As we discussed on Friday, Taylor Swift’s big 4/26 mystery was a new single and music video. Months ago, when I was trying to figure out the timeline for her new music, I theorized that she would package a new album with an engagement to Joe Alwyn. I was wrong! I haven’t heard much about Joe in a month or so, even though there were several stories about how “people could see them getting engaged” at various times in 2019. So, no, Joe is not helping Taylor promote her music. Yet. Instead, she used her music video to introduce the new member of her family: a ragdoll kitten she’s named Benjamin Button. Benjamin B. Swift? Benji Swift? BB Swift? All nickname options are pretty cute, actually.
After the video release, Taylor posted lots of stuff to her social media, including a more formal introduction to BB Swift. Benji can be seen in the “ME!” music video too – Brendon Urie offers Taylor flowers and a ring, and she doesn’t want them. Then he offers her Benji and she takes him. Incidentally, that little part of the video is why the Snake Fam believes that her new album is called Kaleidoscope. Brendon’s heart turns into a kaleidoscope, and kaleidoscope is the name for a group of butterflies. Swear to God, Mariah Carey is going to have Tay’s head for this.
Anyway, back to Benji Swift – her two girl cats, Meredith and Olivia, are Scottish Folds. Benji is a ragdoll, and he definitely has a very Grumpy Cat face. I wonder how the older girls are reacting to their new little brother. I imagine there was some hissing. How do we feel about Taylor being a mother of three fur babies? I mean… three is a lot. But the cats travel with her on her private plane and they live that Choupette Lagerfeld life, so it’s probably fine. Also: now that she has three, she should really reconsider their names. It feels like her new cat names should be Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal. I mean, if you have three cats, you just have to do that. Some photos and videos she posted:
This is how he prefers to travel. pic.twitter.com/poYAH52vPl
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 26, 2019
This is Benjamin Button. He’s a good boy. https://t.co/Ou40WXL8hH pic.twitter.com/6aM19kYq5K
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 26, 2019
Think about the place where you first met ME! #MEmusicvideo https://t.co/wImFeZ6kO2 pic.twitter.com/uhiQzzQV4i
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 27, 2019
Photos courtesy of Taylor Swift’s Twitter.
That is one super cute kitty! Taylor seems to love being a cat mom, good for her
Is he called Benjamin Button because Taylors aging backwards into a frou frou tween aesthetic? Smh
Apparently the adoption agency who brought him to the set gave him the name not Taylor.
3 cats is definitely crazy cat lady status. But since she can both afford to care for them, and actually does care for them (cough, kardashians) I guess it all works out.
I’ve got 3 cats and I thought it was common lol
Two of my cats are siblings, and they will be 5 in May 13. My other cat’s age is an estimated 6.5 years. They were all stray cats.
And yes, there was a lot of hissing involved when the third one arrived.
I had 3 cats for many years. 2 were sisters and the third was a stray I took in. They all disliked each other, even the siblings. And then I got a dog and they hated me too 🙂
3 cats here, and a dog. Cats just find us and we take them in.
Rag dolls are adorable.
This would be my ideal. We have two but we feel that we can’t have more than that because we rent and finding a place that’s cat-friendly is hard enough. I want a dog SO badly though. I also would love to foster but again, not able to until we buy a place. So it’s only two kitties for now.
I was adopted by more than three homeless cats, so I wear any cat lady title with pride. They convinced me I was not just a dog person.
I grew up a total dog person…and then I adopted a cat. Proud cat lady now, I’ve got two, including a ragdoll. Honestly, I can’t imagine getting a dog again.
Kebbie, I was amazed at how much easier it is to care for cats. We have one dog now, and don’t think we’ll have another.
Then again, much of my pet guardianship of the past several years has been based on a need that was literally at my doorstep.
Really? As the mom of one fur baby girl, I want another to keep her company but my husband and kids think I’d just be opening a floodgate to a whole houseful.
Three still seems reasonable to me. I feel like four is starting to really push it, lol.
BB is adorable, just precious.
I have three cats, and I know several others with three cats. That said, as far as the crazy cat lady thing goes, the addition of cat #3 was my boyfriend’s fault. It’s really not that much, I just go through litter really quickly.
I think it’s pretty easy to have 2-3 cats at once, as long as you can keep up with the litter box changes. They’re fairly laid back pets past a certain age, barring certain personalities. My friend and her husband owned three at one point, and bought another one after two of them passed and left the one alone. The wife actually grew up with four cats and a dog. My mom owns two and a dog. If you have enough space and people to care for them, it’s no big.
IMO, owning 2-3 dogs is more time consuming to me because they require more hands-on interaction and attention than cats do.
Ok, so we have 5 kitties. #1 and #2 are from my kids who have since moved out and #3 is around the same age as these older two. Then two years ago, a friend found a litter and was desperately trying to find homes for them. So I took in #4 and #5. Yes, I’m aware it’s not normal and I wouldn’t change a thing. Everyone is well cared for and no, our house does not smell like a litter box.
I had three. The younger ones (brother and sister) were adopted from an abandoned litter. I got them as “pets” for my cat, to keep her company. After a bit of “pole positioning”, they all found their “places”, and got along fine 😊. Sigh… I miss my little fur-babies…
It’s not the number of cats that make you a so-called “crazy cat lady”. It’s the condition in which they live. If they’re well fed, receive vet care, and have regularly changed cat boxes – have as many as you want. My max was four cats and two dogs. I lived in a huge three story house at the time with five litter boxes and my home never smelled like cats. I’ve since down-sized in homes, and unfortunately some of those pets have passed on. I currently have two dogs, one cat, and a fostered crow baby.
We’ve got 4 cats: 3 Bengals – Cosmo, Murphy and Luna, and rescue cat banned Skiba. We’ve got our 18-yar-old jJack Russell, Rufus, 1 teenaged Doberman named Ziggy, and a teen rescue bull Arab x greyhound named Raven. We have a huge house and a very large yard, and I’d love a rag doll kitty and miniature or toy poodle, but, we’ll, you see my problem… My daughter had been looking after 2 kelpie x foxy puppies for her friend for the last 3 weeks. They went home a couple of days ago, and she’s been pining ever since, especially because the owner wanted to sell them to us. I had to be the bad parent and say an emphatic NO. TS’s kitty is so cute.
Ha! I’ve got 4. I agree it’s crazy cat people to have 4, but I’m ok with that. In fact, at one point, we had 6. So, 4 is kind of low!
He is SO freaking cute.
Our Cricket is half Ragdoll, half traditional (the heavier set, more rounded head) Siamese. She was an oops kitten.
She is also by far the smartest, sookiest cat I’ve ever had. The ragdoll ‘floppiness’ definitely comes out though, and she lets my husband carry her around like he’s cradling a baby. She’s also done the whole laying on her back demanding attention like BB did in Swift’s video. She’s only about 8 months old – and she’s already caught up to out 5 year old cat in size.
Aw. my IG feed is almost all kittens (don’t judge) and I became so enamored with a little kitten that has a lot of Siamese and/or rag doll. She’s so beautiful and spunky. I think it’s my new favorite breed, never on my radar before for some reason. She has two brothers that are almost all black with faint tabby stripes so it’s hard to guess their parentage.
Do you follow these two? https://www.instagram.com/missenell/
My BF and I can’t get enough of those guys.
Gahhh Nelly looks like a bit more majestic version of Cricket – with darker markings. So freaking cute. Lynxpoint Siamese are so freaking gorgeous, it’s insane. And LOVING. They really cling to one person (thankfully me, or I’d be salty about it). She comes and talks to me when she’s mad or excited. My favorite is when she’s really excited she’ll make this pumped up “whheeee woooooo” kind of noise haha.
My feed is essentially 90% animals. Raccoons and cats, mainly haha. Which is really dumb on my part because I get so upset when one of them dies. Husband keeps sending me grams of squirrels, and I’m starting to get concerned that he’s going to try to lure one from outside hahaha.
This is Cricket. She’s a doll. A devious little plotting doll. I had to take a loaf of bread away from her while unpacking groceries this weekend because she tried to drag it away.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt6kHPRn3nN/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Cricket is beautiful! That’s a stunning color she’s got.
Erinn, she is BEAUTIFUL!! I would so love to get another couple of kittens, but my 91 yr. old dad lives with me, and he uses a walker; I’m terrified for a kitten to get between his feet and trip him up. I’ll just have to take vicarious pleasure in your pics 😊 and when my (big, Golden Doodle) furry nephew comes to visit. I am the BEST fur-auntie! 😄
Thanks Kibbie. She KNOWS she’s a beauty too. After she was spayed every single employee of the vet clinic who I encountered had to tell me what a gorgeous cat she was. She’s a pretty stunning oops!
(THE OG)@Jan90067 says:
Ahhh I completely understand that. My grandmother lives with my aunt, and when she found out we were picking Cricket up she REALLY wanted to get one of the siblings. They ended up deciding against it because she needs to use walker as well, and it would have been really difficult with a kitten underfoot – especially if it was like Crick, who will literally go into a meerkat stance with her front paws dangling, begging to be picked up. So I bring Cricket to visit her and just grab her when nan is on the move so she doesn’t get underfoot. She’ll curl up on her lap and purr like a machine though, so nan is very pleased with the arrangement. Regular, AND fur-aunts are really the best kind of role. All the spoiling without the need to deal with the discipline haha.
Hi, Kitten. Such cuties, I wasn’t following them. So thanks. Some really hilarious shots.
And Erinn, your girl is lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Having mostly kittens in your IG feed just seems like the way to go, really. I created an IG just for my cat @harlequinn.the.cat because I figured my non-cat friends were getting tired of all the pictures. All of her buddies are also cats. The Cats of Instagram community is so full of love and happiness. Most social media is NOT that way. It’s a great way to wind down and relax.
He is cute! Your Cricket sounds cute, too! We have two White Maine Coon boys and they just turned 11 years old. They rule the household and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
Maine Coon cats are so stunning!
Ours absolutely rule the house as well haha.
One of my pair turned out to have some Maine Coon in him – he’s a real character and has been super attached to me since day 1. His sister is a sweetheart too.
We have a half Maine Coon half Russian Blue named Smitty (The Kitty) – he’s got the Maine Coon personality, funny as hell and chatty, with the Maine Coon colouring and big ole ears but sleek fur and long lean body like a Blue.
I don’t want to admit just how much time I spent on the internet on Friday trying to figure out what breed Benjamin Button is. I finally settled on Ragdoll, but my boyfriend was like, “That’s a Siamese kitten,” so my sleuthing was thrown off for a bit.
My friend has a gorgeous tortie named Cricket, it’s a very cute name for a cat.
It’s SUCH a good cat name. I got some flack from a few people at work because they were like “oh. you named that beautiful kitten after a BUG!?” but it suits her so much.
I lived with my cats for a few days before settling on names that would match their personalities: CG (my tabby) was for “Curious Georgia” (because she was so nosey about EVERYTHING I did 😊), Lucy (my tuxedo) was after Lucille Ball (she was hysterically funny as a kitten), and my boy was Phineas T. Barnum (Barney, a Russian Blue), who was a HUGE showoff, and who felt *I* was the sucker born to rub his belly. They were all *so* affectionate and friendly 😊
@Erinn, one of my cats is named Chicken (and she is the love of my life), so you won’t catch any flack from me for naming your cat after a different species.
@Erinn, (not sure if I’m replying in the right place), I just checked out your IG and omg, I love your kitties! Is it okay if I follow you?
Chicken, your boyfriend’s right. Benjamin Button is a Siamese mix known as a Snowshoe. They have the blue eyes and chocolate markings of the Siamese on the head and top of their body, but with white paws and white down the center of the nose. BB Swift has more white than a lot of Snowshoes, but the markings are unmistakeable.
Oh my god, those beautiful blue eyes. So cute! Adorable cat. xx
Blake Lively is pregnant with her third baby.
I think that’s what Taylor is actually insinuating with her whole- ‘Introducing my 3rd baby kitten’, with words and pictures.
I have three cats! We adopted our youngest when our oldest two were 9 and while they hissed at her a bit, it was the smoothest feline introductions I’ve ever seen..I think alot had to do with the youngest’s personality, she is just a puddle of sweetness.
Benjamin is small enough that once the initial shock is over, the older cats may be fighting over who gets to be his mom. An older, bigger kitten might be perceived as more of a threat.
My current Junior Cat was 3.5 months on arrival and she ended up with a grouchy older sister in the newly promoted Senior Cat. But other much younger kittens ended up quickly with a mom (ten year old Senior Cat, she was in shock for a couple of days before adopting the kid) or dad (12 year old Senior Cat – he immediately became the dad to the current grouchy Senior Cat, she was the one to hiss and growl at him for a couple of days until he gently growled back, like a mom, and she was his forever after that). The little ones can more easily trigger parental feelings.
My gosh, Benjamin really does look like Grumpy Cat.
That is one adorable kitty and will grow up to be a beautiful cat.
So cute! I love her unashamed cat lady status. Cats are awesome.
OMG that kitten is adorable.
Hope they all get along. He seems pretty chill!
Oh my god, he’s absolutely adorable!!!
My Bengal has started getting in the shower with me. I call her my Land Otter. I embrace my middle aged cat lady status.
Taylor looks super pretty in these pics and her cats are perfection!
Amazing!!!
Check the link I posted upthread. Super-cute Bengal and Ragdoll/Birman if you are on IG.
Just followed, thanks for the suggestion! I’m only on Instagram for the cats, lol
Thanks Kitten, I am now addicted to them!
He’s adorable!!! We have four cats- used to have seven- and one of them is a rag doll that I adopted when my mom died. They are SO CHILL. Seriously, our rag doll is named Arnie and he’s super affectionate and nothing ever pisses him off. He loves belly rubs too.
Chill is a perfect way to describe them.
Siouxsie and the Banshees have an album called “Kaleidoscope”. Just saying. 🙂
I have five cats. 3 seniors, one 8 year old and a 2 year old tuxie. All rescues. I work for them. LOL
I have had a rag doll cat. They are personality plus.
OMG, those tiny pink kitten toes make me SWOON 🥰
We are getting a Ragdoll kitten in July and this is getting me so excited! My daughter earned the kitten by taking care of our golden retriever – the friendliest dog on the planet. I can’t wait!!
I am sure the MANY shelter cats suffering in shelters and on the streets are excited for you as well.
And for all you know, Doodle volunteers or donates. It’s incredibly important to rescue – and there ARE many amazing animals in shelters. But forcing people to adopt (and being jerks when they don’t) isn’t going to solve the problem. The problem is all of the irresponsible breeders backyard breeding or not screening potential owners, and the owners who aren’t spaying/neutering their pets like they should.
As long as Doodle is a responsible pet parent who spays/neuters, and makes a lifelong commitment to their kitten, I don’t think they need the shade.
Doodle – congrats! They’re pretty much dogs of the cat world – so fun!
Sarcasm is not necessary – I bought my cat but I volunteer at a cat rescue organization. It’s a person’s own choice and as long as they are diligent and caring pet owners let them make their own choice without shaming them.
Doodle, congratulations on your soon-to-arrive fur baby!
@doodle – congrats to your daughter and I hope you all love the new addition to your family!
We have several kitties, and two dogs. All but one is a rescue. Taylor seems to be a great cat mom, which makes her a good roll model.
I like her music, but love her for her responsible pet ownership. Anyone who cares deeply for animals is okay in my book.
Cats are very social animals and should always be kept in pairs – the only exception are older cats (12+) that have never learnt any social skills because they’ve been kept isolated from other cats.
I’ve re-socialised one of my girls from the shelter with the other and even if they’re not constantly playing or cuddling, cats definitely need each other for a full healthy social life. Communication, observation, simple presence always exists.
So, since you always have two cats… at least, if you’re a decent animal owner who faces the responsibility, a third one doesn’t not make a crazy cat lady or is “too much”. It’s just adding another one.
Besides, CCL is such an awful term.
yeah, crazy cat lady is something some wear with a badge of honor but it’s sooooo inherently misogynistic and nasty towards women
One of the things that I can’t fault Taylor on is her love for cats even tho I’m a dog lover for life…that’s a super cute kitty!
Just got two kittens in January and the little boy is named Benjamin Oliver but I’m usually yelling ‘Benjamin Oliver Button’ at him in a British accent 😂
I hope her foldies do ok with the addition of a the new kitty. I absolutely love Ragdolls–beautiful kitties.
Ummm, I have 3 and at one point 4. But unlike Pretty Pretty Princess Taylor mine are all shelter cats I rescued.
Sorry, but it ticks me off when people buy purebred cats and don’t adopt shelter cats.
Benji is adorable but there are lots of adorable kitties at the shelters who need loving homes. Further proof that she is a self involved little asshole.
She worked with a company that puts animals in commercials and music videos in hopes of them getting adopted by someone on the cast/crew because they need homes, so she did rescue him.
Why are you assuming she didn’t rescue him? I’ve got a ragdoll from a ragdoll rescue. There are Scottish Fold rescues as well.
Oh please. If she got these cats from a rescue, we would know. She would make damn sure we knew that SaInt Tay Tay was saving homeless cats.
Have you ever been to your local APL or worse yet, Animal Control and seen these poor dogs and cats locked in cages? It’s heartbreaking. And every one of those creatures are there headstones some asshole human put them there.
Buying pedigree pets while others need homes is bullshit. That goes for dogs too.
She did rescue him , he was in her video and didn’t have a home .
And now her being pretty is an insult ? She’s the furthest thing from self involved if you look into her charity donations and her kindness in general to her fans and pretty much everyone .
Jeebuz Chilly, just chill out. There is no need to be so aggressive. I’m not a Taylor Swift fan but she actually did rescue him and she is very philanthropic so lighten the eff up.
Yes, Swift seems pretty much under the radar about her philanthropy. Sometimes the recipient spills it for publicity, which is common for organizations especially. They want to inspire more donations.
Except….he was adopted? Not sure about her first two cats but she did specifically state that this one is a rescue.
Apparently she did rescue the cat so all this judging is incorrect. I once had a rescue cat, from a local and reputable animal shelter. She was not a good cat although we adopted her as an older kitten and treated her very well. The last straw was when she attacked my 5 year old daughter’s face with absolutely no provocation – I was there and saw it happen. Back to the shelter for the cat (I felt terrible as I knew it was not the cat’s fault, she must have been badly treated when very young, but I couldn’t risk my child). Then I went to the Internet and found a Siamese cat breeder, checked her references, visited the breeder and saw the way her cats and kittens were treated, met the father – and then got a new kitten. She was a darling loving and intelligent cat who was our treasured family member until she died. I had grown up with Siamese cats and have sworn that I will do the same thing for my next cat. Rescues can be fine, but I hate the judging for those of us who prefer a purebred from a reputable breeder.
I rescued two dogs before I had kids, both of whom are gone now. I have a good friend who is a dog trainer for a local rescue organization. Two of my children have special needs, and I mentioned maybe asking for her help in getting a rescue dog. She flat out said no I needed a puppy from a reputable breeder because she could not guarantee my kids’ safety if she didn’t know the rescue dog’s background. So sometimes rescues aren’t feasible. We have a doodle who is amazing with our kids; even as a new puppy he “got” that he needed to play with the two differently than he could play with the rest of us. Best money we spent.
He’s SUCH a cutie! I appreciate that Taylor’s out there representing the cat people of the world. For whatever reason it’s not as acceptable to love cats as it is to love dogs, lol. Can’t even tell you how many times I’ve told people I have cats and they respond “ugh, I HATE cats” as though I didn’t just tell them that cats are part of my family…
I have two Ragdolls, they don’t have grumpy faces, those are usually reserved for the new Persian face types. Ragdolls are just beautiful cats. I hope by her getting a ragdoll, that she won’t cause a buying frenzy, and increasing the number of Ragdolls tortured in kitty mills
Unfortunately I have seen comments of people talking about buying ragdoll kittens as a result, although that was before her video where she notes that he was adopted from a rescue so hopefully her comment about adoption will balance it out.
I didn’t realize three cats was considered a lot. I live with roommates, granted, but between us all we have two dogs and four cats in a three-bedroom apartment. It works out just fine.
I do think 3 cats enters “crazy cat lady” territory, but who cares? Someone owning and loving a trio of cats doesn’t hurt anybody. Plus if you love having a lot of animals, it’s a heck of a lot easier to have three cats than three dogs.
I just helped my friend pick up a kitty from a local shelter yesterday – the only no-kill shelter in my area. It’s an amazing place. They even have a cozy room dedicated exclusively to leukemia positive cats up for adoption.
I love that everyone is just talking about the cute kitten. Usually a Taylor Swift story has more than a few angry comments, and yes she really is a good cat mommy.
I have a suggestion we get each member of the royal family a cute kitten, and for people on here who seem to dislike William we can get him the grumpiest looking kitten. We can name them all too, and the royals have to be good cat mommies and daddies. Then maybe the extremely negative press could go away for all of them. (It’s a joke I know sometimes people have issues with babies and kitties, so don’t comment that way please)
That is one of the cutest cats I’ve ever seen! I like seeing this side of Taylor. I hope the try-hard wanna be “edgy” reputation Taylor is gone for good. But I’m sure the “I’m the victim” Taylor is still there…ugh.
She really is beautiful. Wow.