Entrant's Name
Graham

Animal Bio
Barley a 100% Bengal cat and was approximately 3 years old when he was found left at the front gate of Richmond SPCA, likely having been abandoned by a breeder who left town quickly. As a result, he was not neutered and was so incredibly beefy that the SPCA volunteers gave him the name Beefcake! Now neutered and retired from his former occupation, as it were, Barley has really leaned out... but that Beefcake name was too hilarious for his owners to leave behind. So officially, his name is Barley Beefcake!

As a Bengal, most would expect extreme hyperactivity, but this isn't the case with Barley. Being a rescue, he is perfectly at peace chilling in a couch or being loosely on contact with your thigh or leg. Barley is not a fan of changes in environment--it triggers uncertainty and anxiety --but once the changes settled down after a couple minutes, he will absolutely come out, happily sniff your socks, and proceed to plead with you for food as though you were always responsible for feeding him. The promise of any food at all is enough to win his heart.

Those that meet him are instantly dazed by his striking golden fur (like golden fields of barley) which has an incredible shimmer to it punctuated by beautifully defined stripes and rosettes. Most say he is the most gorgeous cat they have ever seen. But his owners love him most for his personality. After all, with Barley around you may fear not! For no bathroom trip will ever be made alone! No baked pastry or loaf will ever go uneaten, even if it's left fully sealed in plastic. Used or dirty laundry will be given its overdue love from Barley, who will claim it as his new bedding for the next 1-2 weeks. He definitely has a thing for smells, but who are we to yuck his yum? Just don't ever, ever think you can pick him up for more than a few seconds--unless, of course, you have food of sufficient quality to offer. No, Barley is a quintessential velcro cat with a. Teenager attitude. He will act like he is too cool to acknowledge your existence. He will never sleep on your lap. Yet somehow, you turn your head and sure enough he has curled up on the blanket next to you, leaning gently against your leg.

With time, his owners hope that he can brave the great outdoors, which in his case is just an apartment hallway with a big scary elevator (according to him). Perhaps someday he will be confident an secure enough with his owners to go outside and explore, like his Bengal genes compel him to do. Until that day, he will be curled up like a croissant or spread out like a baguette. A once beefy boy, now Barley Beefcake!