Cat people

From 4am parties and hillwalks to lengthy conversations – meet some famous feline fans and their cherished companions

Jo Brand (66)

Comedian, actress, and writer Jo, who presented Channel Five’s Jo Brand’s Kitten Rescue, has always had cats!

“I do like cats. We did have five, but now we have two male cats called Louis and Dotty. Dotty has gender issues.

“But I’m no Cat Lady. I don’t like the word “lady” because I’m a feminist, but you can call me Cat Woman if you like. That is a whole new area.

“They’ve presented me with many things over the years including a rabbit jigsaw. Different bits of a rabbit came in at different times and I could, in theory, have put it back together!”

John Cleese (84)

The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star is a cat dad to four.

“I love the sheer cosiness of sitting in the flat with my wife, playing with the cats. They are a huge part of our life.

“One is called Heaven, who we bought from Harrods and who is a bit superior. We have two brothers, one of whom is the largest cat you’ve ever seen. And we’ve just bought a new one.

“We both woke at 4am the other day and went to the computer to write some letters, and 30 seconds later all four cats wanted to join the party. There was something very touching about that.

“What I really love about cats is that they don’t give a damn. Dogs are terribly keen to please you.

“Somebody once said you call a dog and he comes running, you call a cat and it might get back to you. I like that sort of slightly cool, slightly enigmatic, slightly insulting attitude.

“Cats are very intelligent at all the things that cats need to be intelligent about.”

Taylor Swift (33)

The superstar singer has three cats – two Scottish folds named Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson, and a Ragdoll named Benjamin Button. She’s had Meredith since 2011 and Olivia since 2014, while Benjamin has been part of the Swift family since 2019. Taylor takes them everywhere with her and has even written song lyrics about them.

“I’m obsessed with my cats,” she has said. “They are a joy to live with, are very dignified, independent and very capable of dealing with their own life.”

Nicole Kidman (56)