famous cat Owners
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famous Cat Owners or famous People Owned by Cats?
I pose the question because as I started to add famous people who own cats and proudly and affectionately show them to the public on the Index page I've come across so many that I feel they merit a page of their own!
2020/1 - Anthony Hopkins & Niblo
After seeing this article in the Daily Mail on Tuesday, 4th May 2021 I thought I might try and track down the two cats now living with the reformed (and a long-time favourite actor of mine) Anthony Hopkins and discovered 'Niblo' a rescue cat from Hungary - now that's what I call dedication to felines!
'Anthony Hopkins serenades his cat while self-isolating during coronavirus pandemic.' Picture: Instagram / @AnthonyHopkins - image and strapline as seen on Instagram via the Classic FM website
Anthony Hopkins playing piano for his cat while in quarantine is what the world needed
20th March 2020 | Updated: 20th March 2020
It's the heartwarming combination that never fails to eke out a smile. Catto, meet piano...
Sir Anthony Hopkins has been playing the piano for his cat as he self-isolates amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it's just what the whole world needs right now. In the video, the 82-year-old actor serenades his furry companion with a slow piano improvisation, as the relaxed feline sits on his lap and enjoys the performance. Instead of a round of ap(plause)paws, the four-legged listener shows its appreciation through some lovely, heavy purring. It's all very wholesome.
Sir Anthony shared the post two days ago, with the caption: "Niblo is making sure I stay healthy and demands I entertain him in exchange… cats." We have to agree with Niblo – playing the piano is almost always a good idea, particularly during self-isolation.
Over half a million people have viewed the video, with over 8,000 comments from people cooing at the kitty and complimenting the piano playing. It's just the kind of light-hearted and wholesome relief we could all use a bit of right now. More of all of this, please, Sir Anthony.
Screenshot of Anthony Hopkins playing to Niblo on Twitter - read more here
Niblo's Story
Anthony Hopkins, the saviour of a Hungarian cat
Published on 24th January 2018 | Lilla Mezei
Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu reports that since the Welsh actor, Anthony Hopkins adopted a Hungarian stray cat, the life of the small animal has completely changed. Here is how the Hungarian cat, named Niblo, became a resident of the Hopkins' household and led an enviable luxury life. The story of the lucky cat was revealed to the public by Bernard Fekete, a Hungary-born fine art dealer. He talked to the famous actor in his Malibu home when it came to a painting representing him with his wife and a cat. That was when Hopkins unfolded the story of the Hungarian cat that still lives with them. Later on, more details were revealed. In fact, the art dealer got to know that the stray cat was brought to the concierge of a hotel to find a responsible pet owner for the unlucky creature. This was the same hotel where the actor stayed while filming in Budapest.* The next day, Hopkins and his wife sent a truckload of cat toys and furnished a room for the animal. The Hungarian cat was named Niblo, and it has a pretty enviable luxury life besides a fantastic career. In fact, since the beginning of its new life, the cat has popped up in several paintings that later got into the hands of prosperous art dealers and were on display. This is a magical, fairytale-like turn of events, but as the saying goes, all's well that ends well.
2020 - Mia Farrow - Across the Decades
Mia Farrow in the 1960s on the set of 'Peyton Place' - image sourced from and © of Getty/Walt Disney Image Provenance : Mia Farrow Appearing In 'Peyton Place 'Unspecified - 1964: Mia Farrow with cat appearing in winter / holiday Christmas episode of the ABC tv series 'Peyton Place', episode #33 and #34. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Mia Farrow in 2016 and the love affair continues - image sourced from Entertainment Daily with thanks
2020 - Iga ŚSwiAtek - French Open Champion
Iga Świątek and her cat 'Grappa' as they appeared on her Twitter feed after a hard days training with the legend 'Post practise hug (black cats bring good luck) #blackcat #czarnykotnaszczęście #koteł #hugs'
She won her maiden Grand Slam without dropping a set. Find out more about the Polish teen who's just claimed her first Major and broken into the world's top 20.
Written by Cameron Edwards Published on 08.10.2020 · 11:06 AM UTC+1
Records tumbled following Iga Świątek's incredible straight sets victory in Paris. Not only was she the lowest-ranked woman to reach the final since rankings began, she also became the first Polish tennis player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title. A list of Top 10 facts are available by following the links, but for the purpose of this page no. 2 reads :
2. She's a crazy cat lady
Świątek is a huge cat lover and while for now there's only been one at her house – her little black cat, Grappa, but, "one day, I'll want to have more," she says. Where did the name Grappa come from? "Well, it's easy to figure out," Świątek reveals with a smile. We suspect there may have been some home tasting after an Italian holiday.
2020 - Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift with Meredith (I think) celebrating National Cat Day - image sourced from people.com with thanks
2019 - Choupette - post Karl Lagerfeld
I love that he was unashamedly bonkers about his cat and made lavish provision for her after his death.
2019 - Choupette - Beloved of Karl Lagerfeld
On 19th February 2019 we heard the news of the death of Karl Lagerfeld, the globally famous fashion designer whose name has been inextricably linked with both Chanel and Choupette (or should I know better and write 'Choupette and Chanel'?)
Gracing the cover of Madame Figaro - Choupette cocks a snook at Paris Match from where this image is sourced!
Lagerfeld poses next to a painting of his cat during the inauguration of the show 'Corsa Karl and Choupette' at the Palazzo Italia in Berlin in 2015 - image courtesy & © of AFP/Getty Images
Choupette's Instagram account - image sourced from closermag.fr
Choupette 'in mourning' for Karl Lagerfeld: Cat's official Instagram tells of her 'broken heart' and hints her career will continue while she's set to inherit some of his £150m
- Karl Lagerfeld's cat's Instagram page has posted for the first time since his death
- Lagerfeld's beloved Burmese cat Choupette made millions in her own right
- Someone wrote on her behalf of her 'once cold but now simply broken heart'
- Choupette has been tipped to inherit a chunk of Lagerfeld's £150m inheritance
By Ross Ibbetson For Mailonline | Published: 21st February 2019 | Updated: 21st February 2019
Karl Lagerfeld's heiress cat has paid tribute to her late companion, appearing behind a black veil, in a heartbreaking Instagram post. Choupette - who Lagerfeld famously said he would marry - could be set to inherit his £150m fortune, but was described as 'simply heart broken.' The feline was Lagerfeld's great love, flying with him on private jets, adorned in diamond necklaces and raking in millions as a model.
The Instagram post read: 'Thank you everyone for your words of condolence. (cat face crying emoji) With a once cold but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning. 'I pray that your kind words and well-wishes will help me to put my best paw forward in my future without Daddy @KarlLagerfeld & as my own woman.' Clearly someone else must have written this for the kitty, but it is not known who is looking after the gorgeous Burmese since Lagerfeld died aged 85 in Paris on Tuesday.
She was one of the designer's most important companions in later life and enjoyed a life of luxury making more than £2.5million herself. Lagerfeld's massive wealth could end up in the feline's paws if certain legal structures are arranged, it has been claimed. Originally belonging to Baptiste Giabiconi, after two weeks of house sitting for the French model in 2011, Lagerfeld told him: 'I'm sorry but Choupette is mine,' and would later joke that he abducted her before turning her into an international model. From the moment the creative director was gifted Choupette, her life was changed forever. Choupette began her modelling career in August 2012, posing in the arms of French supermodel Laetitia Casta by the Eiffel Tower. The cat has since been used in numerous advertising campaigns, including for Opel cars and various make-up ranges. A whole collection titled 'Choupette in Love' was launched in honour of the feline and a Chanel range was inspired by the cat's eyes.
Laetitia Casta by the Eiffel Tower - image sourced from : catsparella.com
The stunning cat, which has a silky white coat and deep blue eyes has more than 128,000 Instagram followers. Her two maids, Françoise and Marjorie, keep the cat company when her 'daddy' isn't around and tend to her every whim. In addition Choupette had her own collection of jewellery, a chef and a hairdresser. Lagerfeld said in a previous interview: 'Even if she sleeps, she doesn't want to be alone. She's like a chic lady, like a kept woman with her personal maid. 'They play with her, they have to take care of her beautiful white hair, the beauty treatments for her eyes, and they entertain her. She is the center of the world. If you saw her, you would understand.' Likening her to Hollywood screen siren Greta Garbo, he also said of Choupette: 'There is something unforgettable about her, the way she moves, the way she plays. She's an inspiration for elegance. For attitude.' The eight-year-old feline favours walks along the catwalk over walks in the park and prefers hitting the shopping mall or lounging in antique lace to frolics in the garden.
And in true diva* style, she doesn't just have one name. She has three - Choupette, Princess Choupette or Miss Choupette.
The blue-eyed kitty has been the inspiration for many of Lagerfeld's designs, including a black-and-white capsule collection starting at $465, as well as a scented candle which featured her portrait and cost more than $250. Choupette made more than £2.3million in one year alone after appearing in just two ad campaigns — one for Japanese beauty product Shu Uemura, and for German car company Vauxhall. Speaking of his desire to make their relationship 'official', Lagerfeld once said: 'There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals… I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat. 'I look a lot like her, we're really like an old couple. In fact, she maintains it (my beard) for me, we sleep on the same pillow and she spends her life licking it.' Even Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, was drawn to the animal, telling people at the British Fashion Awards in 2015 that she would like to be reborn as Choupette in the next life. But behind the glamourous exterior, in one of Lagerfeld's last interviews, he told Harper's Bazaar, of their deep affection for each other. He told the magazine how he and Choupette slept together, 'sometimes in the middle of the night, she wants to play. She runs all over me and her little teeth bite me through the light summer cashmere blanket.' He described how if he ever slept with his back to the cat she would grow furious. Recently he mentioned the cat when asked about funeral plans, telling Numéro: 'There will be no funeral. I'd rather die! I've asked to be cremated and want my ashes to be scattered along with my mother's... And Choupette's, if she dies before I do.' His spokesperson confirmed yesterday his 'wishes will be respected,' and it is expected Lagerfeld will be cremated without a funeral ceremony. Lagerfeld had previously asked that his ashes be mixed and scattered with those of his mother Elisabeth and his lover Jacques De Bascher, who died in 1989 of AIDS.
* True Diva Style? What an ignoramus! Obviously the reporter doesn't know the "The Naming of Cats" by T.S. Eliot!
2018 - 'Boots' - Fenella Fielding's Companion
Fenella Fielding with 'Boots' - image courtesy & © of the Oxford Playhouse Company as sourced from thejc.com
What a terrible shame that priceless images like this are not discovered until it is time for an obituary to be written! Some choice extracts:
Fenella Fielding: The camp vamp carries on at 90
- Fenella Marion Feldman was born in Hackney in 1927 - the youngest child of a Romanian mother and a Lithuanian father. The relationship with her parents was never easy, often strained and occasionally violent.
- Fenella Fielding survived a violent upbringing to play Ibsen, Shakespeare and Euripides on stage. As an artist, her sheer versatility captivated both Federico Fellini and Noel Coward. This was a woman of wit and wisdom who kept a copy of Plato beside the bed.
- But, for millions, that serious side is long forgotten. Instead, she will forever be Valeria: the camp vamp star of Carry On Screaming - draped on a divan in a skin-tight dress; her voice oozing with sex appeal and sporting eyelashes like upturned claws.
- Fenella Fielding's fame is very much based on two physical attributes. The first is her remarkable husky voice — "for at least 30 years I have been completely entranced and amazed by her voice" says fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, quoted on the cover of Fielding's recently-published memoir. The second, her enormous eyes, much enhanced by false lashes and tons of make-up. Overall, her appeal might be called camp vamp.
- Do You Mind If I Smoke? This refers not merely to the puffs that emanated from the cigarette-holder she so frequently flourished on the screen but the clouds which rose from her writhing body in the cult spoof horror movie Carry On Screaming, a scene captured on the cover of the book.
- She was a serious actress remembered for a single, stand-out comic performance.
2016 - bob - Eponymous star of 'Bob the Cat' who adopted (& saved) James bowen
The Duchess of Cambridge meets 'Bob' himself at the premiere viewing
A fitting pose by star of stage and screen - one-time stray Bob - image courtesy of Dan Burn-Forti
With 500,000 Facebook followers, five million books sold and now a movie to his name, Bob – who started out as a neglected stray – is the animal kingdom’s biggest star. Introducing a very fabulous feline (and his human handler)
It’s a story that gives you paws for thought. And I promise you, now that’s out of the way, there will be no more cat puns. But seriously… Busker and recovering drug addict finds stray ginger cat on his doorstep. He tries to shoo the cat away, but the cat refuses to leave. Cat moves in, and ends up with busker in Covent Garden, where he scrapes a living playing Nirvana songs to uninterested passers-by. With the cat drawing a crowd, things start looking up. Busker stops busking and starts selling The Big Issue. Spotted by smart literary agent who commissions a book. Leading to a raft of further books, which sell millions of copies around the world and lead to a film, A Street Cat Named Bob. Bob is the cat. The (now former) busker and Big Issue vendor – and Bob’s minder, so to speak – is a softly spoken man named James Bowen.
Before the books and films – before Bob became an international celebrity – he and James would travel around London on the bus with Bob, secure on a lead, on James’s shoulders. But those days are gone.
Source Daily Telegraph
2016 - Unnamed Kitten - All Dressed up and nowhere to go - Julian Assange's captive feline
Julian Assange's pet cat was spotted peering out of the window of the Ecuadorian embassy in London wearing a collar and tie while his owner is quizzed over rape allegations
The pet was given to Mr Assange by his young children earlier this year to keep him company during his four year stay at the embassy in Knightsbridge - Images of Assange Kitty courtesy and © of Reuters - story source Daily Mail
Collared : Pet cat wears tie for the police
Wearing a smart white collar and a red-and-white striped tie, Julian Assange’s cat was dressed up for the interview. The fugitive’s moggy was spotted prowling the Ecuadorian embassy wearing the bizarre costume as her owner was quizzed over rape claims. It was given to the WikiLeaks founder by his young children to keep him company while he was holed up for four years at the diplomatic mission.
The female kitten, whose name is unknown, even has its own Twitter account – @EmbassyCat – where updates are posted about her daily activities.
It says it lives with Assange and is ‘interested in counter-purrveillance’.
1991 - 'Tiffany' - Freddie Mercury's Companion
Image and full story sourced from The Daily Mail
Cat man Freddie loved cats and had several. Some of them were exotic breeds and some he had rescued from the Blue Cross Charity. There were times when he had six spread out on his king-sized bed purring away with contentment. There was Tiffany a long-haired blue point and a gift from his former girlfriend Mary Austin; Delilah, the cat who inspired the Queen song of the same name; plus ginger Oscar, big rangy Romeo, Miko and all-white Lily. Once when I asked him whether he would like to have a baby, he replied ‘Yes, but I’d rather have another cat!’ In his will he requested that Mary look after the cats for him on his death, which she did on inheriting his home in Kensington where she still lives with her two sons.
1990 - Unnamed (as yet) Gordon Jackson's Cuddly & Much beloved Companion
Unnamed only in as much as I haven't yet sourced a name - delightful study of Gordon Jackson in 1975 and his extraordinarily handsome long-haired Burmese - image sourced from Getty (1st August 1975: Scottish actor Gordon Jackson (1923 - 1990) who plays Hudson the butler in the television series 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. (Photo by Wright/BIPs/Getty Images)
1973 - 'Fred' - James Beck's companion
James Beck best known as Private Walker in "Dad's Army" at his home in Sheen sitting with his cat, Fred. Image courtesy and © of Dennis Stone 15.03.1973
A still from the original film showing the iconic 'Black Cat cigarettes' poster in the background
Privates Godfrey (Arnold Ridley) and Walker - James Beck in more familiar pose in his Home Guard garb - image courtesy of the Daily Telegraph's Rex
Mid-1960s - Ryan O'neal (Heart throb of the day)
Not sure whose got more of a 'sourpuss' expression O'Neal or the cat he is hanging on to - image sourced from and © of Getty/Walt Disney Image Provenance : Ryan O'Neal At Home During The Making Of 'Peyton Place' Unspecified - 1964: Ryan O'Neal at home with his cat, behind the scenes during the making of the ABC tv series 'Peyton Place'. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
1940 - 'bimbO' - The C(aRt Tutor) that taught the Klees all they knew
Each to their own! Not my favourite representation of a feline! - Image sourced from rumriverartcenter.com
Paul (18th December, 1879 - 29th June, 1940) and Lily Klee with Bimbo - image sourced from Vassar.edu
1940 - 60s - All the 'Jocks' who were "winnie's stoic companions'
Churchill holding the original Jock in a family photo on the occasion of his grandson Winston's marriage in July 1964 : Image courtesy of EastWest.eu| Narrative source : Great Cat.org | Read more Purr 'n' Fur
"New marmalade-coloured kitten comes to Winston Churchill’s former country house" - Jock VI sitting proudly in the confines of Chartwell House - image courtesy & © of the gravesendreporter.co.uk
Jock VI, the current cat in residence, jumps from a memorial bench at Chartwell on January 23, 2015 in Westerham, England. Churchill's first cat, Jock, was given to him on his 88th birthday and when Chartwell was given to the nation it was requested that there should always be a similar cat in residence. The 'Death of a Hero' exhibition is opening at Chartwell, home of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death and state funeral in 1965. Narrative source : Getty | Image courtesy & © Gareth Fuller/PA
Publication by The National Trust
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Page updated : 10th May 2021 (G)