Texas Woman Was Terrified Of Cats, But An Unwanted Shelter Cat Completely Took Over Her House
Sydney had never been around a cat and wanted nothing to do with the shelter cat her partner brought home. But Beans had her own plans for their future.
An Unexpected Text Message
Sydney had never been around a cat before, and she had no intention of starting. When she was at work one day, her partner at the time texted her a photo of a feline at the local shelter.
He asked if he could bring the cat home, and Sydney’s answer was an immediate and firm no. She told him, “Absolutely not. I’m not doing this.”
But despite her clear boundaries, he adopted the cat anyway.
When Sydney returned home from work that evening, she found herself completely alone in the apartment with a strange animal she never wanted.
A Terrifying First Meeting
The cat, who would eventually be named Beans, was just sitting there staring at her. Sydney was immediately overwhelmed by the unfamiliar presence.
“I was like, ‘Uh-uh. Nope. I’m not doing it,'” she recalled to GeoBeats.
Panic set in, and Sydney ran into her bedroom faster than she had ever run in her life. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and stayed hidden.
She waited in the bedroom for hours until her partner got home so he could deal with the feline.
Uncovering A Mysterious Past
It took a couple of weeks, but Sydney slowly began to feel more comfortable sharing her living space with Beans. As they adjusted, they tried to piece together the cat’s history.
Unfortunately, the shelter didn’t have much information to offer. They only knew that someone had dropped her off and left her there.
However, Sydney noticed little things in Beans’s day-to-day behavior that hinted at her past.
These subtle signs made her new family suspect that the feline hadn’t come from the best environment before she was surrendered.
A Shift In The Household
As Beans settled in, her true personality began to shine through. Sydney describes her as oscillating between a “sassy grandma” and an “angsty teen.”
The cat also developed a deep, unwavering devotion to Sydney’s husband. In Beans’s eyes, her dad can simply do no wrong.
She insists on laying with him every single night when they go to sleep.
When he leaves for work, Beans seeks out his scent, curling up on his clothes or anything else that smells like him to patiently wait for his return.
A Careful Weight Loss Journey
Beyond managing her sassy attitude, the family realized Beans needed some help with her health. She currently weighs 14.5 pounds, and her veterinarians want to get her down to a healthier 11.5 pounds.
Helping a cat lose weight is a highly strategic and delicate process. If a feline loses too much weight too quickly, it can cause severe issues like organ failure.
Because of these risks, Sydney and her husband have to pace the weight loss out very carefully.
It has been a tough journey of ebbing and flowing, working with different vets, and trying multiple diets.
Extreme Workout Attempts
Diet alone wasn’t enough, so Sydney started looking into feline fitness routines. She even tried putting Beans in the bathtub with a tiny life vest, hoping to get her to swim.
The aquatic workout was a complete failure. Beans refused to paddle and simply sat in the water.
Thankfully, they found success with a simple laser pointer, which they use almost every night to get her moving.
Beans’s need for space actually influenced a major life decision for the couple. They bought a house specifically so the cat would have more room to run around.
The Midnight Snack Demands
Beans is highly motivated by food, which makes sticking to her diet a challenge for everyone involved. She doesn’t hesitate to wake her parents up when she feels it’s mealtime.
Most nights, anywhere between 1:00 and 4:00 in the morning, Sydney is abruptly awakened. Beans will literally scratch Sydney’s face to demand food.
To help Beans burn off some of this excess energy, the family adopted a second cat named Frank.
The plan worked perfectly. Frank encourages Beans to move around more, and the two felines play fight every single day.
The Queen Of The Castle
In her spacious new house, Beans has fully embraced her role as the “queen of the castle.” She insists on having eyes on everything that happens at all times.
She also gets incredibly jealous if Sydney’s husband pays more attention to his wife than to her.
If the couple is laying on the couch watching TV and Sydney rests on her husband’s shoulders, Beans will quickly intervene.
She marches over, lays on his chest, and curves her body so her back is shoved right into Sydney’s face. “I’m out of the picture now,” Sydney joked. “And she knows what she’s doing.”
A Begrudging But Loving Bond
The living room couch is Beans’s absolute favorite spot, and she makes it very clear to everyone in the house that it belongs to her.
If Sydney is sitting in her spot, Beans will climb onto her chest and sit there until Sydney can barely breathe, knowing it will force her to get up.
Despite the face-scratching and couch-stealing, Sydney has grown to deeply love the cat she once hid from. When Sydney’s husband goes away on a trip, Beans begrudgingly accepts Sydney as her backup human, allowing exactly five minutes of petting.
From a terrified woman locked in a bedroom to a devoted pet parent who bought a house for her cat, Sydney’s life has been forever changed by the sassy feline she never knew she needed.
