Does the beloved campus cat, Beans, belong to someone?

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.  

Sherry Clark, an alumnus who lives off Franklin Street heard about Beans through many different sources: the UNC alumni Instagram, someone she knows living in Old East and UNC School of Social Work Professor Melinda Manning. Although well versed in the tales of Beans, Clark has never laid eyes on the cat herself. 

I ran into Clark on my fourth visit to find Beans. 

“I was looking as I was walking down through here [next to Old East] and I saw you. And I was like, either she’s throwing up in the bushes, or she’s looking for the cat,” Clark said. 

Clark heard that Beans used to roam around by the Old Well and was worried for the cat when they tore up the surrounding bushes. Clark and Duggins' affection for Beans is something that is common among students who learn of the cat's existence. 

However, Poitras said that she saw something online about Beans belonging to someone who lives on Franklin Street. 

“The worst thing you can do is steal someone’s pet,” Poitras said. “It happens quite a bit because people have good intentions and just assume that any outdoor cat is in need of being rescued.” 

Although Poitras advises students to stay away from cats with owners, she encourages interested students to get involved with the cat rescue’s Trap, Neuter, Return initiative.

“If people have big hearts and they want to get involved and they want to rescue cats that truly do need rescuing we'd be happy to talk with them about a proper way to go about TNR,” Poitras said. “That is a really, really wonderful and helpful thing you can do for stray cats that actually need rescuing.” 

Beans' furry presence and heartwarming story of being cared for and fed by students has brought many in the community comfort and joy. However, Poitras' warning about the assumption outdoor cats need help raises the question: If Beans really does have a home, have well-intentioned UNC students and aspiring cat ladies catnapped him?