Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, then you’re well aware of the worldwide superstar known as Taylor Swift. And, you don’t have to know everything about her to know that she’s a woman who really loves cats—especially her three kitty cats: Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, & Benjamin Button. If you couldn’t already tell, her cats’ names pay homage to some of her favorite TV and movie characters. When asked about her love of the feline kind, Swift sees the good in cats the way that many of us do. She told TIME Magazine that, “They’re very dignified. They’re independent. They’re very capable of dealing with their own life.”
Her spoiled kitty cats are a serious part of her life, and when she’s not preoccupied traveling the globe, she keeps busy being a devoted cat mom to her mini clowder of kitties. According to People Magazine, Swift ever featured her three cats on her holiday card in 2020.
Even when she’s jet-setting, her cats are often along for the ride…
In 2019, she shared with Time Magazine that, “I have cats. I’m obsessed with them. I love my cats so much that when a role came up in a movie called Cats, I just thought, like, I gotta do this.”
It should come as no surprise that Google has confirmed that Taylor Swift’s cats are the most Googled celebrity pets on the internet, which given their cat mom’s popularity and their shared cuteness, it’s easy to see why! Keep reading to learn some interesting facts about Taylor Swift’s cats…
Meredith Grey, the original T-Swift Kitty
The OG of Swift’s clowder of kitties, Meredith Grey was welcomed into her famous cat mom’s home on Halloween in 2011. Naturally, she’s been smitten with her Scottish Fold kitty from the start, telling news outlets that, “She is awesome. She’s, like, the most adorable cat in the world.”
It’s probably pretty easy to guess that Meredith Grey the cat’s name is a tribute to Ellen Pompeo’s character on the hit medical drama show Grey’s Anatomy. And, as it turns out, Pompeo and Swift became fast friends not long after she learned there was a cat out there with her famous TV character’s name.
Swift told US Weekly in 2015 that, “Her name is Meredith — Meredith Grey because she’s a gray cat, and because I love Grey’s Anatomy! She’s awesome. She’s like one of those cats that give cats a good name. She doesn’t hide under furniture and get weird around people. She’s really friendly and fun and she’s perfect for the road because she doesn’t ever get freaked out. So I’m really glad that she has a cool personality.”
While you might not see Meredith Grey the kitty as much now because her younger cat siblings are known for being hams for the camera, she still gets to spend just as much time with her famous cat mom. We just don’t get as much proof of it on social media since she’s a bit camera-shy now that she’s not the only feline in the house.
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Olivia Benson
Most crazy cat ladies don’t stop at one kitty—and a few years after Meredith Grey the kitty stole Swift’s heart, she had room for another purrfect girl to add to her brood of pampered felines. Born on January 23, 2014, this Scottish Fold feline’s name is taken from the famous TV show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In an act of fostered serendipity, the real-life actress who plays Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay, recently named her new kitty Karma as an adoring tribute to the megastar. Karma can be many things, but for Mariska, it’s a cat she said in a purrfect Instagram post.
What some might find quite amazing, it’s been said that Miss Olivia Benson the cat even has a higher net worth than Swift’s beau, three-time Superbowl champ, Travis Kelce. In case you were curious, Olivia is estimated to have a net worth of $97 million, while Kelce’s net worth is estimated at roughly $50 million. Taylor became a newly minted billionaire last year, so it seems she’s the cat’s meow among the three, without question. Olivia and Meredith used to have their own merch, and they’ve appeared in several advertisements and commercials with their dedicated cat mom, including a popular ad for Diet Coke. Hey—kitty’s don’t mind doing some work sometimes!
Benjamin Button
Taylor Swift’s newest addition in 2019, a beautiful rescued Ragdoll kitty cat she named Benjamin Button, is not only a video music star but also a cover model! Swift rescued the feline not long after he starred in her music video for ME!, and just last year when she was awarded the TIME Person of the Year Award (and is the only woman to land the coveted spot 2x), she brought Benjamin Button along to star on the cover. (But, hey, Meredith and Olivia starred in the same video, too!) For Benjamin, Taylor claims it was love at first site—which you can easily witness in the music video when she gets to hold baby Benjamin for the very first time. And, as they say, the rest is history!
Know any other interesting facts about Taylor Swift’s cats that we forgot to mention? Leave a comment and share—we’d love to hear them!
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