12 Famous People You Might Not Have Known Were Cat-Lovers

Cats aren't only the favorite pet of witches and spinsters, but many celebrities and historical figures also took pleasure from having these curious creatures roaming around. Here are 12 famous and historical figures who are (or were) true cat people.

1. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has long been known for her love of cats and often shows off her two cats — Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey — on social media.

2. GOT7

The K-Pop band not only has a cat together, but the individual members have over five cats combined. Members JB and BamBam are the best known for love of cats and will often post pictures of their cats on Instagram or show them off in live streams to their fans.

3. Isaac Newton

Yes, the man whose work defined our understanding of gravity was a huge fan of cats. He's even the topic of an urban legend that claims that Newton may have invented the pet door, although foolishly building two separate doors for the mother and kittens, not realizing the kittens would simply follow their mother out the larger door. Whether or not this legend is true, it's still nice to think that one of the world's foremost scientists may have invented the pet door, simply to make his pets more comfortable.

4. Ernest Hemingway

Writer Ernest Hemingway is so known for his love of cats the term "Hemingway Cats" has become synonymous with "polydactyl cat," or six-toed cats. If you visit Hemingway's home in Key West, Florida, you will be met with descendants of Hemingway's own six-toed cats.

5. Freddie Mercury

The biopic of the Queen frontman, "Bohemian Rhapsody" includes a few moments showing Mercury's cat-loving tendencies. Mercury's personal assistant even said later that when Mercury was away performing, he would call home just to talk to his cats.

6. Mark Twain

If you look up Mark Twain quotes about cats, you will be met with many that ultimately lead to the conclusion that Twain was completely enamored by cats. He was even known to keep up to 19 at one time.

7. Edgar Allan Poe

As one of the forefathers of the horror genre, I feel like it should come as no surprise that Edgar Allan Poe enjoyed the spooky company of cats. Cats came up in his work and it is said that his cat perched on his shoulder and watched him write. Perhaps his meow sounded something like, "Nevermore!"

8. Haruki Murakami

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami often writes about cats and includes them in his work, he even once owned a cafe that he named after his cat. One of his most well known works, Kafka By The Shore, includes talking cats as main characters.

9. Mary Pickford

Trailblazing 20th-century actress Mary Pickford was known for her love of all animals and is often pictured with a cat on her shoulder. Also, she has a Washington State connection, as the Pickford Theater is named after her.

10. Eartha Kitt

Not only did Eartha Kitt play Catwoman in the Batman TV series, she was often known to bring her cat on set with her and was often described as "cat-like" by the press at the time. It only seems appropriate that she is among a famous company of cat lovers.

11. Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is another known cat lover. Not only does his cat have a Twitter account (although it's been inactive since 2014), but he often talks about his cats and has even met Taylor Swift's cats.

12. Pablo Picasso

The famed artist known for cubism and his contributions to modern art was also a cat lover. He painted cats and was later photographed with his own. While not as explicit as many of the others, I think it's safe to assume that Picasso had some affection for the critters.

Originally published on Odyssey Online