Another week, another Feline Friday full of our Kaaawa cats.

Romeo and Toby get a lot of play this time around.

Romeo was a frightened stray who showed up under the house and hiding in the yard right after New Years Day in 2005. He was already an adult, perhaps four years old, the vet thought. He was dirty, smelly (really-phew!), and allergic to fleas. He would sneak up on the steps to the deck and look in at us. Finally I borrowed a trap, fully intending to deliver him to the Humane Society. But the trap, on loan from Joey’s Feline Friends, came with the condition that we trap, neuter, and release.

Meanwhile, Romeo was transferred to a cage downstairs, where he turned out to be friendly, if you could stand the smell.

And when we got him fixed, the smell faded away.

So there we were, newly fixed cat in carrier, arriving home from the vet. Now it was release time. We said goodbye to Romeo, fully expecting him to sprint off into the bushes and disappear. Instead, he ambled out of the carrier, walked to the edge of the yard, smelled the plants along the boundary of the yard, then came back to the house to eat. And that was it. He was part of the household.

At first, he was a big cat without skills. He tried to back up Leo and Silverman in defending the territory, but came home with injuries on his rear end, meaning he had been in the process of running away from the scene of the fight.

But over time, he’s learned to be a big cat. Leo is gone, and Silverman has retired from the fight game. Now the 18-pounder who takes the lead in deterring visitors.

So click on Romeo’s portrait for more of this Friday’s Kaaawa Felines.