karma is a cat
Cat lady Taylor Swift inspires $13 adoptions at Houston Humane Society in honor of her Eras Tour shows
Find your future Olivia Benson (pictured here staring off at something next to Swift) with HHS' new promotion.
Megastar Taylor Swift has many titles: pop culture icon, Grammy Award winner, singer-songwriter.
But we're guessing one title she will never shake off is cat lady. A simple scroll through her 'gram reveals she's pawsitively (sorry) obsessed with her three cats: Olivia Benson (named after the Law & Order heroine), Meredith Grey (so named for the Grey's Anatomy protagonist), and Benjamin Button (after Brad Pitt's reverse-aging hero).
To honor Tay Tay's three Houston shows this week, Houston Humane Society is hosting a "Lucky 13" cat adoption event. Dubbed The Forever Home Era — to toast her Eras Tour stops — the event makes cats housed in the shelter for more than 30 days available for adoption for a mere $13 (a nod to Swift's lucky number).
Typically, Houston Humane's cat adoption fee is $50. Prospective pet parents can scroll through future fur babies here — remember, the kitties need to be in the shelter 30 days or more. The adoption offer runs through Sunday, April 23 — Swift's last show date.
Fans of Swift know that the pop princess is so cat-focused that she took a "cat class" during production of the film adaptation of Cats (she played Bombalurina in the movie).
“I have cats,” she explained to Time in 2019. “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,” she said. “Like, this is my calling in life to do this—for the ladies.”
Her cats have starred in commercials, in her video for "Me," all over social media, and even on her cakes (see above). Swift even had earrings made in Olivia Benson's likeness, a move that Olivia probably appreciates — but surely would never publicly express gratitude for, given that she's a cat and all.
“They’re very dignified," Swift noted in the Time article of her kitties. “They’re independent. They’re very capable of dealing with their own life.”
Apparently so, as apparently Olivia is worth (read this while sitting) an estimated $97 million, according to The Ultimate Pet Rich List (which exists, apparently). Benson's worth, per the list, comes from her music videos, her own merchandise line, and cameos in big-budget ads for the likes of Diet Coke and Ned Sneakers.
Sadly, Swifties can't bring their kitties — even newly adopted ones — to her Houston shows (our Gabi De la Rosa plans your fit for the show here). But no doubt, they'll have fun serenading their new furry friend with all of Tay Tay's jams (as one does with any cat).
Meet the adoptable cats at The Houston Humane Society’s Audrey Jones Beck Adoption Center (14700 Almeda Rd.).
