Symbols of Carolina span from the Old Well, to Rameses and the Tar Heel. But in recent months a new contender has emerged: the beloved campus cat, affectionately known as Beans.
The tabby cat can be found wandering around McCorkle Place near the Old Well and has taken residence in one of the bushes outside Old East.
The small clearing in the bushes where Beans typically resides has been set up with food and water bowls as well as an insulated cat house. The myth surrounding Beans has led many passersby to crouch down, torso deep in shrubbery, to try and meet the fabled feline.
Over the course of four days, I ventured to North Campus to track down Beans, trying everything I could to lure the cat out, from excessive meowing to making several laps around Old East’s perimeter. When I began to mistake bird chirps for purrs, the friend who accompanied me on my journey said that I was losing my mind.
Sadly, each pilgrimage to the cat’s home was unsuccessful.
As Katy Poitras from the Cat Tales Cat Cafe on Franklin Street said, “So many people feed him, he’s hard to track because he’s just never in the same place very often.”
Sydney Duggins, a political science major, initially heard about the cat through her roommate and sought out more information through the app Yik Yak — an anonymous forum, popular among UNC students eager to share campus happenings.
Though Duggins is a self-proclaimed dog person, she said getting to pet Beans last Monday made her day.
“He’s very sweet. He seems domesticated. He doesn’t like — he’s not feral,” she said.