Olivia Benson (cat) explained

Breed:Scottish Fold
Olivia Benson
Species:Cat
Birth Date:January 23, 2014
Othername:Dibbles
Owner:Taylor Swift Half older sister Meredith Grey Half younger brother Benjamin Button

Olivia Benson is a Scottish Fold cat owned by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She was adopted in June 2014 and named after the Law & Order character. Olivia has since appeared in Swift's music videos for "Blank Space" (2014), "Me!" (2019) and "Karma" (2023), and the documentary film Miss Americana (2020).

Olivia has starred in the brand commercials of Keds, Diet Coke, AT&T and DirecTV, and is the logo of Taylor Swift Productions, Swift's in-house visual media studio. Often appearing in Swift's Instagram posts, Olivia contributed to an increased popularity of Scottish Folds among the public. In 2017, the British Veterinary Association called for a ban on the breed, citing the perceived harm of its characteristic osteochondrodysplasia on the cats' welfare. Comparethemarket.com estimated Olivia's net worth at US$97 million in 2018, making her the second-richest cat in the world, behind the late Grumpy Cat. Films like Deadpool 2 (2018) and Argylle (2024) featured references to Olivia.

Early life

Olivia Benson was purchased by Swift in June 2014 as a kitten. She has osteochondrodysplasia,[1] [2] a painful degenerative joint disease, which affects all Scottish Fold cats.[3] [4] Olivia, like Swift's two other cats, is named after a fictional character, taking after Olivia Benson, the main protagonist of American crime drama series played by Mariska Hargitay.[5] Swift's eldest cat, Meredith Grey, is another Scottish Fold, named after the Grey's Anatomy character, and the youngest cat is Benjamin Button, a Ragdoll named after the titular character of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[6] Meredith and Olivia's names, Swift told Rolling Stone in September 2014, were themed after "strong, complex, independent women".[7] In September 2014, Swift was pictured carrying Olivia around the streets of New York City; Swift noted that this was due to Olivia's inability to cope with being in a cat carrier.[8]

Career

In October 2014, Keds released an advertising campaign featuring Olivia for their "Sneaky Cat" shoes, which featured Swift's birthday on the back, to promote Swift's album 1989.[9] Later that month, Olivia featured in a Diet Coke commercial in which Swift drank Diet Coke as more and more kittens appeared with every sip.

In November 2014, Olivia appeared in a Swift music video ("Blank Space") for the first time.[10] In 2015, Olivia met American actress Mariska Hargitay, who played the Olivia Benson character in Law & Order.[11] In 2017, Ed Sheeran bought his own Scottish Fold,[12] Calippo,[13] to match Swift's cats.[14] Increased interest in the breed as a result of Swift and Sheeran posting them to their Instagram accounts prompted the British Veterinary Association to call for a ban on the breed and for Veterinary Record to review its use in adverts.[15] Later that year, Olivia appeared in an outtake of an AT&T commercial, and the following year she appeared in a DirecTV commercial in which Swift rode a giant "caticorn" version of Olivia.[16]

In 2018, Comparethemarket.com announced their Pet Rich List, which valued Olivia at $97,000,000, making her the world's second-richest cat, behind Grumpy Cat.[17] In April 2019, Olivia and Meredith appeared in Swift's "Me!" music video, along with Benjamin,[18] who Swift subsequently adopted.[19] The cats also appeared in Miss Americana, Swift's 2020 autobiographical documentary film.[20] [21] In May 2023, a sleeping Olivia featured in the music video for Swift's "Karma".[22]

In popular culture

Awards and nominations

Award! scope="col"
YearRecipient(s)CategoryResult
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards2015Meredith Grey and Olivia BensonAussie/Kiwi's Favourite Animal[27]
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards2016Olivia BensonUK Favourite Famous Cat[28]
iHeartRadio Music Awards2018Olivia BensonCutest Musician's Pet[29]
MTV Millennial Awards Brazil2018Olivia BensonPet of the Year[30]
2019[31]
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards2023Olivia BensonFavorite Pet[32]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2014-10-12 . John Cleese: 'Taylor Swift's cat is the weirdest thing I've ever seen' . 2023-07-15 . Independent.ie . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-features/john-cleese-taylor-swifts-cat-is-the-weirdest-thing-ive-ever-seen/30657419.html . live .
  2. Suzuki . H. . Fukaya . S. . Saito . K. . Suzuki . K. . June 2000 . A locus responsible for osteochondrodysplasia (ocd) is located on rat chromosome 11 . Mammalian Genome . 11 . 6 . 464–465 . 10.1007/s003350010088 . 0938-8990 . 10818212 . 37292100 . July 15, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10818212/ . live .
  3. Web site: Scottish Fold Disease - International Cat Care . Scottish Fold disease – osteochondrodysplasia . International Cat Care . 12 December 2023 . February 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215093550/https://icatcare.org/advice/scottish-fold-disease-osteochondrodysplasia/ . live .
  4. News: Taylor Swift’s cats have condition that causes constant pain, say experts. Addley. Esther. 24 May 2024. The Guardian. June 8, 2024. June 8, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240608220652/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/24/taylor-swift-cats-have-condition-that-causes-constant-pain-say-experts-scottish-fold. live.
  5. Web site: 2015-03-16 . Taylor Swift's cat, Meredith, owes her $40 million . 2023-07-15 . Glamour UK . en-GB . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715155355/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-kitten-instagram-picture-olivia-benson . live .
  6. Web site: Taylor Swift's Cats: All About Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button . 2023-07-15 . Peoplemag . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://people.com/pets/all-about-taylor-swift-cats/ . live .
  7. Eells . Josh . 2014-09-08 . Cover Story: The Reinvention of Taylor Swift . 2023-07-15 . Rolling Stone . en-US . August 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180816144402/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-reinvention-of-taylor-swift-116925/ . live .
  8. Web site: 2014-09-26 . Taylor Swift Explains Why She Carries Cat Olivia Benson Around New York City! . 2023-07-15 . E! Online . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153852/https://www.eonline.com/news/583118/taylor-swift-explains-why-she-carries-cat-olivia-benson-around-new-york . live .
  9. 2014-10-02 . Taylor Swift's Cat, Olivia Benson, is a Shoe Model . 2023-07-15 . Vanity Fair . en-US . May 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531165454/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/10/taylor-swift-cat-shoe-model . live .
  10. Web site: The BEST Moments From Taylor's 'Blank Space' Video . 2023-07-15 . BigTop40 . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153854/https://www.bigtop40.com/features/best-taylor-swift-blank-space-moments/ . live .
  11. Web site: 2015-06-14 . Swift's cat Olivia Benson meets her namesake . 2023-07-15 . Digital Spy . en-GB . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715155355/https://www.digitalspy.com/fun/a652818/olivia-benson-meet-olivia-benson-taylor-swift-introduces-her-cat-to-mariska-hargitay/ . live .
  12. Web site: Ed Sheeran Is Taking A Page From Taylor Swift's Cat-Crazy Playbook . 2023-07-15 . MTV . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.mtv.com/news/hfcn8b/ed-sheeran-taylor-swift-scottish-fold-cats . dead .
  13. Web site: 2017-10-23 . Breeders of designer pets such as Ed Sheeran's Scottish fold cat could face prosecution . 2023-07-15 . East Anglian Daily Times . en . August 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230824193945/https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21527063.breeders-designer-pets-ed-sheerans-scottish-fold-cat-face-prosecution/ . live .
  14. Web site: 2017-03-07 . Ed Sheeran: I will always stick up for my friend Taylor Swift . 2023-07-15 . Halesowen News . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.halesowennews.co.uk/leisure/showbiz/15139945.ed-sheeran-i-will-always-stick-up-for-my-friend-taylor-swift/ . live .
  15. News: 2017-04-26 . Should Scottish fold cats be banned? . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-07-15 . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-39717634 . live .
  16. Web site: Taylor Swift Goes on a 'Caticorn' Adventure Days Before Kicking Off Reputation Stadium Tour . 2023-07-15 . Peoplemag . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://people.com/music/taylor-swift-cat-olivia-adventure-commercial/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2018-08-12 . Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world . 2023-07-15 . . en-GB . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715155356/https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a22695481/pet-rich-list-2018-wealthiest-pets-in-world/ . live .
  18. Web site: 2019-04-26 . TayTay's cats made a guest appearance in the new music video for ME! . 2023-07-15 . Heart . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/celebrities/taylor-siwft-cats-names-breed/ . live .
  19. Web site: Kiefer . Halle . 2019-04-26 . The True Star of Taylor Swift's 'ME!' Video? Benjamin Button. . 2023-07-15 . Vulture . en-us . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/taylor-swift-new-kitten-benjamin-button-starred-in-me-video.html . live .
  20. Web site: Stern . Marlow . 2024-01-16 . 'Argylle' Director Shoots Down Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory . 2024-01-16 . Rolling Stone . en-US . January 24, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124230257/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/argylle-director-matthew-vaughn-taylor-swift-conspiracy-theory-cat-spy-novel-1234947163/ . live .
  21. Web site: 2023-10-24 . No, Taylor Swift Is Not Secretly Behind Upcoming Spy Movie Argylle . 2024-01-16 . Vanity Fair . en-US . February 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240226094655/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/fans-are-sure-taylor-swift-is-secretly-behind-upcoming-spy-movie-argylle . live .
  22. Web site: The hidden meaning behind Taylor Swift's 'Karma' music video . 2023-07-15 . Capital . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://www.capitalfm.com/news/music/taylor-swifts-karma-music-video-easter-eggs/ . live .
  23. Web site: 2014-10-13 . 'That's The Weirdest Cat I've Ever Seen In My Life': John Cleese Insults Taylor Swift's Pussy On The Graham Norton Show . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153852/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10/13/taylor-swift-john-cleese-cat-graham-norton_n_5976508.html . July 15, 2023 . 2023-07-15 . HuffPost UK . en.
  24. Web site: Booth . Jessica . April 21, 2023 . Taylor Swift's Cats: All About Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button . October 7, 2023 . . en . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715153853/https://people.com/pets/all-about-taylor-swift-cats/ . live .
  25. Web site: 2018-12-31 . 9 Things You Might Have Missed in Taylor Swift's Netflix Concert Film . 2024-04-15 . E! Online . March 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230322172013/https://www.eonline.com/news/1000340/9-things-you-might-have-missed-in-taylor-swift-s-netflix-concert-film . live .
  26. Web site: Gibson . Kelsie . 2018-05-22 . Taylor Swift's Famous Cats Have a "Purrfect" Cameo in Deadpool 2 — Did You Catch It? . 2023-10-07 . Popsugar . en . October 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231024095837/https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-cats-olivia-meredith-deadpool-2-44870029 . live .
  27. Web site: 2015 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20150411065455/http://kca.nickelodeon.com.au/vote . April 11, 2015 . June 23, 2015 . Nickelodeon.
  28. Web site: 2016 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130327235626/http://kca.nick.co.uk/vote#cat=UK-Favourite-Fan-Family . March 27, 2013 . February 28, 2016 . Nickelodeon.
  29. News: January 10, 2018 . Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran Lead iHeartRadio Music Award Nominees . Variety . live . January 10, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175338/http://variety.com/2018/music/news/rihanna-taylor-swift-ed-sheeran-lead-iheartradio-music-awards-nominees-1202659491/ . January 10, 2018.
  30. News: Estado de Minas . April 2, 2018 . Anitta lidera indicações da primeira edição do MTV Miaw Brasil; confir . pt . Uai . April 2, 2018 . April 3, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180403173616/https://www.uai.com.br/app/noticia/musica/2018/04/02/noticias-musica,224818/anitta-lidera-indicacoes-da-primeira-edicao-do-mtv-miaw-brasil-confira.shtml . live .
  31. Web site: July 4, 2019 . Anitta é grande vencedora do prêmio MTV Miaw; saiba quem venceu em cada categoria . July 4, 2019 . . . pt . July 4, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190704235454/https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/televisao/2019/07/anitta-e-grande-vencedora-do-premio-mtv-miaw-saiba-quem-venceu-em-cada-categoria.shtml . live .
  32. Grein . Paul . 2023-01-31 . Taylor Swift Is Top Music Nominee at 2023 Kids' Choice Awards: Here's the Full List of Nods . Billboard . 2023-01-31 . February 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230201063754/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2023-kids-choice-awards-nominees-list-1235208539/ . live .

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