“In the beginning, she was much more cuddly and clung to me everywhere I went,” Franken said. “I think she then noticed that she didn’t need to ‘pretend’ like that and that I would never let her go again, even if she stopped being cuddly and cute, so she started to show me her sassy side. But I loved that because she let her true colors shine through.”
Now, Bean sleeps in bed with Franken every night and always has to be in the same room as her. Besides her mom, Bean’s most favorite thing in the world is olives. Whenever she smells olives or olive brine, she goes a bit crazy.
“The first time she stole an olive was when I had a little late-night snack and she ran up to me and smacked the olive right out of my hand, scooped it up and ran away to eat it under the couch,” Franken said.
Green olives and pimentos contain chemicals called isoprenoids, which have a similar makeup to catnip. Bean is so obsessed with the salty treats that she’ll scream at her mom every time she sees her take the olives out of the fridge.
Thankfully, olives are safe for cats — in moderation — so Franken gives her a few as a reward.
Satisfying Bean’s olive obsession is the least Franken feels she can do for the sweet cat, considering everything Bean has done for her.
“Bean is not a real emotional support animal but she’s definitely gotten me through tough times already, and I can’t put into words how much I love her,” Franken said. “She means the world to me and she deserves all the love after having such a rough time before coming to me.”