Mom Of Escape Artist Cat Is Always Picking Him Up From The Strangest Places

The dodo

Ever since he was a kitten, Bean has been a cat whose personality has a lot of depth.

"He can either be really calm and chilled or a complete lunatic," Maisie Bray, Bean's mom, told The Dodo. "There's not really any in between!"

Even though he was an indoor cat, she used to take him on lots of walks on a leash when he was a kitten, which really helped him build his confidence. It also made him fall deeply in love with exploring.

When Bray's circumstances changed and she moved in with her parents in a neighborhood near the countryside, she tried to keep Bean an indoor cat. Her parents already had cats who were free to explore outdoors, though, and every time she tried to keep Bean in, he always found a way to escape.

Since then, Bray has gotten calls to come and pick Bean up from various locations — both near and far.

"He liked to follow people, which is how he ended up so far away, and [he'll] jump into any open window," Bray said. "I've had to pick him up from a lot of houses, the park, from two different pubs, three different schools, three different shops, and of course when he ended up in Exeter 52 miles away — but he got a taxi home on that occasion."

Whenever his mom would arrive to pick him up, Bean was never thrilled. He seemed to think she was cramping his style.

"He's very indifferent when I pick him up," Bray said. "Sometimes he will just jump into my car and other times he will growl and bite me, which is just embarrassing — but he doesn't do this anymore and just comes home himself now!"

Bean has calmed down a lot in recent years, but still escapes and explores locally whenever he can. He has a local school and a handful of families whom he visits regularly, which his mom is fine with — as long as she knows where he is, and that he'll eventually meander his way home.

"He's a very well-loved cat, not just by his family, but by lots of people In the community," Bray said.