Bean, April 2020 - June 2026

Bean was poorly for a few weeks before having to have a final visit to the vets. He is very much missed in our house.

It is always sad when a pet dies as they are part of the family. But sometimes, their presence is missed more than others. This has certainly been the case with Bean.

It has been about four months since our Bean had to be put to sleep. It was such a shock that he was ill and was awful to see him poorly. It is taking us a while to get used to life without him.

At first the house felt empty and quiet without him. Bean was an active, noisy cat with lots of meowing, and huffing when he was not happy or displeased. Plus chirping like a smoke alarm running out of batteries when he wanted attention – which was several times a day. He loved playing but not on his own!

Things we miss

My favourite thing he used to do, was sit on my feet when I got out of the shower. He loved to be stroked then, even though he would get wet. I also miss him sitting in the sink while I was trying to clean my teeth at bedtime. (Because he knew he'd get fed after everyone had finished in the bathroom.)

He even learnt to sit on command. He understood that he would get a treat for sitting or doing a high five. I’ve never seen another cat that would do both of these. It was so useful that he would sit still rather than climb up us, as he had really sharp nails and was heavy! He would sit and wait but would huff in disgust.

He like to chase anything that moved. It always amazed me that with his partial eyesight he was able to catch flies. He thundered around and it sounded like a person running around the house

He used to make me laugh going down the stairs. Either tip toe running on every step but usually it was jumping down in three - dum, dum, dum. Which is why we didn’t leave things at the bottom. He would always jump before thinking which wasn’t great considering he was partially sighted.

I really miss his company. He was always around wanting attention and being under my feet. Any cupboard doors opened, and he would be there to see what was inside. When I used to clean the house he used to run around after me in case I opened the cat treat drawers.

If we were near the bathroom and he thought it he should be fed, he would knock all the shampoo bottles and anything on the side into the bath. You could hear this noise throughout the house and it always made me giggle.

When I was away house sitting I would get constant updates from the family on what he was up to and what trouble he had caused. He was more like a person than a cat as he was such a big character.

Things we don’t miss

There were so many things that we had to do to adapt to the cats not getting on plus his inquisitive / active nature. Also as he was blind, we were mindful not to leave things in the way as he would run into them. He didn't often go on the cat shelves on the wall but I did worry if he climbed them.

The number of times I go to still feed him. He had to be fed separately as he was a piggy and he would eat all of his food before trying to see what else there was to eat.

We can bring shopping into the house without him diving into it and stealing the bread. So funny to see him run off with a loaf of bread, but not really convenient.

We had to have camouflage on the catio netting as he was often taunted by neighbouring cats walking on the walls. He like to keep a watch out and would try to climb to get to the other cats.

He was headstrong and would let you know when he wasn't happy. Including by biting as he wanted that space on the sofa.

What happens now

It turns out that the position of where the cats were in the morning, indicated if they'd been fed or not. So this means that sometimes there's miscommunication and the cats get two breakfasts. Especially if I've got up early and then Ben gets up at his usual time, they expect him to feed them even though they’ve already eaten.

We had a lot of adaptations around the house to cope with Bean’s unwanted behaviour quirks. Mainly bolts on doors so he couldn't get in to steal all the food.

Fermi and Daisy-Bear

On the plus side we're not having to juggle cats and it is great having one set of cats that get on together. Trying to keep Bean separated from the girls was a pain. Bean liked to chase the Fermi as she was a nervous cat and ran away from him. He also chased Daisy-Bear to play but he was too rough as she’s only a little runt.

At first the girls were always expecting him to appear. As time has progressed, they have both become more confident. Daisy-Bear will come and sit next to me more. They often sleep in the middle of the floor now. They still use all of the high shelves where Bean couldn’t get to; it’s because they want to not because it’s their safe place.

Fermi still doesn’t like to be stroked/touched but she wants to be with humans more. When I go to work in the evenings, she will often pop up to be with my daughter.

The two girls are together more as well. They search each other out meowing and I often find them curled up in the same bed or next to each other. It is so lovely that they are more relaxed and can go in every room without checking if Bean is in there first.

They have new routines now including coming upstairs at bathroom time to get ready for their tea. Also, Daisy will come into our bed at night and make biscuits on my throat.

Sleep Tight Bean

We really miss having our ginger and white, constant companion. He was such a noisy, attention seeking, fun loving, active cat.