A white and gray cat sits back on a plush couch, staring at the camera.
You’d never guess he’s worth £62 million.
But the fluffy pet is actually Taylor Swift’s cat — and she herself has earned the title of world’s richest pet.
A star in her own right, the Scottish fold, adopted by Taylor in June 2014 and named Olivia Benson, has starred in many of Taylor’s music videos as well as commercials for the likes of Diet Coke and AT&T. Who is
And she lives a very pampered life.
From Taylor globe-trotting on private jets to popping up in the pop star’s Instagram, Olivia isn’t the only pampered pooch owned by a self-confessed cat lady.
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“I have cats. I’m obsessed with them,” Taylor once told Time. “They’re very dignified. They’re independent. They’re very capable of dealing with their own lives.”
Here we take a look at the lavish lives of Cats star Taylor’s three “kids” and their long list of A-list friends…
Meredith Gray
Meredith Gray was Taylor’s first cat, with the star getting a pet Scottish Fold in 2011, and was named after the main character on Grey’s Anatomy, played by Alan Pompeo.
Meredith and Olivia are named after “strong, complex, independent women,” Taylor told Rolling Stone.
At first, it looked like Meredith Swift was going to be the top cat in the household, as Taylor often posted videos and selfies of the adorable kitty.
He even wowed Taylor’s fans by meowing to the radio in 2012 with his hit song I Knew You Were Trouble.
But since moving in with Olivia, Meredith has become more camera shy.
In fact, in 2021, Taylor had to take to Instagram to reassure her fans that Meredith was fine.
Holding another of her cats, Benjamin Button, in a video, Taylor said: “We’ve been hearing some rumors on the internet lately. The truth is Meredith just hates having her picture taken.”
He then cut to a hilarious slideshow of photos of Meredith looking angry, labeled with things like “huge pain,” “please stop” and “no.”
“So yeah, it’s there. That’s the explanation,” Taylor added. “He’s a really private little cat. He likes to keep his business to himself.
“She doesn’t like a camera in her face, and who can blame her.”
Olivia Benson
It’s Olivia who has become the star of the Swift household since being adopted in June 2014, and is named after Mariska Hargate’s Law & Order: SVU character – one of the many celebrities who This famous feline has actually been found.
From the start, the Scottish fold was overshadowed and, just three months later, he was spotted hanging out with Taylor in New York.
However, Taylor insisted on getting access to Hollywood: “Kitten is scared of being put in a cat carrier. So I was just like, ‘Okay, okay, we’re just going to do it. !’
As of late 2014, Olivia has graced the screen several times, appearing in Taylor’s music video for Blank Space as well as commercials for Keds and Diet Coke.
In the adorable Diet Coke ad, Olivia is seen grinding with Taylor as she sips on the drink, while more and more kittens appear, eventually surrounding them.
Although Olivia wasn’t Taylor’s first cat, she definitely seems to be her favorite.
The feline – who can get 2 million likes on an Instagram photo – is the logo for Taylor Swift Productions and Taylor also wears earrings on her face.
Olivia has walked the red carpet and hung out with celebrities on several occasions.
Here she is with American Idol judge Paula Abdul at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.
And he has also dated actresses Ruby Rose and Nina Dobrev.
But it was Ed Sheeran who really took a shine to him, later buying his Scottish Fold, Calipo, in 2017.
At this time, as the two artists became increasingly interested in the cat breed, the British Veterinary Association called for a ban on Scottish Folds and for the Veterinary Record to review its use in advertising.
But that didn’t stop Olivia, who went on to star in an AT&T commercial as well as one for DirecTV, in which Taylor rode a giant unicorn version of Olivia.
Olivia also inspired some aspects of Matthew Waugh’s 2024 detective film Argyll.
One of the original posters for the film was inspired by Taylor’s shot at gold in the Bag Bag Cat career in the 2020 documentary Miss Americana.
And here’s a shot from Taylor’s documentary:
But Meredith has not been entirely forgotten.
In 2018, just as she was about to star in the massively successful movie version of the musical Cats, Taylor launched a limited-edition merchandise line, The Meredith & Olivia Swift Collection.
The range includes patches, pins, pens, stickers and earrings, as well as two different t-shirts, priced at £23.
The two cats were also featured in Deadpool 2, when Taylor’s pal Ryan Reynolds wore a T-shirt with their picture on it, reading: “Olivia and Meredith’s Best Friends Ever.”
Benjamin Button
Taylor’s latest cat is Benjamin Button, named after the F. Scott Fitzgerald character who inspired the Brad Pitt film.
She adopted the ragdoll after meeting her on the set of her music video For Me! which also starred Meredith and Olivia.
“He was just a cute kitten that didn’t have a home,” she explained in an Instagram Live, adding that he was part of a program that “puts cute kittens in commercials and stuff. He tries to adapt.”
Speaking to Brandon Urie, who sings to me! With that, Taylor recalled how Handler asked if she wanted to hold the cat before shooting the scene together.
She continued: “He hands me this little cat and he just starts purring and … he looks at me like, ‘You’re my mom, and we’re going to be together.’
“I fell in love. I looked at Brandon and he’s like, ‘You’re going to get the cat, aren’t you?’
“He literally looked at me like, ‘Please adopt me.’ And I was like, ‘Okay I’m going to do it.’
“He’s just the best guy. He’s the best little guy.”
It didn’t take long for Benjamin to get spoiled, as Taylor shared a video in April 2019 of her making out with Olivia.
She told her followers: “I’ve never personally met a cat that preferred to be carried as if it were a human baby, but you know what – that’s what’s going on here.
“That’s how he prefers to travel.”
Clearly more like Olivia than Meredith, Benjamin joined his mother on the cover of Time magazine in 2023, as she was named Person of the Year.
What a purr-fect life!