Romeo
was lovingly called "The Uncle" because he was like a good bear :
with serious and severe look, very reserved, but tender hearted. He was the
garden's careful custodian : woe to any imprudent male cat which dared go inside
my garden approaching
my cats' bowls, or, imprudently,
the court's she-cats! No one fly escaped the Uncle, he reduced the enemies to
ashes with a terrible glance and immediately afterwards he made himself fondle
without restraint ... but always with dignity, for no losing his reputation
of serious and respectable cat .
Very
indulgent towards little kitties and affectionate to La
Grigia Frizzy
(
La Grigia=The Grey),
he used to look at me with
a wise countenance ... it's funny to remember when he
was
forsaken
in front of our home, on the Christmas Eve, he was only a tin with a swollen
tummy, with a so sweet
and cute tiny snout to look like a she-cat, so
I named him Botolina (= round as a little trap-door, plump ), but in short time
he revealed his "virility" so he became Romeo. Romeo was an extraordinary
creature. One day he disappeared, but we weren't allarmed because that was the
love-season, when he used to go hunting for she-cats, but that time he was a
little late
in coming back home and we were starting to worry.
One
night my daddy found him lying down on the ground in front of home door. He
was in pieces, poor Uncle ... he was run over by a car and with broken pelvis
bones he dragged himself only with fore paws' strenght until in front of home
door, trudging on garden's steps ... it's touching to think how he toiled so
much to join us, his home, where people loved and were able to help him. Doctor
said, when he saw him, that if he had been a man he wouldn't have survived,
but Romeo survived, though since this terrible accident he had become more introverted
and he seemed to be awfully tired, suddenly aged.
