Double trouble: a tail of two Romeos

When my beloved Friday passed away in July of 2013, Freddie adopted me in August. (See story here.) My nine-year-old feral cat, Pharoah, didn’t pay any attention to him, and to make a long story short, Freddie seemed lonely and in need of companionship.

So December 4 I went back to the Los Angeles West LA Animal Shelter to seek out a compatible feline. To be truthful, I really wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Three cats with my busy schedule?

I held several cats but there was no mutual chemistry. Except for one. When I adopted Freddie his shelter name was Romeo. And now here was another Romeo. I guess they recycle the names. This Romeo was a stray and I was wary of that. I already have a feral cat and really didn’t want to deal with that again.

Romeo was upside down in the cage, sticking his paws out at me. He had big round eyes that seemed to say, don’t leave me here! The first time I took him out of his cage he wasn’t interested in me. All he wanted to do was explore. Unlike Freddie who just wanted to be with me. So I discounted him as a possible pet.

I went back the next day but it was close to closing so there wasn’t much time. I held a couple of cats but it was a no go.

Romeo seemed to recognize me so I went over to his cage and put my fingers in and he went nuts.

That night I kept waking up thinking about him. I knew several cats were going to be available the next day and I wanted to interview them. But I was imagining walking out with another cat in my arms and Romeo being so disappointed. I could see the look in those round eyes.

So I was there when the shelter opened. As soon as I walked in the room Romeo flipped upside down and put his paws out of his cage trying to get my attention. He did a couple of cartwheels in the back of the cage. I told the technician I wasn’t sure about taking him home. I had already adopted one rambunctious cat and wasn’t sure I could handle another one.

I auditioned some of the cats who had just become available but there was really no mutual interest.

The technician told me as Romeo seemed to be the one cat who wanted to go home with me I should try him out and bring him back if it didn’t work out. So I agreed. I had to wait a day as he needed to be fixed. This was another clue as he had been in the shelter for a whole month and I figured they probably only fixed the ones they decided were adoptable. And this Romeo was too much of a trouble maker! Oh well, the deed was done…

I picked him up from the vet on Friday afternoon. He didn’t meow at all on the way home but I could hear him jumping around in the cat carrier like he was going to bust through the sides!

I was told to keep the cone collar on him for two weeks. Were they kidding? I tried to keep him in the bedroom and away from Freddie but it was no use. Freddie strong-armed his way into the bedroom and the new Romeo (re-named Frankie) was ready to play. Frankie crashed into everything as he was running around the bedroom with the cone on his head. As he was so anxious to explore I let him roam through the rest of the house with Freddie in hot pursuit.

The next day I took the collar off Frankie and he and Freddie immediately got into a wrestling match. They were just having fun like boys will! From that moment on Freddie and Frankie have been best friends.

Frankie is a polydactyl cat with not just an extra toe but an extra paw growing at the side of both his main front paws with its own two claws. This causes him to waddle like a penguin when he walks but doesn’t stop him from running at warp speed. He’s also really good at picking up objects as the extra paw acts like a human thumb. I think he is the missing link between cats and humans!

Frankie showing off one of his extra paws.

Freddie likes to sleep on his back, always ready for a tummy rub.

At about nine months Freddie stopped eating so much as his body matured. Now Frankie is nine months I’m hoping for the same but so far there is no end in sight. Sometimes he tries to eat out of two dishes at the same time. I think this may be because he was a stray and not sure where his next meal was coming from. Whereas Freddie had a previous owner.

The snakey toy is their favorite and I hear the balls rolling back and forth night and day. They can play by themselves or together.

Freddie investigating his cardboard cutout look-alike!

Freddie is just turning one year old and just as inquisitive as ever. This is the first and last time he tried to eat a cactus.

Yes, Freddie, we are talking about you!

Although Freddie is now the size of a small horse and twice the size of Frankie, that doesn’t stop Frankie pouncing on Freddie and starting a friendly brawl.

Pharoah accepts it all with quiet zen calm for the most part, besides he has the remote control.

He and Freddie (who is now one year old and an adult) are pretty good friends, taking naps together. Frankie (who is nine months old) is too hyper for Pharoah. Pharoah hisses and growls at him but there is no fighting as Pharoah just wants a quiet life.

Frankie is too hyper for me too and I can’t wait for him to grow out of the kitten stage and calm down!

But I love all three of them. Sometimes I wake up in the morning pinned down with Frankie under my chin, Freddie on my arm and Pharoah on my stomach. And I wonder, what was I thinking?

All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!

Introducing Freddie Romeo

Introducing Freddie Romeo

As you know, my beloved cat Friday passed away on Sunday, July 21 of this year. As we had spent eighteen wonderful years together it was an incredibly sad day. He will always be in my heart.

A couple of weeks later I visited two rescue Tuxedo Cat brothers who were just adorable but I decided as I still had Pharoah, three cats were too much for me to deal with.

A couple of weeks after that, just for the heck of it, I looked at the website for the City of Los Angeles Animal Services, read about the available Tuxedo Cats, wrote down the names, and drove over there.

Even though I had not really decided I was ready to adopt just one month after Friday’s passing, I took the cat carrier with me just in case.

The city animal shelter in West LA certainly has improved since the last time I was there eighteen years ago. It is like a hotel for dogs, cats and rabbits. There are small rooms where six to eight cats can comingle. I assume they take turns being removed from the cages.

Keyboards make really comfortable pillows.

I interviewed four older Tuxedos in the five-year-old range as I had decided I didn’t want a kitten but a more mature cat closer to Pharoah’s age (he is coming up on eight). They were nice cats but none of them really seemed like the right fit. Besides, I wasn’t in a hurry to adopt.

The animal services lady who was helping me kept mentioning this young cat, Romeo. He was ten months old. His owner had recently died, the family couldn’t keep him, and he needed a home right away. But I told her I didn’t want a cat that young.

After his nap, Freddie decides it’s time to set up his own email account.

However, after the other cats failed to impress me, I agreed to take a look at Romeo.

It was love at first sight on Romeo’s part. Or maybe he was just determined to be adopted by whoever would take him home that same day, no questions asked!!!

Freddie may be a high-tech cat but he has respect for the past as he takes a nap on my first personal computer ever… the 1985 KayPro 2 that I use as a foot rest under my desk!

We were put in a private room. I walked back and forth with Romeo following at my heels. I sat down and Romeo immediately jumped on my lap, then started rubbing his head all over my face. Bleaaaaah. He wasn’t interested in playing with toys, just being with me.

How could I say no?

And most important of all, this is where the food dishes are located.

After the proper paperwork was filled out, as he was already fixed, we popped him into the carrier and into the car for the drive home.

Good golly! Friday had a raucous meow but he could not compete with the ear-shattering sounds coming out of this little animal. The whole car was shaking with the lion-like roaring! What had I done?

Fortunately, once we got home all the meowing stopped.

Freddie is already learning to pose for the camera to show off his beautiful markings.

He has been a member of the household for eleven days now. He has settled in so well it could be eleven years. Of course, there was the normal hissing and teeth-baring the first few days between Pharoah and Freddie, but it is mostly over now.

Pharoah doesn’t mind Freddie coming up to him and sniffing him out. He even lets him share his toys.

So now I know I made the right decision adopting another cat only one month after Friday’s departure.

Although I like his original name, Romeo, I renamed him Freddie in honor of Freddie Mercury of Queen. I think there’s a resemblance, don’t you? {:>)

Freddie Mercury – HQ – Freddie Mercury Photo (31872953) – Fanpop
http://www.fanpop.com

Please click on photos for a larger view.

All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!