Walking along the Ocean Beach Pier, Adam Sutton and his leashed 9-month-old Bengal cat Damnit are stopped a total of three times in 10 minutes. It happens a lot when people walking by see him sunbathing on the beach, climbing trees, playing fetch, or stalking seagulls.
Saying “Hi” and petting him is totally fine, but whatever you do — don’t tell him he’s a cat.
“He doesn’t know,” Sutton laughed. “It’s like a big secret. He likes dogs, not other cats. He’ll walk up to the biggest dog and when the dog keeps walking by, he tries to chase him.”
Since the pair first got together in May 2018, they’ve been inseparable. Whether it’s entertaining locals and tourists during their walks in OB or taking a drive up to Julian to play in the snow on Christmas, Sutton and Damnit are true partners in crime.
“This lifestyle just allows us to do that,” said Sutton, who built out a Mercedes Sprinter van to live in after the apartment complex gave tenants a 90-day notice to move out. “I went home, added it up, and realized I gave this landlord almost a quarter of a million dollars. I had lived there for 15 years. I decided that I don’t ever want to give my money away to someone like that again.”
Sutton’s new home-on-wheels comes complete with a wood-burning fireplace, a cat tree for Damnit and the ability to go wherever they want. Something that he wishes he would have done more of with his first Bengal, Johnson.
A white snow Bengal, Sutton had no idea that it was even possible to take him outside of the house. It wasn’t until the last three years of his 17-year-old life that he decided to take a chance and take Johnson camping.
“He didn’t have a leash, and he still just hung out with us on the campsite and chilled. Then I took him on the boat to see what he would do, and again, he chilled. I felt so bad because this whole time I just left him at home and he could of went so many rad places.
“I’m not gonna do that to this guy,” Sutton said, watching Damnit watch the waves. “He’s going with me.”
Anyone interested in following along with Damnit’s adventures — which includes everything from chasing a soccer ball on the beach to riding shotgun in Sutton’s car when he’s making a delivery for UberEats — can follow him on Instagram @Damnit_ob_bengal.
