Romeo the Cat Twitters His Way to a Better World

May 1st 2009

Don't let his crabby mug fool you. Romeo the cat is a softie. Photo courtesy of Caroline Golon.

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

On Twitter, of course.

Since this tech-savvy Persian cat started using the social messaging tool in February, Romeo's tweets have raised nearly $5,000 (and counting) for animal rescue groups around the country.

It all began in February when the 5 year-old cat's owner, Caroline Golon --- whom Romeo prefers to think of as his "female staff member" --- opened a Twitter account, presumably at his behest.

Romeo pledged 5 cents to the Humane Society of the United States each time someone signed up to follow him on Twitter. Devotees came in droves: humans, cats, horses, hamsters, turtles, birds, and yes, even dogs. Some matched Romeo's donation amount. Others insisted Romeo start a blog --- which he did (allowing his adopted brother, Pugsley, a black cat, to appear on the site with him). Then came corporate sponsors such as FURminator, Feline Pine kitty litter, and most recently, Wellness Pet Food and SeaYu.

Each month, Romeo, a "proud, two-time rescue cat," donates money to an animal rescue group nominated and selected by his community of fans. In April, Romeo single-pawedly raised almost $2,000 for Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles.

Still, Romeo hasn't lost sight of his priorities, as evidenced by this little gem he posted on the evening of April 22:

"Pugsley and I got our 9 p.m. treats at 11:14:23 p.m. tonight. Staff slacking. Heads gonna roll."