Romeo and Juliet

Once upon a time, there were two cunning little kittens with fluffy, frizzy fur—one silver and one gold. They were the best of friends from the moment they met, and they frolicked together every day. The one sore spot in their life was their family—a rambunctious tribe with not one, not two, but four girls! In addition to that, were two male children and the parents. The kitties feared that their beautiful coats would be petted bare from all the caresses, and they were still bitter about being taken from their mothers.

One day, one of the girl owners dressed Juliet for the day in a dear green toile bonnet. Now Juliet was a sweet kitten, but she had a stubborn streak as well, and she waited for the girl to turn around before she tore her hat off. The girl repeated her efforts, but Juliet proved her obstinacy by losing the cap altogether.

Micah and Romeo



To add insult to injury, the kits' owners led them to a reddish brown mound. The kittens promptly began to investigate, only to discover that their owners had led them straight to…A DOG! A dog who was grinning at them and nosing them affectionately and gently and asking to be friends, but a dog nonetheless. On principle, both cats began to hiss.

Juliet

Another of the many girl owners held Romeo and cooed about how much calmer he was than Peabody, their poor, dead, beloved cat. And when little-boy owner spun Juliet around and then buried his face in Romeo’s fur, the two kittens had had it. They talked it over together that night, and plotted their escape for the next afternoon. Neither knew where they would be going, or how they would get there, but surely, anything would be better than this!

The next morning, the kittens woke up sour and ready to run away, only to find a bowl of warm milk beside their warm bed. Then little boy owner wooed Juliet to sleep by wrapping her in a thick, fuzzy blanket, and one of the girl owners let Romeo investigate every square inch of her bedroom. Then Mama owner stroked both of their coats until they shone, and bigger boy owner refilled their food dish every two hours!

Finally, when older girl owner cuddled them both in her arms and looked lovingly into their eyes, murmuring about how wonderful it was to have kitties again, Romeo turned to his friend and suggested they scrap the running away plan. Juliet agreed, and they’ve never thought of it since—not even when Juliet had to endure a pink ribbon around her neck, and Romeo was tricked into enjoying a piece of yarn for three whole hours.

Mikaela with Romeo and Juliet (in her lap)

Disclaimer: The kittens' desire to run away and/or their owner's innocent tormenting may have been exaggerated for literary effect. All parties in the relationship are enjoying their safe, loving, and nurturing environment.