{"id":241195,"date":"2026-03-28T20:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T20:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/241195\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T20:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T20:12:11","slug":"millikan-high-school-is-mourning-canelo-a-long-beach-cat-whose-secret-life-endeared-him-to-thousands-of-students-long-beach-post-news-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/241195\/","title":{"rendered":"Millikan High School is mourning Canelo, a Long Beach cat whose secret life endeared him to thousands of students \u2022 Long Beach Post News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who regularly stepped foot on the Millikan High School campus in the past three years likely met Canelo, an attention-hungry orange tabby cat who became the school\u2019s unofficial mascot.<\/p>\n

Nearly every morning, Canelo would sit under a tree near the northwest corner of the campus and greet students walking in for the day.<\/p>\n

This Monday, he wasn\u2019t there. The day before, a car had killed him on Palo Verde in front of Millikan\u2019s baseball field.<\/p>\n

Students found out Monday morning from their teachers. The loss has hit Millikan\u2019s campus hard.<\/p>\n

This week, dozens of students decorated Canelo\u2019s tree with posters, flowers and framed photos of him. They also made chains out of handwritten paper notes, thanking the cat who comforted countless anxious or stressed high school students.<\/p>\n

He was such a fixture on campus that staff in the main office had Canelo-related duties. One person made sure he was fed; another gave him water, even knowing his preferred temperature.<\/p>\n

According to the school\u2019s security guard, there was no limit to where Canelo could visit and where he could take naps.<\/p>\n

When construction workers on campus learned of his passing, some of them grew \u201cteary-eyed,\u201d said his owner, Esperanza Caballero.<\/p>\n

He was a special presence on campus \u2014 walking into classrooms, hopping up on desks and even seeking out students who were having a bad day, said freshman Katelyn Sanchez.<\/p>\n

Millikan students wore orange on Friday to pay homage. Junior Samantha Hester, wearing a Garfield shirt, said Canelo was \u201creally sweet,\u201d always gentle with students.<\/p>\n

He even had his own student-run Instagram account<\/a>. One of the recent posts showed him snoozing in a wicker basket<\/a> in the main office. Another showed him sleeping on a teacher\u2019s lap<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Caballero had no idea how much time Canelo spent at Millikan until she got him a GPS-tracking collar to help her find him in the evenings.<\/p>\n

Then it made sense why every day at 6 a.m., he meowed loudly for her to open the front door and let him outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI discovered that he had a second life that I was not a part of,\u201d Caballero said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Katelyn Sanchez, a freshman, places a keychain that she made on a memorial tree for Canelo in Long Beach, Friday, March 27, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

Although he was named after Canelo \u00c1lvarez \u2014 the decorated Mexican boxer who shares his orange hair color \u2014 Canelo the cat was anything but a fighter, she said.<\/p>\n

He craved affection and Caballero never heard complaints about him from any teachers, parents or school staff.<\/p>\n

Millikan employees are planning to place a headstone bearing Canelo\u2019s name under his favorite tree, Caballero said. Two anonymous donors have already covered its cost.<\/p>\n

Caballero, a psychotherapist who works mostly with teens experiencing bullying, said the pain of Canelo\u2019s loss has been tempered by what she\u2019s learned since his death. She misses her nights with him, but is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love she\u2019s heard from students.<\/p>\n

She now thinks every campus would benefit from a cat like Canelo.<\/p>\n

Lately, what\u2019s helped her cope with his loss has been reading the messages students have left for her beloved cat.<\/p>\n

\"\"A memorial tree is set up for Canelo, who visited students every day at Millikan High School in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/p>\n

One wrote that Canelo made her feel welcome on campus even though she was anxious about starting at a new school where she didn\u2019t know anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis presence itself made such a big difference,\u201d Caballero said.<\/p>\n

Caballero was planning to have a small, private memorial for him, but several neighbors have already asked her if they can take part. A few weeks ago, another neighbor asked if he could introduce his son to Canelo.<\/p>\n

That neighbor\u2019s son was visiting from out of state and he didn\u2019t want to let him leave Long Beach without meeting Millikan\u2019s famous cat.<\/p>\n

Caballero plans to create a scholarship in Canelo\u2019s name. All of the memories of him she\u2019s read from students \u201cmakes me believe that he showed something we don\u2019t see that often anymore,\u201d Caballero said: unconditional kindness.<\/p>\n

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