From rescued to rehomed: Bean's story

A building contractor working on an industrial site in Napier got a surprise when a tiny kitten marched right up to him, and loudly introduced himself.

The little kitten was brought to our Napier Centre, and had a vet check to make sure he didn’t have any major health concerns or injuries – thankfully, he was surprisingly healthy for being found as a solo stray!

Our team decided to name him Bean, considering his size.

“While he was healthy overall, he certainly had a habit of getting himself messy,” says Rachel from our Napier Centre.

“He refused to take a bottle, and didn’t yet understand how to navigate his food bowl. So, he ended up ‘swimming’ in it. Of course this meant he needed regular baths to keep him clean!”

Bean completed his seven-day stray hold – this is the week spent in SPCA’s care, while waiting to see if an owner would come forward to claim him. When nobody did, it was time to move him into a foster home so that he could grow and gain important socialisation skills.

“He pretty much slept for the first two days,” says his foster mum Georgia. “When he wasn’t asleep, he was like my little shadow. He followed me wherever I went, and would howl outside the bathroom door when I closed it.

“Bean was fearless from the get-go, and definitely wanted to be around people as much as possible."

Georgia was a little concerned during the first two weeks, as Bean didn’t seem to be growing in size.

“Despite eating like a horse and having a lot of energy, he seemed to be just as tiny,” Georgia says. “I was starting to think he’d stay bean-sized forever. Then in the last two weeks, he suddenly seemed to double in size!”

Foster life for Bean was never dull. He lapped up attention from visitors and learned a lot from the older family cat named Ronald James Omlettes.

“Ron doesn’t normally care for other kittens – but something about Bean softened his grumpy exterior,” Georgia says. “It took a little bit of time in the beginning, but then he really took Bean under his paw.

“Being able to learn from an older cat was good for Bean too. Being a solo kitten meant that he could get a bit rough when it came to playing – but one ‘swat’ over the head from Ron when Bean was getting a bit too much was enough to pull him in line, and teach him important boundaries.”

When Georgia had to go out of town for a few days, Bean went back to the care of Rachel from our Napier Centre.

“I took Bean in to work to fulfil reception duties – but it was later determined that admin work wasn’t quite his forte,” Rachel says.

Bean went back into foster care with Georgia for a little longer. When Bean had grown a bit more, it was time for his desexing surgery – and then was listed as available for adoption.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be his foster mum, and watch him grow up before heading on his next journey,” says Georgia. “He certainly touched my heart and all others who met him during his weeks in foster care… everyone needs a Bean in their life, even if it’s only a brief moment.

“Even though it can be hard to say goodbye, it’s all worthwhile,” Georgia says. “Seeing Bean get adopted, and knowing that I can now open up my home to the next animal that needs help is so rewarding.”

Our team knew that he’d have no issues with finding a forever home – a video of him had proved very popular on our social media channels, and there was a queue of potential adopters wanting to bring him home.

"We instantly fell in love with Bean when we saw his post on the SPCA New Zealand Facebook page," says adopter Tasha. "He has settled in great! He's so confident and very mischievous! Our boys love him so much, he is already a big part of our family."

If you're interested in fostering or adopting, you can learn more and sign up online.