Before today, I never knew that Chicago had a local magazine devoted to PAWS. Paws Chicago is actually “the city’s largest No Kill humane organization, focused on solutions to end the killing of homeless pets.” Billy Corgan, the lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins, is apparently a HUGE fan. He’s raised thousands of dollars for PAWS and done a private concert fundraiser for the organization last year. He also adopted his two kitties from PAWS, and so here he is on the cover of their magazine, looking like the most magnificent cat-obsessed man in the world. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS COVER. Here’s what Billy told PAWS:
Billy Corgan is proud of his adopted pets. The Smashing Pumpkins front man, 47, graces the cover of Paws Chicago with his favorite felines – Sammi and Mr. Thom – brothers he adopted from the organization 10 years ago.
“They’re rock ‘n’ roll cats, used to different environments,” Corgan says in the magazine, which lightheartedly references The Smashing Pumpkins’ 1993 album “Siamese Dream” on the cover of its summer issue.
“I was raised in homes where animals were part of the family but subservient to other goals,” he says. “In my home, the animals run the show. At best we’re equals. But that’s the way it should be. They have every right to live and be happy as much as I do.”
Corgan helps to raise money for PAWS Chicago, which conducts spay and neuter clinics and advocates for no-kill animal shelters.
“The blessing of having an animal is the healing and joy from a relationship that’s based in unconditional love – or unrequited [when] speaking of Sammi – that makes it all worth it.”
Aw, that was sweet. I like this: “At best we’re equals.” Yes, that’s the way many cat-owners feel. It’s not that you own a cat. A cat is your roommate (at worst) and your child/spouse/best friend at best. Many people feel that way about dogs too – my puppy is pretty much my companion/roommate/child. Also: “rock ‘n’ roll cats.” Adorable.
PS… It feels like ‘90s Music Day, right? First Tori Amos and now Billy Corgan?
Photos courtesy of PAWS Chicago.
Makes me so happy on a Friday.
+1 it really does.
+2 so lovely to see. I grew up with The Smashing Pumpkins and always liked the music, but had no idea about Billy Corgan as a person. I love his smile on the cover, he’s such a proud cat daddy!
GAAAWWDD i love him so so so much!
1000% agreed @Claudia 😄
I was born in ’83 so the Pumpkins-the original
group featuring the incomparable Darcy and James Iha-were in the midst of their hey day during my awesomely punky/grungy middle school years. I was blessed to see them-the new group that is-perform here in Boston two years ago and let me tell you: 1. Billy Corgan is a MASTER of what he does and hasn’t aged a day all these years. 2. They played about 10 of the group’s most famous early-mid 90’s hits and it was heaven ❤️ (It was seriously like being in a time machine; suddenly I was a giddy 14 year old again!) and 3. Though James & Darcy were greatly missed, none of the new members skipped a beat and are incredible musicians in their own right ☺️ But then, would Billy have it any other way?
Aww I love this.
Looks like my kitty but less fluffy. She was stuck in the shelter for so long because she’s black 🙁
People always say this and I find it so odd…I LOVE black cats and black dogs.
I never knew that they were less likely to get adopted until I started reading people’s comments around here…
I never knew either. Black cats look like panthers, I actually prefer them.
And black cats are SO friendly.
Black Great Danes are a riot!
I adopted a black cat with asthma (double strike) who was in a shelter for almost a year. She’s bitchy in the most hilarious way possible! Her behavior is so superior – she definitely thinks she is queen of the house, and we are her lowly minions. Lol
On another note, does anyone else find it jarring to see the leader of The Smashing Pumpkins smiling broadly and holding kittens?? His angst ridden, 90’s self would be horrified!
I love my two tabby Hirsute-Americans very much, but I always wanted an all-black cat. I will get one when my older kitty passes (which I can’t even really think about!). And also, Corgan is the awesome and now a huge sex symbol for crazy cat ladies the world over 😀
•Shannon•
Not jarring per se but I get what your saying. My heart actually soared for him. It’s nice to see him with joy and peace on his face.
I am grinning!! Awesome work, Billy. I have two black cats, Sunshine & Thumbs. They are the REAL Bonnie and Clyde, no doubt about it. I’m lucky to have them-they were rescue cats from Katrina and it’s true-black cats and dogs have a tougher time getting adopted. Once again, nice thing to see on a Friday.
Ladyslippers: perhaps “jarring” was the wrong word. I haven’t really kept track of him over the years, but I was a huge Pumpkins fan as a teen, so my image of him was this deep, dark, reclusive, angst ridden genius of a man. Basically Billy Corgan circa 1993. To see him smiling on a magazine cover while holding kittens is about as far away from “brooding rock god” as one could get, and definitely unexpected for me.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that he is still all kinds of awesome. 🙂
I’ve got a black cat, named Salem (yes, after Sabrina the teenage witch) and he is the most gorgeous, sweetest cat ever. I’ve had many many cats since birth til now, and I can honestly say he is the most loving all heart cat we’ve ever had. If you’re at the desk he will jump up on your shoulders and twine himself around your neck, and try to cuddle you. He has such a huge heart, he’s so sweet and deeply loves. I cannot ever imagine he would be into world domination though. lol
Yeah, what’s with black cats not getting adopted? I had a black cat; he was so great. I miss him so much; sometimes I think I see him pass through the hallway. I’d always choose a black one.
One theory I’ve read a few times is that black animals are less likely to get adopted because their fur is darker, causing them to blend more into their surroundings. People often want to adopt animals that sort of “pop out” to them right away. There’s also the (surprisingly widespread) belief in the US that black cats are bad luck.
Btw, I have a black kitty and he’s a riot. He’s mellowed out so much since we got him, and he treats us with this sort of resigned benevolence–sort of like, “you’re here, so I’ll tolerate you”. But he freaks out whenever one or both of us leaves, so we know it’s just an act. 😉
Apparently it’s a superstition thing.
I don’t get it. This is my second black cat and they’re both really lovely.
We lived in a remote northern area when we adopted her and they had to ship a few to a shelter down south because they had so many for so long
I own a black cat and think she’s lovely, but I’ve heard some reasons dark colored animals struggle to find homes. They’re harder to photograph because there’s less contrast, which matters in the age of Petfinder. They’re also more likely to blend in if the animals are viewed in shadowed cages and the shy ones are hanging toward the back. I suspect that if animals were introduced in a cage-free setting (not always possible), black pets would do a lot better.
I totally understand about feeling your cat is still around. I hope I don’t sound too crazy, but I think my cat’s spirit remain for awhile after he passed.
For a few weeks after he died I would swear I would feel him jump up on my bed in the middle of the night, see him out of the corner of my eye, or hear him scratching on his post. I assumed it was grief.
Well, one day, I was sitting on the couch with my other cat in my lap (the one who is currently trying to sit on my shoulder right now, purring so loudly!) when I heard the scratching on the post again. My cat jumped off my lap, ran to the post looking for him – because she heard him too! She ran around the room crying, looking for him, for several minutes. But he was gone.
We both still miss him.
pru — something similar happened to me years ago after my beloved tomcat died. I told the vet and assistants about it, when I went to pick up his cremated ashes a week later, feeling quite silly but — it was SO odd (and witnessed by someone else) that I had to share it with them….
Well. They all looked at me like nothing and said, “Yes, that happens all the time, it’s happened to us, we hear this all the time. They definitely stick around a bit.” These very down-to-earth people shared their personal experiences with me. I was floored. Then, about a year ago, our wonderful stray tomcat (ours for about 5 years after he showed up one winter) suddenly died from an undetected heart issue. We were devastated, still are, he was amazing. But again…our other cat continued to play hide and seek with him for weeks, his toys kept moving out of the basket all over the place — thuds in the night when the other cat was sleeping with us, sounds of his scratching and patting his special little cushion bed he had in the back of a hall closet where he felt safe in storms. it was bizarre, but I was like, uh, okay….hi, baby! Still happens now and then, less frequently though. Hi, baby! Don’t want him to feel ignored! 😉
@Liberty: That’s amazing – good to know I’m not alone! It proves our furry babies can have as strong a connection to us as we have to them, I think, to stay around after they’re gone.
We adopted our black cat 3yrs ago. My son was 4, and just this year someone told him “black cats are bad luck”. He was as shocked as he was to hear that “satan lives in the middle of the Earth”. I don’t teach him illogical crap as fact dogma. So we discussed why some people are ignorant. By the way, I heard black cats are considered “good luck” in Japan? Anyway, I’ve always gotten cats based on temperament/need, so I wouldn’t really care what color. All animals are beautiful.
ds, I feel the presence of two my cats who passed, so you are not alone.
I have three cats, all adopted from a rescue and one of them is black. She is very, sweet and adorable cat. It saddens me that black cats go unadopted 🙁
And who knew about Billy Corgan. I always enjoyed his music and my opinion of him rose even higher with this cover.
I don’t get it either. I have a cat that is black with white markings and he is wonderful. I love that critter so much, and yes, he is the little BOSS of the house and we just exist in his world to feed and cuddle him.
I love black cats, so I really don’t get it either… Other than the fact that they ARE hard to see. Everytime I trip over one of my (dark) cats at home I wish they were white so I’d see them better lol.
It’s really sad. I have a litter of four black kittens (rescued from the terrible cold this winter) and I can’t find anyone willing to take them. There were two striped kittens in the litter, and they were adopted right away. And they’re such sweet, loving little cats!
I helped a stray mama cat (who was probably barely over eight months old herself) raise a litter of kittens last year and ended up keeping three. They are so sweet and get along very well. I planned to keep one anyway, but a young woman adopted the first two and “lost” one within 10 days. He was still just a baby. She called me wanting another kitten and I just said we had decided to keep the rest.
Three sounds like a lot, but they keep each other entertained and are really a joy.
I don’t get why people may be averse to black kitties. They are just as great as any other color! A little black kitty who looks a lot like one pictured took up at my parents’ house and he’s extremely sweet and well behaved.
@Christin, that’s so heartbreaking. How can people be that careless? It’s nice to know there are people like you around, though. 🙂
We already have four cats, a ferret and a guinea pig (the latter two technically belong to my stepkids), or I’d keep them with no second thoughts. I might wind up keeping them anyway, because I’m not willing to put them in a kill-shelter and there are zero openings in the local rescues.
Samtha, I admire what you are doing for these kittens and your determination to be sure they have a good home. In hindsight, I wish we had kept all five of the kittens, even if it qualified me as a hoarder. We have three other cats that stay in another part of the house plus three dogs. The dogs have never met the cats, and the two sets of cats have never met. I guess it sounds nutty, but it has worked out fine and at least the animals have a safe home. All but one of our pets were strays / homeless.
Isn’t it so sad? My local shelter often covers all of the fees for black animals to help find them homes. We already have enough animals, otherwise I’d be there picking up new ones left and right.
As the owner of multiple all black cats, 2 still with me, I can tell you they are the best. I adopted my youngest, who is 6 now, at the shelter. I always go for the black cats b/c they turn out to be the best cats and I know they’re the ones who will sit the longest. I would take more in a heartbeat if I could afford it.
Edit to add… I am loving the music from today’s posts. I will be buying Tori’s new cd as soon as I can get on itunes… yeah for the good stuff from the 90’s getting attention.
I adopted a black older cat (about 8 yrs old) years ago and she was a crazy little sweetie. And yes, I was told the same thing by my vet, that they don’t get adopted as much – yet everyone who met her thought she was a beauty, because she was. her funny little habit was to hide dollar bills i left out for the subway or cab rides…she tucked them under my 1930s mirrored vanity. I kept thinking… am I losing my mind? where’s my money? Then I moved the heavy piece with a friend to clean one day and found her stash. I ended up giving her a bill to “hide” a few times a week. She would purr so happily and march off with it.
Yup, my little black ball of weirdness, Noir, was the last in his litter to go, before we got him. Seem’s there really is a thing about people being superstiscous (sp?) of them.
Their loss. Nothing better than a minature house panther =)
I’ve had black cats my whole life, I love all cats but they are my favorite. Mine is a monster to everyone but loves me to the point of ridiculousness.
This cover will probably make me love Billy forever! It’s great he is so active and generous helping the shelters too.
YAY! Finally a nice and heartwarming story.
I love him and those black kitties are so precious!!
They are! The last black kitty we had was a talker, would roam up and down the halls meowing to get our attention.
YES, they talk with a lot of vocal variation, more so than others.
My black cat is a big talker as well, he replys to everything in such varied tones, I can actually hold a conversation with him. I didn’t know that was characteristic of the black ones, interesting!
My black cat is a talker too. She actually drives me crazy though. Woke my 14 month old up twice within two hours last night.
Save your chit chat for daytime, kitty
I have two black and white kitties (ones mine and the other is a foster) and both are complete chatter boxes. Want to discuss religion, politics, or the weather? Totally game. All the time. 😊
Ironically, my two Siamese (seal point and blue snowshoe) cats don’t converse anywhere near the level of my other two. And Orientals/Siamese are supposed to be conversationalists!
My black cat (Sammy) doesn’t talk at all…he just squeaks! It’s the cutest thing! He wants a treat? He’ll look at you with laser-like intensity, and once he’s gotten your attention “squeak!”
We’ve had him 8 years and he is a wonderful, sweet, lovable pillow thief. I just don’t get people who think black cats are bad luck.
My cat Angel is a talker. When she wants attention she sits at my feet and vocalizes until I pick her up and love on her. So cute.
I can relate to BC with regard to his cat, Sammi. My baby cat, Bella, seems to just tolerate us. She allows us 2 seconds of petting before she bats our hands away and and climbs on the highest place to perch (normally the refrigerator) and survey her kingdom. She’s such a diva.
Good lord, it drives me crazy how much our cat yowls in the mornings. She thinks she needs more food (news flash, she doesn’t) so the moment she hears anyone wake up she’s in the hallway begging. She’s so loud she regularly wakes up my 3 year old! In case you’re wondering why she doesnt actually sleep with us, its because she tries to sleep on faces.
I find it amazing that Corgan is able to hold to full grown cats together in his arms like that long enough for a picture to be taken without them clawing him and each other in a struggle to get down. The cats must both adore him and each other, or they’re heavily sedated.
As for talking cats, I have a Maine coon who is never silent. She even makes little whining noises in her sleep, when she isn’t snoring loudly.
I had a black polydactyl ghost tabby named Ripley that was the baddest cat on the block. I’ll miss her forever.
Awesome post, agree with Kitten that it’s refreshing to read a heartwarming article. 🙂
AW, RIP Ripley.
Polydactyls are awesome! I’ve always wanted one.
I have a black polydactyl named Sasha! I adopted her at 4 weeks and she was starving at the shelter because she hadn’t weaned yet. I had to feed her with a dropper every 2 hours for a month and at best she gives me some grudging respect for saving her life. Most days she just acts like I’m the lucky one, of course.
Thus, I relate to Billy’s comment about the unconditional, but unrequited love.
I had a feeling you would like this story!
I have heard that he is a pretty grumpy guy to be around, but it is so cute to see him looking so chipper with his cats! His smile makes him look like a little boy.
Yeah that’s the happiest Billy Corgan pic I have ever seen.
@TQB you’re an angel! Polys are the best, they have the funniest personalities.
@Kitten, guess who’s waiting for a polydactyl Pixie-bob kitten? *screams*
I am learning so much on this thread! I had to google polydactyl. Very interesting, I had no idea such a thing existed!
Healing + joy. 100%.
Cats aren’t your roommates – they’re your overlords. And if they have fooled you into thinking they’re just your fuzzy friend, they have succeeded in their master plan.
You know how they say “dogs have a owner, cats have a staff”. That’s true.
My cat…well she is THE Queen (all of you bow down), first thing I do in the morning, even before coffee for me, is to feed Her Majesty. When we moved here she has supervised all our work, only to be sure her new place was enough comfy for HER. Whatever you do in this house is for her, even if you don’t know.
My cat Bella is the same way. My mom came to visit us recently and she doesn’t like cats. Any time the cats came around she would shoo them away. Well, my oldest cat would vamoose, but Bella would stay put and look at her as if to say “you are in MY house, human. ALL will worship me!” She would then climb up on whatever my mom was sitting on, lay down and look at my mom as if to say “whatcha gonna do now, peasant?”.
I’ve had a few cats that were roommates. Not all are overlords. Lol
that’s what they made you believe 😀
Naw, one of my cats is SO polite and loving. She aims to please. It crushes her to get rebuffed.
Now my seal point Siamese, he’s simply god. Over lord is too low class for him. 😉 We realised much to late his name should have been Ra. Lol
My cat reminds me of my a-hole roommate – she sleeps on the couch all day, eats the leftover food on the table, destroys all my furniture. She expects me to clean up all her mess. She gives zero fvcks about my feelings too. So yeah, the roommate description is accurate.
My last girl was like that. I found her and her brother out in the street at maybe 5 weeks old. They were barely on solids anyway and I suspect they were dumped even though they were feral. I got hold of her eventually and found out later her brother ended up at the house across the road which was great. After a few weeks I had a tame kitten and she ended up being the most proper little lady you’d ever meet. Impeccable manners, sparkling good hygiene, barely meowed (and even then it was a squeak) and overall was just a sweetie.
Fast forward 9 years and we sadly lost our girl to lung cancer. Husband and I adopted a tuxedo kitten from the shelter and there is no better way to put it: if she was a human she’d be the loud, stinky kid in class nobody wants to play with lol.
Aha yes, I always get the feeling that with cats, you’re THEIR human, they’re not YOUR pet lol. They’re so sassy, I love them.
I love Smashing Pumpkins. And cats.Therefore, I like this post.
My feelings, exactly!
+1
Plus a great charity in Chicago – I love this post!
That’s nice. You hear so much about the rock stars who spend theit time doing less than wholesome stuff and ruining themselves. It’s nice to hear about people who manage to lead stable, happy lives and do decent stuff for causes they care about. I hope Billy sticks around, his music was actually good.
Take that Karl Lagerfeld!!!
I love the cat’s expression “bitch please”.
I was actually thinking that I would love to see the look on Kunty Karl’s face when Choupette came face to face with two rock ‘n roll cats – I bet she loves a bad boy and would totally become their groupie, to Karl’s utter dismay.
That’s great. And one of them is too cool for school! At least too cool to be affectionate.
Love cats; had them almost my entire life. We only have one now but she rules the house with an iron paw. The dogs quake when she gives them The Look. (or at least one of them does)
I have three cats (and one foster) and one of the cats absolutely rules the roost. My dog (she has since passed) always had a deep respect for cats, especially when her enthusiasm was greeted with a swipe of a paw!
I don’t know too much about him, but that’s a cute cover. More power to men who openly love cats!
Men who love cats are the best.
+1
There is something about a guy who loves cats that gets me, its like it gives them extra bonus points right off the bat and makes me instantly like them.
you can have mine and his cat…i will even pay you to pick them up.
Agreed.
And cats are so complex which means the guy in question already has a leg up on other guys.
Guys with cats also tend to be more secure in their masculinity. The default pet for a man is a dog, and I appreciate it when guys are thoughtful enough to realize they’re not dog people or don’t have the right lifestyle to be dog owners and when they’ve decided they don’t care what other people think about their choice of pet.
Happy Friday! Tori and now Billy? What a great start to the long weekend.
Men who unabashedly love cats are the only kind to be trusted =^..^=
Agree completely except for Franco!
Love the Siamese Dream reference!!!
Yes
This post makes me so happy. I had no idea Billy was so into animal rescue work. Good on him!
Paws Chicago is a wonderful shelter! I love driving by and seeing the families in the small meet and greet rooms. I was a foster mom for another shelter and they would not adopt out black cats during Halloween season. People would basically throw them away come November. People have all kinds of excuses. My pets are in the backseat while I have a two year old running around, but I can’t see dumping my first borns.
Such a nice thing, way to go Billy!! We have rescued 3 kitties and we support our local shelters and rescue foundations here in our city. The animals can really use the help and it makes us feel good in the process.
He would look 10,000 times better if he stopped shaving his head. Completely bald is not a good look for him at all. Thinning hair be damned, it still looks better than this on him.
He does look a bit too “cue ball.” But he’s been bald for so long I can even imagine what he’d look like with hair anymore.
You’re absolutely right – nobody would recognize him. I do think it would take off decades and soften his Uncle Fester look though.
I actually get this magazine and when I received it on Tuesday it made me smile!
I adopted my big guy from PAWS 7 years ago in August and it is a tremendous shelter. So nice to see Billy doing something awesome and raising money for them, its the kindest shelter I have ever been to. Right now we are getting kicked out of our house because the landlord is foreclosing and I am having a hard time finding a place who will take him but I am not going with my big love bug.
Very cool! I adopted my cat from there. I originally was only supposed to foster him but I couldn’t let him go! They called me a failed foster 🙂
We are failed foster parents too. Welcome to the club! I understand that practically every person who ever fostered an animal is a failed foster parent. We were so bad we had to quit fostering before we had to buy a separate house for the animals.
I think we should do a “celebrity and cats on friday”.
I love reading stuff like this 🙂
That would be fun, I’ll second that motion!
Yes, please, that’d be great!
Me three. I’d be cool with other pets too.
Just want to add to the Comment total on this post, so we can keep these types of articles coming. Love black dogs, black cats, people who cherish their “roommates” and Billy Corgan. 🙂
I know! Yay for Cat People and yay for Dog People and yay for Animal People!
Two bits
four bits
six bits, a dollar
All for furry kids
Stand up and holler!
Love the fact that that there is so much cat love going on here. I have four foster cats, two of which I bought from Taiwan to Vietnam, and all four will be coming back with me from Vietnam to the UK next year, whatever the cost. When you take on the responsibility of an animal it is for life.
We need more celebrity endorcement of animal adoption. Could we get Hiddles and Cumberbatch to adopt a pussy?
My very polite, dainty, black and white chatter box is from Japan. So I totally endorse moving with your animals (she however probable feels a bit different!). She’ll be 18 this Sept and when she goes, I’ll be so sad. Pets (and all animals) deserve to be loved and cared for until they leave us when they pass.
@LadySlippers, I know how you feel. While I was back in the UK last month, one my cats whom my mum had been looking after for years, had to be put to sleep. She was the first cat that was ever properly mine. However, we called the vet out and she went in my arms, in my bedroom. I wish we could do the same for people tbh.
And I’m not entirely sure how mine will adapt to the UK. Here in Vietnam they are apartment cats. When I get back, they’ll suddenly have a massive garden to play in. And catnip bushes…
You’ll wonder where they are and find them passed out under the catnip on Saturday morning, with tiny bottles of milk strewn around the lawn. With guilty looks.
All kidding aside, personally I wouldn’t encourage mine to go outside if they are already used to being indoor kitties. Much safer. Our cat goes outside, but she has a curfew. Can’t be out too early and has to be in before dark. She thinks we’re mean. And if I had to do it all over again, she’d be indoors only.
“Could we get Hiddles and Cumberbatch to adopt a pussy?”
Ha!! That’s a great idea! Both are like to support a good cause, let’s see how charitable they can be.
Although I think Cumby has said he is more of a dog person, so adopt a b*tch? What a fun campaign that would be! And I’m not necessarily talking about the four legged variety either.
Excellent, I can stop reading the internet for today. Nothing will top this post. Pumpkins and kitties. Yay.
Awwww, love this post! His little munchkins are adorable and Billy looks quite good, too actually. Aging well, I think!
Another celebrity cat lover, who is absolutely swoon-worthy, is Norman Reedus.
http://ladygunn.com/files/2011/05/NormanReedus11.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me0licXo2Y1qabm53o1_1280.jpg
http://www.celebitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/reedus2.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/d8bc35a5b69e97ade0c6a4c04d8924b3/tumblr_mx8t0yc7aU1qaxihzo1_500.jpg
Isn’t Ian Somerhalder a cat guy too?
Yes, he is!
http://vampirediaries.alloyentertainment.com/files/2013/11/ian-and-moke.jpg
http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013311/rs_293x408-130411135839-634..kitty.ls.41113_copy.jpg
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28400000/Ian-and-his-cat-ian-somerhalder-28466691-613-766.jpg
Thanks lunchcoma, love these shots. His orange tabby reminds me a little of my late kitty Pumpkin (RIP).
Norman Reedus is such a dirty boy. Yum.
i thought the Tori Amos post was the best post ever until this. I love my cats and they have free reign over my houehold. a lot of (non) cat people get grossed out that I let my cats walk on the counters/couches, etc. They have their claws too – as nature intended BTW!! Invested in a shop vac and I clean a lot.
We do that too. Unfortunately ours discovered a latent addiction to butter. We have to hide it now. We discovered it when we had some people over, sat down and the butter in the butter dish had rounded corners and tongue marks on it. Lu was sitting next to the table washing her feet industriously so she didn’t have to look at me.
Yassss Billy! Support shelter adoption, especially no-kill shelters! Puppy mills were just banned in Chicago and my home town (suburb) has a referendum out to ban them as well. I have one cat from Paws, one from another shelter, and am picking up my third tomorrow from a rescue agency. Also, we had a black kitty growing up and he was adorable, hilarious and basically just badass in all ways. Love this post so much!
He’s 47? he sure doesn’t look it.It’s also said that if you have a cat especially a black one you need to be careful during the week of Halloween because they have a tendency to disappear.Mine is black and white and he rules not only our house but also our dog.He’s terrified of him.
I found my 1st black girl on trick or treat night. I wasnt really allowed to have another cat back then but I took her home b/c I was worried the stupid kids in the neighborhood would do something to her. I kept telling my mom (this was yrs ago when i lived at home) that I was looking for a home for her. Had 3 ppl interested but I couldnt let them have her b/c they just werent right for her for whatever reason I had in my head at the time (basically that she was going to stay with me no matter what), needless to say we ended up together for the next 14 years and lived 5 different places together. She was my one and only roommate thru every move up until I got my next one 12 yrs later. she’s since passed on but I know Ill never have another one like her. even tho mine have been all blacks since then, they’ve all had very different and unique personalities.
Sound like you and her were just meant to be.
I am not a cat person, but I love the cover and I love Billy. I know what I will be listening to today!
Aww my love for Billy just got bigger 🙂 good for him!
The kitties must love his tummy bump especially if it is hairy and Belly bubbles rock no matter what age you are.
Fantastic! I used to volunteer for a no kill organization for cats for many years so this truly touches my heart. Love him!
When you look at all the comments on these kind of posts and see how many people’s lives have been touched by animals, it is heart warming. I am so much in support of No-Kill animal shelters, people that rescue pets from shelters, people that give their homes to older/less “desirable” pets. Love posts like these.
Where is the Chris Cornell post to fill up the 90s theme? Anyway, Billy Corgan looks cute here. I really don’t remember him being a cat person but whatevs. Good for him for being an animal welfare crusader. However, cats are manipulative. I see they got you too, Billy. You didn’t adopt them. They adopted you, Billy. They are proud owners of a human.
Me too, Tiffany.
I can’t hear his name without thinking about the “Homerpalooza” episode of the Simpsons —
Billy: Billy Corgan, “Smashing Pumpkins.”
Homer: Homer Simpson, smiling politely.
Aww I love cats and I love Billy Corgan! I never knew he was such an animal lover. How wonderful!
I love my black kitty and wouldn’t trade her for anything!
I just came here to say those kittehs are adorable.
OMG this is so cute and cuddly, and completely wrong. Billy Corgan is an arrogant sod and shouldn’t be photographed with black kittens. This makes my heart skip, because a long time ago i had a crush on this man and his music, and I am still waiting for him to record something as melancholy and heart wrenching as Adore, again. He is ageing well, IMO, a bit more chunky but it suits him. 🙂
I’ve been a devoted Smashing Pumpkins fan since ’95, and I have to say, I’ve NEVER seen him smile like this before.
Bonus info: Billy wrote the song ‘Lily (My One and Only)’, from the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album, about his cat at the time.
He is, indeed, a true cat lover!
I am also a devoted Smashing Pumpkins fan since ’97 (seen them 4 times). I have always loved Billy Corgan and now even more! (I love Lily – My One and Only!!)
I have 4 rescue kitties from the farms I live near. One is all black and he is very talkative – he is the newest of the pack. My oldest is a 14 year old tiger, next is a 12 year old Chartreaux, next is an orange tiger who is 3 years old. The 2 females hang with me and the 2 males follow my husband around the yard like they are dogs. Love them!
Awww, your kitties sound lovely!
I have two boys, they are my best friends.
One is a red tabby ,10-year-old Norwegian Forest Cat. He basically behaves like my dog, helps me around the house, loves to drive around with me in the car and takes me for walks (without a leash, of course. Leashes are for dogs, which he has made very clear).
The younger one is a red housecat, he has a very delicate mind, a truly sensitive little boy. However, I’ve worked hard on making him more trusting of the world outside, and I can definitely see progress!
I met him a few years back when they were playing in Boston.
He did NOT want to be recognized and once he realized he I wasn’t a “fan” (though I am) his whole body relaxed and he was very sweet, chatty, and pretty intense/intelligent. He was checking out antique photos and photo albums. He REAKED of patchouli which wasn’t what I was expecting.
Really nice guy but, I am still baffled that he dated Jessica Simpson unless her public persona doesn’t match her true personality.
What is it about the internet and cats? They go together like salt and pepper.
Cats rule the internet and everything else.
I just love animals, especially cats (I had one for seventeen years). And I’m a huge supporter of organizations like this. I wish no kill animal shelters would become the norm. It breaks my heart to think about how many animals are put down each year. More power to Billy, his cats and PAWS.
For some amazing books about adventures living with cats, I recommend the UK author Tom Cox. You can also find him on Twitter as My Sad Cat. So funny and his cats are just utterly adorable, especially The Bear, who is Leonard Cohen in cat form.
First, love Billy Corgan. He’s so beautiful and talented and one of a very select, limited group I’d claim to have a crush on. I love him even more because of this.
Second, all your stories about your passed pets hanging around makes my heart hurt, but it makes me smile, too. I still would swear I see my rottie-beagle mix out of the corner of my eye when I visit my parents. She was a trip and I miss her as much now as then. I’ve also been privileged to have three black cats in my life (one still going strong at age twelve), and it saddens me that anyone would refuse to adopt a black animal over ridiculous superstition. My boy is the most lovey-dovey love muffin ladies man. He never meets a stranger. He’s also a manipulative little turd when he wants to be, but he’s MY manipulative little turd 😀
Ah yes, I’ve had a crush on Billy boy since ’95, he is one remarkable man!
Your manipulative little turd sounds like a real charmer. 🙂
I love Smashing Pumpkins, but Billy C can be a major ass. Besides that…
I have had dogs all of my life, but now have two cats that are the sweetest. I love them so. One is Grace Kelly incarnate, seriously. And one, a girl tomboy who sleeps in the exact same position as I do on my pillow. ❤️❤️
But no, they are not our equal. We are their alpha. You can never ever let an animal rule your household, that is irresponsible. Love them, cuddle them, respect them, take great care of them. However, animals look to you to be their leader. If you allow it to be the other way around, well…..good luck.
Despite feline AIDS, I still don’t put cats in a cage… Despite all his rage, he’s still holding cats on a page…
Did you guys see the article about the guy who takes his (black) kitty rock climbing? It was in the Daily Mail this week. Good article. He lets her walk along with him off leash, they sleep together in the tent, and he harnesses her up when they go climb. Great photos too.
I was a bit concerned that he lets her walk along with no leash . . . she must be a pretty good cat to do that. I’d be terrified mine would wander off and get lost and eaten.
Found the link. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2635153/Now-THATS-mountain-cat-Rock-climbing-feline-scales-peaks-treks-desert-intrepid-owner.html
I have to comment and add that I too have a black and white kitty that my daughter names Kush. I know it has something to do with marijuana, but I thought it was cute. Anyway, a friend of my daughter found this kitten hiding under a car in her neighborhood far from where we live. Her father didn’t want her to keep the kitty, so of course she brought him to our house, knowing we are animals lovers. So, to make a long story short we took one look at Kush and he adopted us. It was really strange how it happened because shortly after Kush came to live with us, my kitty that was about 12 yrs old got suddenly sick and passed away, I was so devastated by his passing, he and I had been through so much, yet having Kush to take care of made it easier to deal with the swift death of my beloved Cookie (that was his name). Kush is not as loving as my Cookie was, with Cookie if you laid on your back he would come and lay on your chest and stomach, and he would nibble on my chin, it was so cute, he gave me love bites and would nuzzle me with his head under my chin. Such a lover he was, and if I laid on my stomach he would come and lay on my back! My little Kush will only deign to sleep next to me if I’m quiet and don’t move too much, he’s such a cutie pie too. Thank you for this lovely story, much better than anything else on this site today.
This is great! I have a black cat named Gus (Augustus is his full name) and he’s a very warm, cuddly Mama’s boy. I have four cats (yep, crazy cat lady)- a Calico, a Tortoise Shell, a brown tabby, and Gus, and Gus is definitely the most cuddly one! High fives to all the black cat owners!