Romeo is a 13-year-old Bengal from Seattle, Washington— and according to our sources, he may just be the most interesting cat in the world.
Romeo is a bit of a kitty celebrity and is known for performing tricks and traveling the world. Back when he was a kitten though, Romeo was much much apprehensive. On the Weekly Whiskers website, Romeo’s owner Cindy Rio-Rados recalls:
“[Romeo] was painfully shy, unlike his litter mates who were quite the social butterflies.”
“He captivated my heart the moment he climbed up and perched himself inside my sweatshirt hoodie, then whisker-tickled my ears with his precious little mews.”
When Cindy adopted Romeo, she was also battling with post-traumatic stress disorder. According to Cat Nations, she had planned to get a service dog to assist her, but when she brought Romeo home, she realized he “need[ed] to be with me wherever I went.”
As Romeo and Cindy bonded, the woman used positive reinforcement clicker training to help solidify his service behavior. In the end, though, Cindy definitely admits, “It’s his instinct that makes him so perfect for the job.”
When Romeo mastered his service animal training, he continued on to a slew of other things too! He and his rescue brother Kieran are pros at tricks— leaping through hoops, jumping over hurdles, rolling over, waving, and a whole lot more!
You can watch a few of them here.
They even caught the media’s attention, being featured by outlets like the Huffington Post, Animal Channel, and Ripley’s Believe it Or Not.
Even America’s Got Talent contacted Romeo— but Cindy writes, “Sadly, I had to gracefully decline.”
Once Romeo mastered indoor tricks, he decided to pursue his love for the outdoors.
Romeo’s Instagram, @weeklywhiskers, is flooded with photos of the adventurous Bengal accompanying his humans on their adventures. On the Weekly Whiskers website, Cindy writes:
“I’m so thankful to have the companionship of Romeo wherever we travel.”
“I love how he brings so much joy to those who meet him, whether it be somewhere in the city or high up in the mountains while we’re hiking.”‘
“He is a little terror to his siblings if he doesn’t get his adventure time.”
According to Cat Nations, Romeo has traveled by ferry, attached carrier on Cindy’s bicycle, bus, seaplane, and helicopter— but he has yet to experience the wonders of a train.
Cindy is grateful to have Romeo0—and in light of her post-traumatic stress disorder, credits the adventurous kitty for “opening up her world”.
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