Twitter sensation Romeo the cat raising real dough for shelters
— -- A white-and-ginger-colored cat with odd markings, lopsided ears and a grumpy expression has become an online celeb with followers so devoted they eagerly await his every post and rally to contribute to animal causes he promotes.
Romeo the cat has, in less than three months, enticed animal-loving members of the Twitter community to monitor his every mundane cat moment ("Heard dishes clanking. Ran to kitchen. TUNA? No. Just stupid water bowl being filled. Boo.") and in the process donate more than $5,000 to animal rescue groups. The rescued Romeo's musings have created such a buzz, in fact, that national pet product giants Feline Pine kitty litter and Furminator grooming tools now sponsor the cat's Web page, contributing bucks and products to his fundraising efforts.
"I sure didn't expect all this," Romeo's owner, Caroline Golon of Charlotte, says with a laugh.
It all started in February, when Golon created a Twitter account for her 5-year-old Persian cat (@ romeothecat) as chuckle-fodder for a colleague. Romeo now leads a lap-of-luxury life with Golon, her husband, their 7-month-old daughter and a second rescued Persian, jet-black Pugsley, co-star of Romeo's Twitter moments. But in his early years, Romeo was twice deposited at a Kentucky animal shelter, the second time with skin nastiness and ear issues so bad he'd gone deaf. The shelter contacted a Persian rescue group in Ohio that took the cat and arranged for several surgeries, and ultimately he regained his hearing (though winding up with a permanently turned-down ear).
Soon after his debut on Twitter — the vehicle created in 2006 to connect people, build communities and share in real time every detail of what's going on in their lives — Romeo's community grew to hundreds. Golon, a public relations person, understood instantly that there was, perhaps, the opportunity to chart new paths and discover how social communities might be the next wave for advocacy, consumer response and making a difference. She offered to make a 5-cent contribution to the Humane Society of the United States for every person becoming part of Romeo's community. Within days, the numbers escalated. (She'll be sending the HSUS more than $150 in the next few days.)
