The Region - News from July 4, 1985

To its owners’ astonishment, “Popcorn,” a cat that crawled inside the undercarriage of a hide-a-bed and spent 49 days there without food or water, emerged hungry and 11 pounds lighter, but otherwise unhurt. The cat had not been seen by its owners since moving day from Hawaii to La Mesa seven weeks ago. The cat was missing and presumed dead until it crawled into Nancy Beecham’s arms. The movers had come to the Beecham’s Oahu home on May 14 to transfer the family’s belongings to the San Diego area, where Cmdr. Jim Beecham, a flight surgeon, was being assigned. “When the truck pulled up, the cat disappeared,” his wife, Nancy Beecham said. “He was very skinny and dehydrated, but I could detect no serious problem,” veterinarian Donna Valerie said after examining the cat. “A blood test might be necessary to determine if any organs were damaged. But the cat looks remarkably well considering its ordeal.” Popcorn weighed about 14 pounds in Hawaii.