Sunday, October 23, 2011

Beamer's Story

Pet's name:
Adopted by: Lindsay Stordahl and Josh Whitford
From: F-M Humane Society, Fargo, N.D.

Lindsay, who blogs at, shares her home with a dog and two cats. This is Beamer's story:

Beamer has been a part of our lives for about eight years, and he is quite the cat!

The reason I say this is because he will eat anything! Beamer has a food obsession, and that's putting it lightly.

I’ve found "the real-life Garfield" chowing down on pure butter from a container he opened. He has been brave enough to steal steaks and bacon and whole sandwiches off our counters. We have to keep all our cupboards and closets locked with child locks, and we have to keep our garbage containers behind closed doors.

Normal people are able to keep apples and bananas on the counters. Not us. Our cat has even eaten whole avocados and raw potatoes.

A sleeping Beamer tries to look innocent.

When we leave the house, it is not the dogs we have to worry about, it is our cat! Beamer has to stay in the laundry room when we are not home so we know he will be safe and out of trouble. This isn't as bad as it sounds, though, because he has his own kitty apartment set up there—his water bowl, cozy cat beds, and his litter box.

We used to try leaving certain foods out. We'd ask ourselves, "He won’t really eat oranges, will he?"

Of course he will. This is Beamer we are talking about.

Beamer was a year old when his original owner dropped him and his brother off at the Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society. We don't know why they were surrendered, but it was probably because they were past that cute, kitten stage.

It was my boyfriend Josh who was picking out a new pet at the time, and he chose Beamer because out of all the cats, he seemed to be the most affectionate. Beamer is just one of those cats that is constantly bumping his (large) head into you for attention. If you are on the couch, just assume you will have Beamer in your lap!

Beamer is a very laid-back, confident guy. We foster dogs at our house, and he is the perfect cat to find out if a dog is "cat friendly."

The reason for this is because it takes a lot to get a reaction from Beamer. Our other cat will freak out over the most insignificant change, but nothing really fazes Beamer. He knows that most barking dogs are just bluffing, and they are not worth his time or energy. Nine times out of ten, Beamer will literally yawn, walk right into the dog, and claim that space. But if Beamer is at all stressed, then I know the dog can't be trusted around cats and needs some serious structure.

This 15-pounder is a unique guy. Although he tests our patience often, we love our "Big Orange One."
