Lola is with you now, please guide her through the green meadows at the Bridge, like you used to do when you were both here.
Romeo aged 4 weeks, his first steps. June 2000.
Romeo sleeping in half of his carrier, aged 9 months. February 2001.
Romeo in the front lawn, aged 9 months. February 2001.
Lola and Romeo, aged 4 weeks. June 2000.
Romeo and Lola in a large flower pot, June 2000.
This is how they used to sleep. August 2000, at the age of 3 months.
He was a white and ginger tiny kitten, when I found him, with his eyes still closed. They were 10-15 days old. Along with his sister Lola, he was bottle fed and weaned at my home.
As he grew up he developed a strong personality, he was smart and determined. He was Lola's guide. Without him she was lost in the true meaning of the word. She wouldn't have found the way back home without him, even if she was just 10 meters away.
Romeo was solitary and quiet, he loved being alone, on his own. Lola was a bit more lively and rascal when she was a kitten, and would play hard with him despite she knew that Romeo was stronger than her, and inevitably the game would end up with her running away from him and looking for shelter in my arms.
Nevertheless they were inseparable, they would eat together, sleep together, play together, they would just stay together. Always!
On an afternoon, when he was just 4 months old, Romeo looked strange, didn't want to eat, play or stay with us. I took him to the vet who found nothing wrong, he thought he was just bored, and sent us home with a pack of treats. During the next three days the situation wasn't changing and I took him in two more times without receiving a diagnosis, until I thought to look for a second opinion. The new vet found Romeo had a tracheitis. This new vet became my regular vet from that moment on.
I used to go to work by bike. Romeo was very smart and he quickly learned my schedule, so he was waiting for me every afternoon at the same time. He was always there, on the sidewalk, at the beginning of the driveway. He was just sitting there, every single day. And when I was close to him he would stand up, he would raise his tail and that was his way to say welcome back. He would walk by my right foot, down to the garage where I would park my bike. And then he would follow me, always by my right foot, inside home. Faithful everyday.
He was a silent cat, I think I rarely heard his meow.
In two occasions he got stuck inside the neighbor's garage, behind the locked door, and the fact that he was rather silent wouldn't help me during my search, because he would hardly reply at my calls.
He and his sister Lola were living mostly outdoors at that time, they would also sleep outside, where they had two small cat-houses. Every night, before going to bed I would greet them both good night, and would ask them to behave and not to roam too much. Romeo loved to explore the neighborhood, and as soon as he set up to take a walk, Lola would follow him.
It was midnight, Sunday, April 22, 2001, when I greeted them both goodnight. Romeo looked back at me as he was going to tell me something, he had a sad look in his eyes...
I went to bed. About 45 minutes later, at 12:50 am (it was already Monday April 23, like today), the phone rang. I jumped out of the bed and took the call at the second ring. A woman at the other end of the phone was asking me if I was the owner of a cat named Romeo.
Romeo, like Lola, had a collar with a tag with his name and number.
She said she had found Romeo on the road. I said "What a funny cat, tell me where you are, I'm coming and taking him back home right away". She replied that there was no need to hurry, because he had been run over. I got dressed in a few seconds and ran to the spot where she told me she was. Romeo was there, lying on the road, covered in blood. From what I saw it had just happened... I passed out. The woman was with a friend of hers. They were driving home when they found him. They both helped me to stand up, then picked my Romeo and we all ran to the closest vet practice. She had the number of this vet, the same where I had taken Romeo in when he was sick at 4 months of age. She woke him up and asked him to run to the practice. When we got there, 3 minutes later, the practice was already open for us. It was 1 am. The vet tried his best for about half an hour, but all was vain. Romeo was dead at the scene of the accident... The vet was sorry, and offered to keep my cat in his freezer till the following day, when I would have been able to dig a grave in my lawn.
The woman and her friend drove me home and came in and stayed with me and my wife for an hour to try to help us cope with the tragedy.
On the following morning I dug a hole in the lawn and in the afternoon I went to the vet to retrieve my poor Romeo. The vet told me not to let Lola attend the burial, because she could have been shocked. But Lola understood that something was wrong when she saw me coming back home with a box, and she hid in the other room!
Romeo had left me, at the age of 11 months, in total despair, and her sister was now on her own. I cried relentlessly for a week, and it took me a month to get out of the dark when I had fallen into. Lola needed much more time to get used to the fact that she was alone and she had to get smart if she wanted to face the life.
The most shocking thing is that on the Saturday before his death I had gone to a cattery to book a room for Romeo and Lola, because I and my wife were going to have a holiday a few weeks later, I wanted to be sure I had that room with a view on the surrounding mountains, I booked it very early. When I came back home on that day I found Romeo lying on the grass, sunbathing. He turned to me, looked me in the eyes and I told him that I had booked a wonderful room for them both. Then, as I was sensing something weird, I asked him "Romeo, will you still be with me tomorrow?", he looked away... What a crazy question, I thought!
It was only when he died that I remembered my question to him 36 hours earlier, his silent reply and his last greeting to me, a few minutes before he died, with that sad, yet full of meaning, look in his eyes.
Romeo had announced that he was going to leave me, I didn't grasp the message.
He greeted me good-bye in silence, as he had always did in his short life.
I thanked God that Lola didn't realize of him leaving that night, or I would have lost both.
RIP Romeo, you are still in my heart. Lola is with you now, please guide her through the green meadows at the Bridge, like you used to do when you were both here.
Romeo aged 4 weeks, his first steps. June 2000.
Romeo sleeping in half of his carrier, aged 9 months. February 2001.
Romeo in the front lawn, aged 9 months. February 2001.
Lola and Romeo, aged 4 weeks. June 2000.
Romeo and Lola in a large flower pot, June 2000.
This is how they used to sleep. August 2000, at the age of 3 months.