Taylor Swift attends the world premiere of "Cats" at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on December 16, 2019 in New York City© Taylor Hill

Taylor Swift's sweetest relationship with three cats — meet Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button

The "Karma" singer is a proud cat mom

US Writer
August 15, 2024

Taylor Swift has never shied away from her love of cats, even going so far as to play a role in the controversial Cats (2019) by Tom Hooper. 

She said of the decision to play Bombalurina: "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."

© Raymond Hall

Taylor Swift loves cats

The singer has three cats: Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button. These felines aren't just ordinary pets though - whether they are accompanying Taylor on magazine covers or in music videos, they're an intrinsic part of her identity.

Here's everything you need to know about the famous felines.

Meredith Grey

Taylor's first cat is a Scottish Fold who she named Meredith Grey after the Grey's Anatomy main character. She first got Meredith in 2011, and they formed a close bond quickly.

"She is awesome. She's, like, the most adorable cat in the world," the singer said. Likewise, Meredith is one of Taylor's biggest fans as in 2012, she meowed along to hearing "I Knew You Were Trouble" on the radio.

© Raymond Hall

Taylor's cat Meredith in a carrier

Of all Taylor's cats, Meredith is perhaps her most shy feline. Swifties may have been concerned when they hadn't seen Meredith for a while, but Taylor clarified this was because she keeps out of the limelight. "The truth is, Meredith just hates having her picture taken," she explained.

Olivia Benson

Taylor adopted the Scottish Fold cat in June 2014, naming her after the Law & Order character. Now, Olivia Benson is one of the richest animals in the world, as of 2018 when her net worth was $97 million.

The cat has appeared in a number of Taylor Swift's music videos, from "Blake Space" to "Me!", and "Karma". She also appeared in Taylor's documentary film Miss Americana, in which she famously stayed in a cat carrier backpack.

WATCH: Taylor Swift - Her Relationship Timeline

As well as being the logo for Taylor Swift Productions, Olivia has played a number of lucrative roles in commercials for Keds, Diet Coke, AT&T and DirecTV.

Benjamin Button

In 2019, Taylor bucked her own trend and took home a Ragdoll cat called Benjamin Button - as opposed to another Scottish Fold cat. This time, she named her feline after the F. Scott Fitzgerald character. 

© @taylorswift

Taylor with Benjamin Button

Taylor took Benjamin home after shooting the music video for "Me!", in which she starred alongside Meredith and Olivia. She realised: "He was just a cute kitten who didn't have a home," as he was part of a program that aims to get "cute kittens adopted by putting them in commercials." Immediately, Taylor "fell in love."

When TIME named Taylor their Person of the Year in 2023, Benjamin joined his mom on the cover of the magazine, resting on her shoulders.

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