Ryan Reynolds jokes Taylor Swift sued him for using her cats in ‘Deadpool 2’

I have stolen the title from a website called NME. The story is a bit of fun. Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift are buddies I believe. So Ryan is taking the Mikey when he said that Taylor sued him for not asking her permission to put photos of her cats on his T-shirt. 

In a recent Sirius XM interview (July 19), Reynolds discussed featuring Swift's cats, Meredith and Olivia, on a T-shirt in his 2018 film. The sequel, Deadpool & Wolverine, is set to hit theatres this week (July 26).

“Yes, I had a T-shirt made. Yes, of [Swift’s cats] Meredith and Olivia on Wade’s shirt,” Reynolds explained during the interview. “Yeah, you know, just little details, that’s all.”

He was asked if he'd got permission and his jokey response was:

 "No, I was sued. I lost everything in that one. And getting sued by a friend is tough to swallow. Also, she has just a lot of very, very powerful lawyers. I found out later those are just the paralegals. The real lawyers didn’t even bother with it. But…I would never do such a thing." Meaning wear a T-shirt with Swift's cats on it."

Here is the video of the podcast (nice location) where the conversation took place.

Taylor's cats get everywhere. There's probably more gossip about her cats than about 90% of the celebrities in the US! 😉💕😃

Ryan Reynolds is a Canadian-American actor, producer, and businessman. He's renowned for his charismatic and often comedic roles, but he's also proven himself as a dramatic actor.

He gained widespread popularity for his portrayal of the irreverent superhero Deadpool in the eponymous film franchise. His witty and self-aware performance in the role solidified his status as a Hollywood A-lister.

Beyond Deadpool, Reynolds has starred in a variety of films, including romantic comedies like The Proposal, action flicks like Blade: Trinity, and even dramas like Buried. He's also known for his entrepreneurial ventures and sharp wit on social media.

Taylor Swift is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter known for her candid lyrics and evolving musical style. Rising to fame as a country artist, she's transitioned seamlessly into pop, showcasing her versatility and immense talent. Her dedicated fanbase, the "Swifties," is a testament to her global influence.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Cats are taking over Hollywood. Great.

It seems to me that Hollywood producers have finally and conclusively switched on to the fact that having a cat in their film enhances its appeal. They have been in films before as we know but it appears that they are more often in Hollywood films nowadays than in the past. 

Film star ginger tabby cat at the Oscars 💕😊. This is a fictional individual!

Here are some examples and a possible reason why cats are taking over Hollywood at the moment. My personal reason is that the Internet has changed people's perceptions about the domestic cat a lot.

Domestic cats are featured in billions of videos and still images. There's a lot of discussion about the cat breeds and cat behaviour. People are far more aware and in tune with feline behaviour and feline attributes. The same goes for dogs but perhaps in a slightly lesser way.

Cats are currently having a big Hollywood meow-ment, with top creatives increasingly casting them in dramatic roles for live-action projects. Let's explore why cats are stepping into the spotlight:

Maine Coon in "Ripley": In Steven Zaillian’s acclaimed Netflix limited series "Ripley", a Maine Coon named Lucio plays a significant role and has been dubbed “a main character.” Lucio's majestic presence adds depth to the show.

Lupita Nyong'o and Her Tuxedo Cat in "A Quiet Place: Day One": In Paramount’s upcoming film "A Quiet Place: Day One", Lupita Nyong'o portrays a woman trying to escape an alien invasion alongside her tuxedo cat, Frodo. The feline companion adds tension and emotional connection to the story.

Ginger Cat in "The Marvels": Last fall, Disney’s "The Marvels" featured a deadly super-powered ginger cat named Goose. This unusual casting choice highlights the growing trend of giving cats more substantial roles in live-action films.

Scottish Fold in "Argylle": In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy "Argylle", Bryce Dallas Howard's character is on the run from assassins, accompanied by her Scottish Fold cat, Alfie. Despite initial reservations about using a cat, Alfie became a central character in the movie's marketing campaign.

Why Cats, and Why Now?

Why? While there’s no single reason, several factors contribute to this trend: Zeitgeist: Cats are currently in the cultural zeitgeist, capturing attention across various media platforms. Taylor Swift's cat, Benjamin Button, even graced the cover of Time magazine as “Person of the Year” .

Internet Love: The internet's fascination with cats, from memes to viral videos, has elevated their status and made them endearing to audiences worldwide.

In summary, cats are no longer just props; they're taking center stage in Hollywood, proving that even notoriously independent and unpredictable animals can shine in the spotlight. 🐱🎬.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Each of Taylor Swift's cats worth £80 million each? True or false?

The Mirror newspaper tell us that Taylor Swift's cats which comprise one Ragdoll and two Scottish Fold cats are each worth £80 million in terms of their ability to earn revenue. The valuation comes from a website AllAboutCat.com. It's pure speculation actually. 

The valuations must be based upon their individual social media accounts and how much revenue they earn. They will certainly be good earners because they are associated with Taylor Swift who is the top social media star on the planet as far as I know.

A lot of cats don't like cameras and in Meredith's case it won't help her earnings potential! Image: Instagram (believed).

Taylor Swift is approaching a personal valuation of US$1 billion. It's no surprise that her cats have a good value as well in terms of their ability to earn money but it's simply a spin off from her. Her Ragdoll cat Benjamin Button would just be another Ragdoll cat in another home with no value other than their purchase price but for the fact that Taylor Swift looks after him, lives with him and promotes him on her social media webpages.

The conclusion is that we don't know for sure how much Swift's three cats are worth individually or jointly.

Anybody valuing them would do so subjectively because it's too difficult to quantify objectively. In case you aren't aware, Taylor Swift's three cats are Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey and as mentioned Benjamin button.

RELATED: Do cats hate cameras? Taylor Swift’s cat Meredith does!

My research indicates that it's unlikely that they generate a huge amount of income on their own to justify these valuations. Their value, as mentioned, mainly lies in the fact that they are cat companions to Taylor Swift.

Their earnings probably come from merchandise promotions using their image or appearances in media projects.

Their worth would be based on licensing agreement values, the amount they earn through endorsements and customer demand for products or media promotions featuring the cats.

Taylor Swift's enormous wealth is based on her talent as a musician and songwriter. Not on the presence or value of her cats. Although they probably polish up her image nicely. Did she adopt them for that purpose?

Separately, I don't think it's all a bed of roses for Taylor Swift and her cats. She tends to treat them as babies and I think that is incorrect - best to respect the cat. And she promotes the Scottish Fold which is a breed which should not be promoted because they are inherently unhealthy. In fact, it's a breed which should not exist if you are really concerned about animal welfare.

RELATED: Osteochondrodysplasia is seen in ALL Scottish Fold cats.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Director of the film 'Argylle' sacked the professional cat actor and used his daughter's cat instead

You know that you can get professional animal actors. I'm talking about cats and dogs usually who are regarded as professional actors. Their owners can make, I guess, a decent amount of money by allowing film producers to use their animals as actors in a film. 

I believe that this is Mr Vaughn with his daughter's Scottish Fold, the non-professional feline actor who became a film star! Image: Fandom Wire.

Clearly, animal actors have to be well behaved, well trained and able to take directions of some sort! You would expect, animal actors to be particularly well-rounded individuals, calm and able to absorb without fuss all the commotion that occurs on a film set with strange people in strange places.

There is an up-and-coming new film due to be aired in 2024 called Argylle and it is directed by Matthew Vaughn. In The Times today he is reported to have told Empire that he had originally hired a professional feline actor.

He said that, "It was very expensive but it wasn't very cute and it was useless."

And so, Mr Vaughan fired the professional cat actor which may have been against union rukes but then I don't think cats are members of any film unions. Vaughn added that, "They don’t have any rights, thank God." Now that's another long discussion because cats do have rights under the law but not of the kind that Vaughn is referring to.

He decided to go up to his daughter's bedroom and he asked whether he could borrow her cat, Chip, for three months.

Chip turned out to be a really good actor. He is the star of the film! Mr Vaughn says, "He was always looking at the right place. I don't want to be rude about some actors I've worked with, but Chip was easier."

So, little Chip, the new feline acting star is now going to be featured in a book and merchandise is going to follow featuring the little fella.

This is partly because he is a cute-looking Scottish Fold. These are the new hot cats because Taylor Swift adopted one. What she touches turns to gold.

It is said that when non-child actors get a break in films because they are the offspring of celebrities and become stars they are described as "Nepo babies".

So, the question is according to Patrick Kidd, the Times journalist, whether "this is the dawn of the nepo kitty".

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P.S. please forgive any typos. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Flat-faced Persians bought for social media 'likes' are being abandoned

The title comes from The Telegraph which I can't read because you have to subscribe nowadays to this online newspaper. This, by the way, is a growing trend. The online newspapers simply aren't making enough money through advertising but I don't think people will subscribe to them in sufficient numbers.

Anyway, I digress because I know what The Telegraph is talking about even though I cannot read their article. It's a well-known phenomenon actually.

RSPCA campaign against the flat-faced Persian in which they tell the truth about the breed. Image: RSPCA.

The RSPCA can provide some information. They say that there has been a rise in Persian cats being abandoned to them between 2018 and 2022. 

On Facebook, the RSPCA state that: "Worryingly, there's been a 92% increase in Persian cats coming into our care in the last four years as the popularity of this flat-faced breed continues to rise. These cats are often seen as being cute because of their features, but in reality, they can suffer from: breathing difficulties, eye problems, difficulty sleeping."

They actually suffer from more problems than that such as PKD - polycystic kidney disease (35% of the Persian cats apparently suffer from this disease). And they have tear duct overflow which means the tear ducts are distorted and so tears do not drain away from the eyes but the liquid spills over down the front of the face where they face become stained.

It's a well-known problem that you have to clean the face of a Persian cat regularly. A number of celebrities in the UK have adopted Persian cats. Also, in India you will find that high-profile female celebrities like the Persian cat. In fact, in India, the Persian cat is perhaps the most popular cat breed together with the Siamese. These are very long-standing cat breeds and India has a young, emerging cat fancy and therefore they prefer the old breeds.

Punch-face Persian.

Indians living in India call the flat-based Persian a "punch-face Persian" in recognition of the fact that it looks as though somebody has punched in the face. It is an objectionable label sadly.

For example, in the UK, Kate Beckinsale, is obsessed with her Persian cats, Clive and Willow. They accompany her on her Instagram pages. Taylor Swift has not adopted a Persian cat.

In September 2012, Kim Kardashian adopted a Persian kitten. Although Taylor Swift has not adopted a Persian cat, preferring to select the Ragdoll and Scottish fold, she has promoted the concept of buying exotic domestic cat breeds which I think has encouraged others to do likewise to help create successful social media accounts such as on TikTok and Instagram.

Taylor Swift has, I believe, the highest number of followers on social media of anybody on the planet.

RELATED: Flat-faced Persian cat can’t eat conventionally because the food goes all over their face.

But when a person adopts a flat faced Persian in order to post pictures of them on social media, they will find out about the responsibility that they've taken on in looking after Persian cat which is at a slightly added level to normal. 

They will also find out that it is very hard to acquire lots of followers on social media and have a successful social media webpage. Nearly all of them fail.

So, when they have failed in their attempt to become social media stars, the Persian that they acquired no longer serves their purpose so they abandon the cat to the RSPCA. That, I believe, is the story. It is a great shame because the Persian cat is being used as a means to try and generate social media fame which a lot of people crave. It doesn't work actually unless you are Taylor Swift but then people follow her because of her love because of cats.

Separately, you will find that other well-known cat breeds are also used to try and generate fame for their owner, vicariously. The Maine Coon is a typical example. This is currently a very popular cat breed and because of their size they look very impressive in photographs. 

You will see many TikTok and Instagram accounts in which the account holder shows off her Maine Coon cat and how they develop from kittens to giants. The same objective is being followed for the owner of these cats: to achieve social media fame through their cat.

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Please forgive any typos. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I can't spend long on them as they are not seen by a lot of people nowadays! Sad but true.

About Choupette, a Birman cat loved by Karl Lagerfeld

People ask: 'What breed of cat is Choupette?' As far as I know Choupette is still alive and the recipient of a $1.5 million legacy from her adoring caregiver Karl Lagerfeld who passed away in 2019 aged 85. News media reports that the cat is now looked after by Lagerfeld's housekeeper Francoise Cacote, in Paris, France. I expect she uses the money to look after darling Choupette in the manner to which she is familiar with a lot left over to spend on herself but we don't know!

The name "Choupette" is a cute version of the French word for 'cabbage' namely 'chou', which is a term of endearment between French people. French people sometimes give their opposite number a nickname such as "my little cabbage". The name Choupette is derived from that cultural habit.

Choupette is a Birman purebred cat. They are a majestic longhaired particolor, pointed cat. They have striking blue eyes and white laces and gloves on their feet. That all sounds a little bit complicated so I'll try and explain it.

RELATED: Famous felines: the stories of history’s most notable cats.

The word "particolor" means more than one colour. So, this cat breed is a pointed cat like the Siamese cat which means that the extremities are darker than the middle portions but, in this instance, the dark extremities are not a single colour but a mix of colours. 

And in the case of Choupette, in my opinion, the pointing is dilute tortoiseshell which is orange and black with tabby markings. It's rather complicated. And to go a bit further, I would also state that Choupette's pointing is diluted. Therefore, this cat carries the dilution gene.

Choupette. Image: Instagram.

If you look at the photograph above carefully, you will see that the pointing looks like a diluted red or orange. But if you look to the left of her left eye, you will see some darker-coloured fur. This is in my opinion a dilute black and the two colours together indicate to me that this is a tortoiseshell mix of colours on the extremities. It is manifested in terms of a red pointing colour on the tail.

RELATED: Karl Lagerfeld is wrong about animal fur.

Choupette has 'gloving' on her feet (white fur). The gloving on her left foreleg is not perfect and breeders of Birman cats expend a lot of effort in trying to get that perfect white paw with a clear demarcation between the darker area of the paw and the remainder of the foot.

The white gloves and "laces" on the feet are created by the piebald gene a.k.a. white spotting gene together with a pattern gene for the placement of the white in that particular area.

If the white fur runs up the leg the breeders call this "runners". This means that the white fur has run up the leg metaphorically speaking. It's taken many years of breeding Birman to Birman with the desired white-spotting pattern to achieve the perfect gloving on the feet. They have achieved this through careful selective breeding (artificial selection) to weed out the undesirable patterns and to fix the desirable patterns in their breeding lines.

The eyes should be blue, sparkling against the darker pointing of the face. Birman cats are said to be healthy and intelligent. They are relaxed and easy-going with their human family members. They have a tolerant personality and a peaceful nature. Choupette does have this aura of calm and sweetness about which she probably has. This is why, I presume, Karl Lagerfeld adored her so much.

Choupette entered the life of Karl Lagerfeld in 2011 when he adopted her from a model who, I presume, was modelling his clothes. The model's name was Baptiste Giabicone. They went on holiday and left Choupette with the staff at Lagerfeld's home. That was the beginning of the relationship. In short, Choupette was given to Lagerfeld as a gift during Christmas 2011.

Two Ragdoll cats go missing INSIDE their home!

Yep, this is an example of how domestic cats can genuinely go missing even when they are full-time indoor cats and they have not escaped to the outside. It happened to me once. You're convinced that your cat has escaped the home and that you'll never see them again. You search frantically for what seems like ages and scratch your head to try and figure out where your cat or cats are.

You then finally find your cat or cats tucked away in a place that you never imagined they'd be. That happened to me when I fostered a little tabby kitten who grew up to became my best friend. He'd placed himself inside the double-bed storage area under the mattress.

Zara with her Ragdolls. Image: Instagram

In the case of Love Island's Zara McDermott, her cats were hidden inside an electrical cupboard in the basement with the door jammed shut!

Zara said: "I just had a near mental breakdown because I home and I couldn't find the cats anywhere, I spent 20 mins searching every room and cupboard for them and I couldn't see them.

"Anyway, long story short my brother calmed me down on the phone and I started searching every part of the house top to bottom, I found them inside an electrical cupboard in the basement...

Ragdolls cats go missing inside their home. Image: Instagram

My guess? The cats found a nice cosy cubby-hole to snooze away some hours while Zara was away and the door shut because the cats knocked the broom that was in there.

Zara was beside herself with anxiety believing that she had lost her beloved Ragdolls. I understand her feelings. It happened to me as mentioned but my cat - who's on my legs as I type this - is a humble moggie. Just as good though.

Jared Leto arrives at the Met Gala as Karl Lagerfeld's cat 'Choupette'

Choupette with Karl. Image in the public domain.

Outrageous. Impressive and impactful which I guess was the intention. Nice to see the humble (not so humble in the case of Choupette who's rich - $150m) domestic cat featured so outstandingly. 

In case you are unsure, Choupette is a blue-cream tortoiseshell Birman cat who was the pet of German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld from around Christmas 2011, until Lagerfeld's death on 19 February 2019 at the age of 85.

RELATED: Doja Cat dressed had to toe in glittering cat garb with facial prosthetics at Met Ball 2023.

This is Jared Leto's send off to Karl Lagerfeld. A recognition of his brilliance as a fashion designer and his love of cats. 

Credit: see above.

Choupette was probably the most spoiled and pampered domestic cat on the planet, treated as a goddess, but she never became obese. He loved her but didn't let his love lead to overfeeding. Great.

I have a page on Choupette which may interest you. 

Lagerfeld’s pampered cat Choupette to get paws on £150 million fortune.

Here we see Lagerfeld photographing Choupette. I believe that the image is in the public domain.

Here we see Lagerfeld photographing Choupette.

How much did Grumpy Cat earn throughout her 7-year life?

There was a lot of talk all over the internet and on news media about Grumpy cat earning around $100 million in her life or part of her life (April 4, 2012 – May 14, 2019).

 

You'll see this number repeated all the time but since her premature death on May 14th, 2019 at the age of 7, there has a correction by Tabatha Bundesen, Grumpy Cat's owner. She denies that the $100 million figure is accurate. She does not tell us the true figure. 

Bundesen and Tardar Sauce, the cat she exploited to make millions. Image in the public domain (believed).

It is hard to envisage her earnings being higher than $100 million, therefore they were lower. 

In fact, the language that she used in her denial hints at the more likely true figure. She described the report as "completely false" to the Huffington Post.

'Completely false' indicates that $100m was very wide off the mark and in my view a greatly overestimated number. For example, if Bundesen had said that the $100m was 'slightly false' we'd know that it was fairly close and a little high.

'Completely' indicates that the $100m is probably about 3 times too high on a guess. If I am correct Bundesen made around $30m from all the endorsements and appearances over her life.

Bundesen successfully sued one business for $700,000 for example. That gives us a clue as to the type of numbers involved.

Wikipedia plays very safe and says that she earned between $1m and $100m! Not very precise!

Tardar Sauce (her real name) was very big at the time. He earnings must have been in the many millions. We just don't know how many millions.

Bundesen was a waiter before her cat became the world's biggest ever cat celebrity. I'd expect her to be set up for life financially. She won't have to work again.

The sad part is that Grump Cat owed her considerable fame to her deformed anatomy. Her short legs and diminutive body and importantly her downturned mouth giving the grumpy appearance were all due to dwarfism. This was a distorted anatomy and her health was poor as she died well before her time.

She was exploited really. Harsh to say that but it has to be true. If we did the same thing with a human the person involved would have been successful prosecuted for criminal behavior! It is a funny old world.

Olivia Benson, a cat worth millions with big earning potential

Everything that Taylor Swift touches turns to gold metaphorically speaking. For example, Taylor Swift, herself, is officially the most followed person on Instagram with a mind-blowing 239 million followers. We know she loves cats and we know that one of her cats as Olivia Benson, a Scottish Fold.

Olivia Benson. Image: Instagram (modified by MikeB)

And because of that connection and for no other reason in my opinion the news media are saying that Olivia Benson has the potential to earn millions and therefore is worth millions herself.

Taylor Swift has given Olivia her own Instagram account. From that account she has the potential to earn big. She is described as a moneymaking machine with an estimated value of US$97 million.

How does it happen? Why can't I have a cat worth millions of dollars!? Hundreds of millions of people would love that too. But you've got to be Taylor Swift. Olivia Benson living with John Doe in a suburb of New York would not make a penny even if they had their own Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The idea that Olivia Benson is worth pots of money comes from a website called All About Cats in which they state that Olivia "has found success outside the world of Instagram influencing. The Scottish Fold earned her fortune starring alongside her owner in several music videos, has crafted her own merchandise line, and has had cameos in many big-budget ads."

That's the story! I don't have much more. I have to touch on a couple of moral issues which I know are boring and there's no glitter or celebrity discussing moral issues but I have to do it.

Note: these embedded social media posts sometimes fail. It might not work. If so, sorry.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olivia Benson💎 (@_olivia_benson_the_cat)

Benson's followers

Well, I have discovered that Olivia is not doing great on her own Instagram page with a measly 581 followers. Perhaps this story is all hype, smoke and mirrors?!

Moral Issues?

The first issue is that Olivia Benson is a Scottish Fold as mentioned. A lot of people think that this is a cat breed that should not exist. The reason why the ears fold flat is because the ear flaps, made of cartilage, are defective. The cartilage isn't stiff enough to keep the ear flaps erect and that is due to a genetic mutation which has been handed down to offspring through selective breeding over many years. 

The Scottish Fold is a breed of domestic cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that affects cartilage throughout the body, causing the ears to "fold," bending forward and downward towards the front of the head, which gives the breed its distinctive appearance. Scottish Folds are known for their sweet and affectionate personalities, and they are a popular choice as pets. 

The genetic mutation that causes the folded ears is dominant, which means that if a Scottish Fold is bred with a cat that does not have the mutation, approximately half of the offspring will have folded ears. However, there are some potential health concerns associated with the Scottish Fold breed, including an increased risk of developing certain orthopedic problems due to the genetic mutation.

So, Olivia Benson is perpetuating something which is not that great to be honest. And secondly, I'm not sure it's a good idea to have a domestic cat earning money for you. My mind immediately turns to that great organisation PETA which has that wonderful motto on their website about animals that are not ours to be used for our entertainment or any other purpose.

Certainly, when cats are used to make money, they break that PETA mantra big time. I'm not suggesting that Olivia Benson doesn't like performing for the camera and making some dosh for her owner but she would probably be happier at home snoozing above a warm radiator or soaking up the sun by a window.

Taylor Swift celebrates Benjamin Button's birthday by lip-syncing her song "22"

On her Instagram page, Taylor Swift, lip-syncs to her upbeat song "22" in celebration of her Ragdoll cat, Benjamin Button's 22nd birthday in cat years. As a rough estimate you divide by seven so I'm guessing that Benjamin is about three years old.

Taylor Swift celebrates Benjamin Button's birthday by lip syncing her song "22". Montage: MikeB based on screenshots.

The pop superstar celebrated her 32nd birthday on December 13. She took to her Instagram account on Monday, December 27, to share her video while sitting alongside her adorable purebred cat. Ragdoll cats are particularly attractive, perhaps the most attractive of all purebred cats.

RELATED: Taylor Swift falls in love with Benjamin Button (a Ragdoll kitten ‘purrbox’).

The recording used a New Year's themed filter and the brief clip features swirling confetti and Swift wearing a headband that reads “I’m Feeling 2022".

You can watch the video on Instagram by clicking on this link. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CX_inZjhMPY/

It has received 2,539,963 likes ❤. That is because Taylor Swift has 194 million followers on her Instagram pages. It might surprise you to know that that places her 14th in the current list of most followed Instagram celebrities. The top spot is Instagram itself at 453 million followers. The top genuine spot by an individual person is Christian Ronaldo at 381 million followers.

Biden family are adopting a cat

NEWS AND COMMENT-WHITE HOUSE: It is all over the news and it is pleasing news for people who like and live with domestic cats. We know that the Bidens like animals and so you could say it's about time they adopted a White House cat. There's a cat waiting in the wings, apparently, currently with a foster carer, which they are going to bring to the White House in January 2022. That is the sum total of the news about the Bidens and a new cat.

Jill Biden and Major in the foreground. Photo: Jill Biden.

They've also adopted a new dog whose name is Commander. It appears that their two-year-old dog, Major, couldn't settle in the White House and they have wisely, I would say, decided to rehome him. There were reports of him nipping people or a person. I don't think these were really difficult situations but he was clearly unhappy. Perhaps these were defensive bites because of stress. He's gone to a quieter home with family friends. It's best for him.

Major has not been at the White House since the beginning of the year. He was undergoing 'additional training'. Commander is the sole companion animal at the moment at the White House.

I suppose, on a realistic note, the Mr and Mrs Biden will have to ensure that their new cat fits in. It depends upon the individual's character. But bringing in a new cat into the White House is not the same as bringing a new cat into a three bedroomed, semi-detached house in Washington DC.

There's lots of activity I guess at the White House, a lot of people, noise and disturbances from time to time. The new cat is going to have to be well selected which I think he is. We don't know the cat's gender but for the sake of convenience I have described him as male.

When they placed a mouser at Downing Street in the UK, the residence and office of the Prime Minister, they went to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to select an individual that they believed could cope well under tricky conditions for a domestic cat. He had problems with the new dog, Dilyn apparently.

Larry the cat at number 10 Downing Street is spraying urine to mark territory on the arrival of Dilyn the dog

The Bidens' new cat is going to have to get on with Commander and settle in quickly and feel confident and relaxed in their high profile role. There will be lots of news about him or her. I'm sure the Bidens want it to go very well. They don't want to be seen as failing. It would not look good if they had to rehome their new cat having already rehomed Major.

It's good news though. It's good for domestic cats to have a high profile feline in the White House to generate some pleasant, light-hearted cat news for the future.

Scary cat video. Cat looking like a monster emerges from under the bed

This is Toby from the Instagram account: 'tummyandgummy'. He has the feline version of Ehlers-danlos syndrome, which is what makes his skin so loose and also very prone to serious cuts. It is also called Cutaneous Asthenia. Ehlers-danlos syndrome affects the connective tissue. It is an inherited, genetic disease. The skin, as you can see in the video, is stretchy and loose. It is also fragile. It is caused by a genetic mutation which affects the production of collagen. The collagen fibres have an abnormal structure which weakens the skin making it prone to damage.

The joints are also lax. A slight scratch can damage and tear the skin. The skin can become scarred. This deficiency in collagen can also have an impact on other tissues of the body such as the blood vessels, heart and the eyes. If a kitten is severely affected, they may not survive. If the condition is mild or moderate cats can live to a normal lifespan. If the skin tears and is bruised it can be painful and it can cause irritation. Owners have to bear this in mind and reduce the risk of skin damage by removing sharp or rough objects in the cat's environment. Regrettably, there is also an argument to de-claw the cat to stop them scratching themselves.

Thankfully, Toby has not been declawed because we can see is clause in the video. Well-done to his human caregivers. This is a rare condition. In affects Himalayan cats more than other breeds. The gene concerned is an autosomal recessive.

Cat with feline version of Ehlers Danlos. Screenshot from Instagram video.

In the video we see him under the bed sliding out like an undersea monster or one of those zombies from The Walking Dead whose been in water for 18 months. Sorry if that is insulting to this cat but that is what it looks like to me. It is a bit shocking really. You might know that I don't like to see cats with medical conditions that make them look strange being exploited on social media. It seems entirely wrong to me. We wouldn't do it with humans so why do it with cats? Because they are second class citizens. Yeh, I know I am being incredibly boring and tiresome but that's the way I see it although I understand the motivation: to get viewers, followers and fame.

Toby has social media fame as he would because he looks so damned strange. I have written about him before - click to read and see if you wish.

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A post shared by Toby 🦓 & Quinton 🦁 + Leo 🐯 (@tummyandgummy)

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Minghao with a kitten

Minghao with a kitten. I have chosen this picture because I think it's very nice although I'm not completely convinced about the way the kitten is being held by Minghao. Better not to treat cats and kittens as babies. 

I'm also not completely convinced that this is Minghao! :) The Twitter caption is not clear but I think it is. And if it is, Minghao is a Chinese singer, songwriter and dancer living in South Korea and a member of the South Korean boy group Seventeen. I have seen another photograph of Minghao with another cat so this guy likes cats. 

His alternative name is interestingly "The8". It is a very novel name. It is a stage name. The number 8 is liked by many people in China. When it is "laid down" (whatever that means - rotated?), the infinite sign appears. That may be partly why it is considered a nice number.

Minghao with a kitten. Instagram.

It's interesting that if you search for "cats" on Twitter you invariably get a huge number of tweets from South Korean boy bands. These are all very attractive, girly, or androgynous looking boys. I think this is a good thing. It is nice to see the boundary between female and male broken down. It is very much a modern concept.

It would appear that South Korean girls (who are the biggest audience for K-pop) like this kind of neutral, in-between the genders, beauty. And that is fine. Perhaps when they grow up, they may be more attracted to the more masculine (in the classic sense) male appearance.

They are groups that have been created artificially, I would say, by producers who want to make a lot of money out of them. I don't want to misrepresent the situation, and I am guessing, but it is likely that these boys are exploited. I wonder how much money they get out of their songs? No doubt the producer who created the band gets by far the biggest slice of the profit.

On an associated issue, there are a lot of celebrities who like to have companion animals. And they almost invariably create an Instagram account to tell the world about this. Sometimes the photographs are excellent and they genuinely are entertaining to their fans.

Of course, when a celebrity associates themselves with an attractive companion animal it helps to promote that celebrity. It also helps, incidentally, to promote the animal which is often nowadays a purebred cat, sometimes the Scottish Fold because this particular breed has been promoted by Taylor Swift. I have some doubts about the ethics of that because the breed has potential health issues. But that is another matter which I won't go into here.

Here's a bit more about Minghao. He was born on November 7, 1997 and attended Beijing Contemporary Music Academy. The boy band Seventeen debuted in 2015. Minghao was awarded the "Prime Minister's Commendation" from the Prime Minister of South Korea for his contribution to the development of the country's contemporary pop culture and arts.

Jeongyeon’s cat 'Bomb' copies her when she taps her leg

This is cool. Jeongyeon is a 'celebrity' as I like to call them. A created celebrity as a producer created the band of which she is a member. She is a 24-year-old South Korean singer and member of the South Korean girl group Twice. She obviously lives with a cat. Here we have her cat copying her as she taps her leg. It is a clear example of domestic cats learning by observation which they are very good at as they learn to hunt and become independent when living in the wild as a feral cat. Kittens learn fastest when observing their mother or a close relative. I guess that, instinctively, they trust them the most.

Jeongyeon on Instagram.

Note: this is an embedded tweet. It may disappear over time as it may be deleted at source on Twitter. If that has happened, I am sorry but I can't control it.

Jeongyeon also has two dogs: Nanan the poodle and Bbosong the white Pomeranian (source: aminoapps.com). The same source says "she also has a cat named Bami, a Scottish Fold cat, [who] technically belongs more to Jeongyeon’s sister, Gong Seung Yeon". 

Jeongyeon’s cat 'Bomb' copies her when she taps her leg. Screenshot.

"The actress brought Bami into the family when he was 8 months old". This appears to be the cat in the video. She seems to have two names from her Scottish Fold: Bami and Bomb. The cat is a grey solid colour. There is a problem with celebrities adopting Scottish Folds probably because Taylor Swift adopted one. This breed should not exist arguably because the mutated gene that creates the folded ears can cause serious harm to the cat if the breeding is not accurate and ethical. How many Scot. Folds are 'culled' at birth? No idea. Perhaps none, perhaps some.

Jeongyeon’s cat Bomb copying her taps on her leg pic.twitter.com/MLqLVn8pm9

— hourly cats (@hourIykitty) July 29, 2021

'Penguin Cat' is very obese (for a purpose?)

The 'Penguin Cat is so named because she likes to stand upright like a meerkat. Unusually, she holds the position for long periods. A domestic cat might do this because they simply like to do it. However, I would suggest that there will normally be a specific reason why a domestic cat likes to sit up on her haunches like this. 

In this instance it may be because she's obese. It may be more comfortable for her in this position. Also, it is apparent that if she lost weight she would no longer look like a penguin and this would totally undermine the reason why this cat is a celebrity on TikTok.

I don't want to overly criticise the owners but they should reduce their cat's weight if only for the benefit that it will bring in terms of health. Just like humans, obese cats can suffer associated health problems such as diabetes and arthritis because of the extra pressure on the joints.

Penguin Cat. Video screenshot.

I used to live with a three-legged cat and he very often took up the meerkat position particularly when asking for food. He did this because he had three legs. His back had become very strong to compensate for the loss of one leg as he had to pick up his body with his back muscles in order to move. And standing tall like this meant that he could get my attention more easily.

@pegwu.the.penguin.cat

Wait for the “big” part 😂😂😂 ##fyp ##catsoftiktok ##emophase ##feelinggood ##xgamesmode ##typing ##chonky

♬ Rasputin (Single Version) - Boney M.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Dwarf cats also tend to stand up like this on two legs, using their tail and bottom as a stabiliser. Dwarf cats have short legs and therefore they lack height. I would suggest that they take up the meerkat position in order to get noticed, to make them taller. As I see it, there is a reason behind a cat taking up this position because it's unnatural.

You will see this position taken up in a more extreme sense when male cats are fighting over territory. You may have seen the video or the photographs on the Internet of domestic or feral cats looking like humans standing tall on two legs. But once again this is highly unusual.

As I'm sure you can guess, "Penguin Cat" is named like this because she looks like a penguin with her black-and-white coat and her stance. There is a distinct resemblance. It's made her a celebrity on TikTok. I just wonder whether the owners have decided to keep her obese in order to ensure that she takes up this upright stance. If I am right then the reason for it is the obesity.

'Truffles' - from unwanted stray kitten to treasured working cat

This is an excellent example of how an "ordinary" unwanted stray cat is, in fact, a very valuable cat and that value has been shown to the public because Truffles is now a sweet working cat helping children to accept their new glasses at an optometrist called A Child's Eyes. She is described as "an ambassador for vision" by the pediatric optometrist whose name is Danielle Crull.

Truffles the optometrist's working cat. Photo: her Instagram account.

Daniel believes that Truffles was born in July 2016 as a stray cat and was adopted by Danielle and her family in October 2016. And quickly, they both benefited. Truffles is a working cat because she's very useful in promoting Danielle's business and settling down the children to make the experience for them more enjoyable. At the same time, of course, Truffles is a beautiful cat companion.

For me, there's nothing more pleasant to see than a well looked after working cat contributing to human society while at the same time having a good life. It's a way of adding value to the domestic cat which in my view is undervalued in general. When you add this value to a domestic cat, they are better protected. They are safer and of course admired.

Danielle makes tiny glasses for Truffles and she found that she was able to wear them. When children came into the "optical shop" as Danielle calls it, Truffles is able to demonstrate the glasses to children and it helps to put them at ease. And she says that Truffles helps to build the children's self- esteem.

Truffles glasses don't have lenses in them, obviously, and Danielle finds that she enjoys wearing them. This sweet kitty has six pairs of glasses and she will wear one for an hour or more. She'll even go to sleep wearing a pair of glasses. Truffles is a celebrity cat with the usual social media websites. She has 15,500 followers on Instagram for instance. Pretty cool.

Truffles is a tuxedo cat with britches and a ruff! She's very classy.

Here is a video of her at the shop:

Dracula cat became a celebrity because of her grossly misaligned jaw

Am I the only one who doesn't get this? Why do people make what appears to be a poorly bred, black Persian cat with a misaligned jaw a celebrity? I have never seen an undershot jaw so pronounced as this and in my view it is a case of poor cat breeding. 

 Poorly bred Persian cat with grossly misaligned jaw is a social media celebrity. Photo: Instagram.

Two people found this cat on the New York streets we are told and they rescued her. I'm guessing, which I fully admit, but it seems to me that somebody has bred, perhaps informally, a Persian cat and it has gone horribly wrong so they abandoned the cat on the streets. 

I don't think a cat breeder produced this cat. Perhaps somebody adopted a Persian from a cat breeder that was unsterilized and they bred from her. I don't know the history so I'm guessing wildly but this is a flat-faced, brachycephalic cat, which is exactly what Persians are. 

But what sets this cat apart from any other is this horribly misaligned jaw and I just don't get why that warrants this cat becoming a celebrity. Humans are celebrating a deformity which is very sad for the cat although I'm sure she doesn't feel any pain or discomfort but it may affect her eating. We shouldn't celebrate human mistakes. We don't put humans who suffer from some sort of skeletal deformity on a pedestal and chatter about them with enthusiasm!

Princess Monster Truck! A feel sad for her. She should live a quiet, enjoyable life out of the limelight. Photo: Instagram

I have seen many Exotic Shorthair cats with this jaw deformity. These are shorthaired Persians. They are very closely related to the Persian. The most famous was Lil Bub. What is the obsession with misaligned jaws in cats? Is it the Dracula look? I think it is.

They have given her the name Princess Monster Truck, which I can't understand either. They've even claimed intellectual property rights over the name. I wouldn't bother to try and protect the copyright of that name because it bloody awful.