Sophie Cat

We got the following message and were happy to oblige! 

I love your site, and I'm hoping you will add this beautiful photo of sweet kitty Pebbles who owns Susan Boyle, the Scottish singer with the WONDERFUL VOICE!

from...a Susan Boyle FAN

Celebrities that shouldn't have cats living with them grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ........

Yet again Pete Doherty has hit the headlines. (No surprise there then), this time it was about the disgusting state of his current residence (no surprise there then). In the article it also mentioned that he has cats, his 'ownership skills' have been bought into question before when it was alleged that he was trying to get his cat high on crack!!!! 

In the recent article the cats were described as being ' mangy and feral'. This may of course be the newspaper using it's 'artistic license' (no surprise there then!). However, if it's not, the poor cats need to be taken away to a better place where people would look after them properly. 

Pete, a cat is for life, its not some 'celebrity accessory', they need protecting, feeding, grooming, loving and definitely a nice, clean, warm place to sleep. If not, well....."Hello is that the RSPCA?"......................

Strictly speaking Mime the cat doesn't live with celebrities, but she does visit them on a daily basis. She has taken to strolling across from the restaurant where she lives to dine at no less than one of the Queens residences! I hope Sophie doesn't get any ideas!!  Here's the story from the Sun newspaper:

HUNGRY cat Mime snubs Chinese grub for posh nosh — by gatecrashing WINDSOR CASTLE for lunch.

Every day, the cheeky black and white moggy walks the 50 yards across the cobbled street from the restaurant where she lives. She then strolls past armed cops and guardsmen to the Queen’s apartments, where staff feed her along with the royal corgis.

Mime’s owner, restaurant boss Kevin Lam, 69, said: “She won’t eat any of our leftovers. She’s been going for about four years".

"A courtier told me the corgis used to fight with her at first, but after lots of barking and some hissing they came to a sort of truce.” He added: “On the Queen’s birthday the Army locked the Henry VIII gates but the security guys opened one to let Mime through. After she’s fed she wanders back and goes to sleep in front of the fire.”

A castle source said: “Mime’s part of the furniture. Everyone looks forward to her visits.”

         Mime looking regal!

10 Downing Street have got their first kittie in a decade, after the demise of Humphrey. The following article was from the BBC:

There is a new, Scottish, face at the head of the Cabinet table who is loved by everyone and who has the run of the place. It must be one of the most privileged, and soon-to-be best known cats in British public life.

Sybil - as in Basil and Sybil Fawlty - the black and white moggie is much loved in the home of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling. And that home is now the flat above the heart of Britain's government - 10 Downing Street - where the Darlings, including Sybil, have moved to from north of the border.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman confirmed a new cat was in residence, adding: "The Prime Minister and Sarah do not have a problem with it. I am sure the cat will appear at some point." And sure enough, Sybil came under immediate pressure from the media's picture desks to stage a photocall in her full, feline finery. Asked if the moggie was being given free rein in the building, the spokesman pointed out that cats were not the easiest of animals to deny access to.

Insurance policy

However, Sybil is unlikely to face the same fate as her predecessor, Humphrey, who had stalked the corridors of power for years after wandering in during Margaret Thatcher's reign in 1989.

He was perfectly at home snoozing on the prime minister's chair at the Cabinet table and chasing mice, when he could work up the enthusiasm, but was moved out six months after Labour's 1997 general election win. There were all sorts of dark rumours about Cherie Blair's role in the move and she was forced to deny her dislike for the animal was to blame. Official questions were asked in the House of Commons about Humphrey's absence and health after his departure. The media were later invited to a South London property, where a healthy Humphrey was photographed, hostage-style, with copies of the day's newspapers.

Finally, almost a decade later, Humphrey - named after the Whitehall mandarin Sir Humphrey from the TV series "Yes, Prime Minister" - passed peacefully away at the home of a Cabinet Office worker who had taken him in.

Now Sybil has proved to be a very clever cat indeed by immediately staging the much-demanded photo call.

After all, now she has made the papers and brought choruses of "aahs" around the nation, no occupant of No 10 would want anything to happen which might alienate the cat vote.

....................quite right and don't you forget it!!! ........here's Sybil.......................

            Sybil

Here we have Felicity who lives with Angie's friend, Celebrity Milliner Louis Mariette (judge on series 10 of Britain's Next Top Model).

Louis designed the World's most expensive hat and Felicity has lots of sparkly and feathery things to play with in his studio (lucky cat!). Louis says "she's a real Princess..........with a streak of dizzy blond !!!!"

I think she's an absolute stunner - and Louis looks cute too! If you want to know more about Louis & his gorgeous hats, his website is: http://www.louismariette.com

Apparently Bengal cats have a new fan, the former frontman for the band 'Darkness' - Justin Hawkins. The Sunday Mirror reported the following:

Justin has found a new addiction... for his three Bengal kittens. He bought his new pets when he came out of The Priory - and says: "They look like leopards but are more friendly and cuddly. I called them Barnaby, Troy and Cully after characters in Midsomer Murders.

Their upkeep is costing me more than I used to blow on cocaine! " Bizarrely, Justin now plans to harness the good-luck power of his cats' recently-removed dangly bits to win Making Your Mind Up. He has kept the relevant organs from his two neutered tom cats in jars - and claims he is going to hide them on stage when he sings live.

He confessed: "They have become rather special to me. I am going to hide them in my guitar amps - as long as health and safety don't find out! I shall harness their power to win."

Cosmetic surgery expert, Cindy Jackson, has a Bengal named Cato, seen below with Sharon Osbourne (Cato's not looking very happy, maybe Sharon's nails are a bit long?!!). It's said that Cindy purchased her second-generation Bengal cat in 1998 from breeder Lord C. Esmond Gay for $42,000 (about £25,320)!

Update: Cato sadly passed away in July 2009 aged 12. Cindy said " He had been fighting myasthenia gravis for a few months. The vets did everything they could but they were keeping him alive for the last week with tubes and oxygen so there really was no hope. It was terribly sad".

Nicole Ritchie has a Bengal named Chi-Chi-Cheetah, shockingly within months of getting the kitten it fell from her 10th floor balcony! Luckily the poor little creature only suffered a broken leg. ***Note to Nicole - you were lucky this time, cat's don't bounce!! Keep a better eye on your kittie!!!

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull is also a big ambassador for Bengal cats. He has 2, Tiffen (female) and Sambhar (an F2 male).



Tina O'Brien, Sarah Louise Platt in Coronation Street, is a great cat fan, infact a great pet fan all round. Her family breed Bengal cats!



Calvin Klein flew in his own personal jet to pick up his Bengal kittens, one spotted and one marbled (I don't want Sophie reading this and getting any ideas about her mode of transport! ).

Other Bengal fans are said to include: Jonathan Ross, Kevin Bacon, Jeffrey Archer, Gordy Knudtson (drummer with the Steve Miller Band), Prince Saud A Al Faisal, Cher and Halle Berry who reportedly wanted to adopt the Bengal cat that appeared in Catwoman with her.

Actor Paul Nicholls (amongst many roles - Joe in Eastenders) has a Bengal cat called Pablo. He's quite a fan of exotic pets and also has quite a few snakes, including a rattle snake! I wonder what the Bengal makes of all those? 

Ok, any excuse for a photo of George Clooney - so here's gorgeous George in the film 'One Fine Day' with kitties - what finer combination???? It works for me!!

Queen Victoria had a large Angora cat, White Heather, that was the queen's favourite outlived her and was inherited by her son and successor King Edward VII.

Anne Frank, the thirteen year old German Jewish girl who, with her family, went into hiding in the loft of a warehouse in 1942 actually shared their secret hiding place with three cats - Tommy, Boche and Mouschi.

It was Amsterdam in 1942, the country where Anne and her family had fled to escape persecution by the Nazis. When they arrived at their hiding place, they discovered two cats. One of the cats was more aggressive, so she called it Boche. The other was less aggressive, but always won in the end, so she called it Tommy. The third was the pet of a young man who, with his family, later joined the Franks in hiding. This cat was called Mouchi.

Oscar winning Actress Vivienne Leigh was a cat fan and owned several of them. Her Siamese cat, Poo Jones, was apparently with her when she died.

Elizabeth Taylor is an animal lover, amongst her pets was a cat named Jeepers Creepers, she gave a cat to James Dean, see below.

James Dean had a Siamese cat, Marcus, a gift from Elizabeth Taylor (see above). The night before he died,  he gave the cat to a girlfriend (Jeanette Doty) to watch while he was away racing.

                             Marcus

Freddie Mercury was a huge cat fan and had many including: Tom, Jerry, Oscar, Tiffany, Delilah (his favourite cat), Goliath, Miko, Romeo and Lily.

      Freddie with Oscar and Tiffany

Kate Beckinsale had a close call a couple of years ago when her kittie 'Wabbit' went missing. Luckily she was spotted on a neighbours roof. No wonder Kate's looking a little fraught in the photo 

Marilyn Monroe was also a pet lover, Mitsou was a white Persian cat that she owned in New York in the mid 1950s.

If you know of any more celebrity fans or spot any photo's of the celebrities with their Bengal kitties please let us know!

Sophie's very impressed by the following kittie, Felix. The cat belonging to the Scottish designers Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan was hailed as a hero. Who says cats aren't super smart!! 

The following was a report rom the BBC in 2004:

 Brave Felix with his medal!

Buckingham Palace may prefer dogs but lots of American Presidents have had cats living with them in the White House. Yay!!

Amy Carter & Misty Malarky Ying Yang - crikey imagine calling for that cat!

        Susan Ford and Shan 1974

Socks the famous White House cat who stalked the corridors of power during the Clinton presidency sadly died of cancer aged 18 in February 2009.

                    Bill Clinton and Socks †

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of JOHN F. KENNEDY, owned a cat named "Tom Kitten". Tom Kitten was the first cat in the White House after Teddy Roosevelt's Slippers. When Tom Kitten died on 21 August 1962 the press gave him an obituary notice.

Winston Churchill was a famous cat lover - his favourites being 'marmalade' ones. He even mentioned them in his will, making provision for a permanent cat resident at his home, Chartwell, after his death. His last cat was called 'Jock' and that name continues on in the cat that lives at Chartwell to this day.

The last cat in residence at Number 10 Downing Street was Humphrey, who took up residence there in 1989 when he simply wandered in and stayed. He was named after Sir Humphrey Appleby from the sitcom 'Yes Minister'. He lost one of his nine lives when he narrowly avoided being squashed under the wheels of President Bill Clinton's Cadillac.

There was an uproar in 1997 when Tony Blair was accused of 'getting rid' of Humphrey. The Government had to arrange for press photo's which included copies of the day's newspapers to prove he was still alive. 

After retiring from 10 Downing Street in 1997 and living with a civil servant, Humphrey sadly died in March 2006.

    Humphrey †

Apparently John Lennon was a big cat fan his whole life! Cynthia Lennon said "Once the house was finished John insisted we get a cat - he'd grown up with them, of course, and loved them. The first, a tabby was named Mimi, after his cat loving aunt. Two more soon followed, including one named Babaghi, another tabby and eventually we had about ten."

They feature in all books about John along with photographs of him and all his cats and he even drew pictures of cats, teaching son Sean to draw them too!

I understand that all the following actors are big supporters of rescue centres - so hooray for these great people!!

Betty White (Golden Girls) and Bob

Justin Berfield (Malcolm in the Middle) and Wiz

Loretta Swit (Mash) with Isis and Bastel

Other cat loving celebrities include, Ellen de Generes, Halle Berry, Marisa Tomei, Antonio Banderas, Christina Ricci, Billy Crystal, Kirsten Dunst, Martha Stewart, Warren Beatty, Whitney Houston, Ann Margaret, Mark Twain, Beatrice Potter, HG Wells, Florence Nightingale, Charles Dickens & Victoria Principle.

During her childhood Florence Nightingale was surrounded by animals, according to her mother, she “always had a passion for almost any kind of creature.”

Over the years, cats became her favourite companions.  In fact, they were her chief joy. She probably owned 60 felines during her lifetime. Her favourite was a large Persian named Mr. Bismarck, “the most sensitively affectionate of cats, very gentle. ….who never makes a mistake". 

Her cats tended to upset her ink and made "unseemly blurs" on her papers. These 'blurs' were actually imprints of their paws which are still visible today on many of her letters and drafts. "A small pet is often an excellent companion for the sick or long chronic cases, especially" - Florence Nightingale, 1859.