Welcome to the first Feline Friday of the new year.

What a difference a few years make. Romeo showed up under and around our house on New Year’s Day in 2005. He was smelly and dirty. Origins unknown. For days he lurked in the shadows, sneaking up the stairs from the yard and peeking in at us. We broke and put food out for him. Then we borrowed a trap, intending on taking this stray to the Humane Society. But the trap was from a windward cat shelter, and we had to agree to “neuter and release.” Okay. We got him snipped, brought him back home, and released, waiting for him to take off running.

Instead, he did one round around the yard, checking the boundaries, and came right back to check for food. And that was it. He moved right in and became a key part of the cat family.

This is the first picture I posted of him back in January 2005. This is after he was fixed and earned his name.

He was back at the vet yesterday. So far, so good. He’s off his medication, and we’re hoping the switch to the special diet will keep his plumbing clear.

But now Ms. Kili has taken a turn for the worse, and is all of a sudden drinking lots of water. Not a good sign in an older cat, and she and Wally are now 16. Immediate suspects–kidney disease or diabetes. So various of Kili’s precious bodily fluids have gone off for testing. We should get a diagnosis back tomorrow. Cross your fingers.

You might notice Kili is missing from today’s feline foots. That’s because she’s in our closet, asleep in the laundry basket. Not a good way to start the year.

–> See all of today’s Friday Felines!