All About Taylor Swift’s Cats, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button

Taylor Swift is a proud cat lady with her three felines, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button.

The Lover singer featured Benjamin on her TIME Person of the Year cover in 2023 and later used one of the photo shoot images to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

In her Instagram caption, Swift applauded some of Harris’ proposed policies and signed her message “Childless Cat Lady” in a nod to Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance who first used the phrase, saying the United States was run by “childless cat ladies who “force their misery on the rest of the country.”

Swift has never been shy about making her cats part of her personality, and fans love her all the more for it. All three cats have made multiple appearances on her social media pages and even in some of her music videos. In 2020, the superstar’s pets were also featured in her holiday card, wearing cute winter gear against a black-and-white background reminiscent of her 2020 album folklore.

The Grammy winner has also said that her beloved cats have had some influence over her career. In 2019, she told TIME, “I have cats. 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.” In fact, Swift even attended a “cat school” on set to prepare for her role.

The Midnights singer has spoken several times over the years about why she developed such an affinity for cats, telling TIME, “They’re very dignified. They’re independent. They’re very capable of dealing with their own life.”

Swift’s self-proclaimed cat-lover status has even done some good. Ahead of the Houston stop on her Eras Tour, a local animal shelter announced it was reducing its cat adoption fees as a nod to Swift’s passion for the animal.

Posting the program announcement — aptly named “Lucky $13” — to its website, the HHS shared: “KARMA IS A CAT, PURRING IN MY LAP ‘CAUSE IT LOVES ME!!!”

Here’s a look at everything to know about Swift’s three cats: Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin.

Meredith Grey

Swift’s first famous cat is a Scottish Fold named Meredith Grey (yes, she is named after Meredith Grey of Grey’s Anatomy). The pop star got Meredith in 2011.

The kitten has always had a special place in Swift’s heart. “She is awesome. She’s, like, the most adorable cat in the world,” the singer said not long after bringing her home.

Their relationship, however, is not one-sided — Swift has a loyal fan in Meredith. In 2012, when her then-new single, “I Knew You Were Trouble,” was playing on the radio, Swift filmed Meredith meowing along to the song.

Meredith has made several appearances on Swift’s Instagram and is a bit of a star in her own right as well. Look closely throughout Deadpool 2 to spot Meredith: she appears in a t-shirt Ryan Reynolds’ character wears in the film, which shows Meredith and her sister Olivia Benson sitting side-by-side with the words, “Olivia & Meredith Best Friends Purrrrr-Ever.” The Scottish Fold also appeared in Swift’s “ME!” music video with Panic! At the Disco.

That said, Meredith might be Swift’s most reclusive cat. In 2020, Swift encouraged her fans to self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic with a cute photo of Meredith sitting in a toy, barely visible. In a tweet, the pop star wrote, “For Meredith, self quarantining is a way of life. Be like Meredith.”

In 2021, fans became concerned about Meredith when they realized they hadn’t seen many photos of her recently. Swift had to reassure everyone that the cat was fine — she just doesn’t like being the center of attention.

“We’ve been hearing some rumors on the internet recently,” Swift said in a video online, while holding her cat Benjamin Button. “I mean, they’re not about you, Benj, they’re about your sister.”

“The truth is, Meredith just hates having her picture taken,” she explained, displaying a few photos of the cat looking annoyed. Swift even included a clip of the cat running away as she confronted her with the “recent allegations” that she was a “missing cat.”

Olivia Benson

Swift brought her second cat, Olivia Benson, home in 2014. Olivia is another Scottish Fold named after a TV character — she gets her moniker from Mariska Hargitay’s character on Law & Order: SVU.

In 2015, Olivia even got the chance to meet her namesake. Swift shared a video of the white kitten cuddling up to Hargitay as she knelt down to feed her. “This is Olivia Benson meeting Olivia Benson, and um, things are going well so far,” she said in the video.

Like Meredith, Olivia is a bit of a star. She also appeared in Deadpool 2 and in the “ME!” music video. In 2017, Olivia had her own moment in the spotlight when she was featured in an outtake from an AT&T ad campaign with Swift. In the video, which Swift posted to her Instagram, the singer crawls across the floor and asks Olivia, “Are you a saber-toothed tiger cub? Are you my baby wolverine? Are you Princess of Meow Town? Are you just a melting snowman? Are you just a sloth? ‘Cause you’re just a little unicorn kitty cat!”

Olivia has also joined her mom in a Diet Coke ad. In the clip, Swift plays with the cat while she drinks a can of soda — but every time she takes a sip, more cats appear to surround Olivia.

The Scottish Fold even helped Swift prep for her Reputation stadium tour in 2018. The “Shake It Off” singer posted a photo of Olivia staring at the camera mid-stretch with the caption, “We are all stretching to prep for that tour choreo.”

In 2019, Olivia joined her mom and brother Benjamin at the Billboard Music Awards, where she had yet another brush with fame after running into Paula Abdul.

“I’m trying to give them a normal upbringing but when the little ones and I ran into the flawless @paulaabdul on the way to red carpet we STRAIGHT UP had to get a pic,” Swift captioned a snap of her, Abdul and the two cats. The encounter was particularly memorable for Abdul, who later told Access Hollywood she’s actually allergic to cats!

In October 2024, Olivia appeared in a video Swift shared on Instagram to celebrate the final leg of the Eras Tour kicking off in Miami.

“Back in the office… 😎,” she captioned the video, which shows the singer holding the feline while walking into Hard Rock Stadium.

Benjamin Button

Swift got her third cat, Benjamin Button, in 2019. In keeping with tradition, she named him after a fictional character she loves: Brad Pitt’s Benjamin Button in the film of the same name. Unlike his cat sisters, Benjamin is a Ragdoll.

The kitten’s sweet adoption story started when Swift met him on the set of the music video for “ME!” Benjamin starred in the video alongside Meredith and Olivia, though Swift wasn’t his cat mom just yet.

In an Instagram Live video with Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie, Swift talked about how she took Benjamin home with her after the video shoot. “He was just a cute kitten who didn’t have a home,” she said, noting that he was part of a program that “tries to get cute kittens adopted by putting them in commercials and stuff.”

When the handler asked Swift if she wanted to hold the cat before their scene, she said she knew then he would be coming home with her. “She handed me this tiny cat and he just starts purring and … he looks at me like, ‘You’re my mom, and we’re going to live together.’ I fell in love,” Swift said. “I looked at Brendon and he’s like, ‘You’re going to get the cat aren’t you?’ ”

A few days later, Swift introduced him to the world on Instagram with a cute photo of the two of them, writing, “And then there were three … ”

In December 2021, Swift had Benjamin join in on the viral “#ImFeeling22” hashtag. She posted a TikTok video of herself lip-syncing to her song “22,” panning the camera to feature a shot of Benjamin. She captioned the video, “Benjamin is 22 in cat years. #ImFeeling22.”

Swift’s cats have been a constant in her life, and even her ex-boyfriends have had bonding moments with them, including Joe Alwyn, whom the singer split from in April 2023.

Benjamin joined Swift on the cover of TIME in December 2023. The cat looked like a fluffy accessory as it rested gracefully on the singer’s shoulders.

“Time Magazine: We’d like to name you Person of the Yea- / Me: Can I bring my cat,” Swift jokingly wrote on Instagram. Benjamin made another appearance on the social media platform in September 2024, when Swift used a photo from the TIME shoot to endorse Harris for president.