Mourners grieving the death of Canelo, an orange tabby cat who became the adopted mascot of Millikan High School and a friend to many neighbors, can pay their respects this weekend.
After Canelo was killed by a car in March, his owner, Esperanza Caballero, had not planned to hold a ceremony. But the outpouring of grief from neighbors and Millikan students was Caballero’s sign to give everyone who loved the cat a chance to say goodbye. With the help of students, neighbors and friends, Caballero will host a celebration of Canelo’s life in the Millikan auditorium from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday. It’s open to all who loved Canelo.
Many did. People knocked on Caballero’s door when they learned of Canelo’s passing. They left flowers. Millikan students created a paper chain of messages about Canelo, then draped it around the tree where Canelo used to sit. Millikan staff installed a grave marker. Caballero said she has never received as many condolence cards as she has since Canelo’s death.
“It’s been a beautiful moment to witness,” Caballero said. “He had a huge support system, [and] he was a support system for so many,” she said.
Caballero adopted Canelo from her niece, and for years, she saw only a sliver of her pet’s vibrant life. She got calls from neighbors and business owners who reported that Canelo had wandered into the Chase Bank, a tax office and a local donut shop — and, of course, Millikan High School. This was how Caballero got to know her community. “It was the gift that Canelo left for me,” she said.
Students felt that, too. In messages, they described feeling comforted and seen by Canelo, connected by their love for him. Parents reported that when they dropped off their kids, sometimes somber and sleep-deprived, students’ faces lit up at the sight of Canelo on Millikan’s grounds.
“Canelo was a beautiful energy — energy that brought people together,” Caballero said. “Everything that they got from Canelo, they also gave to him,” she said, adding that the community that has formed around Canelo — in life and death — is proof that if people can give compassion and connection to a pet, they can also give it to each other.
Caballero is now creating an award to recognize Millikan students who embody the spirit of paying kindness forward — the spirit of Canelo.
Saturday’s celebration of life will be a chance to honor Canelo, to share anecdotes and stories about the cat, but it will also be a chance to honor everyone who loved him, Caballero said.