“Karma is the cat purring in my lap because it loves me,” Taylor Swift sings in "Karma."
But actually, Swift has three cats that love her. The pop star is a package deal with her three cats, named Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button.
The feline trio often make appearances in social media posts, public outings, ads and music videos. One of them joined her in the photoshoot for her TIME Person of the Year cover in 2023.
The day the cover dropped, Swift joked about the photo with Meredith Grey.
Swift, a proud cat person, once deflected when a red carpet interviewer said, after the Grammys, that she would be "walking home with more than a trophy," but also "lots of men."
"I'm not going to walk home with any men tonight. I'm going to go hang out with my friends and go home to the cats," she said.
Here's what to know about Swift's cats, from their breeds to how they came into her life.
Meredith Grey
Meredith is the big sister of the singer’s three cats. Swift adopted the Scottish fold cat in 2011, and named her after Ellen Pompeo's character in "Grey's Anatomy."
Meredith, like her kitty sisters, is a star on Swift's social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift shared some advice direct from Meredith.
“For Meredith, self-quarantining is a way of life. Be like Meredith,” Swift wrote in the caption.
Meredith made a special appearance when Swift was announcing the track list of her 2022 album, “Midnights.”
Meredith, who has her own IMDB page, appeared in the music video for Swift’s 2019 track “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie, Meredith makes an appearance sitting on the couch next to Swift’s second cat, Olivia. This video also happened to introduce Swift to her third cat — more on that later.
Olivia Benson
Swift adopted her second cat, Olivia Benson, in 2014. She was named after Mariska Hargitay's "Law & Order: SVU" character. Almost a decade later, Hargitay returned the favor and named her cat Karma after Swift’s “Midnights” track.
Like Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson is a Scottish fold cat.
Benjamin Button
Continuing the theme, Swift’s youngest cat also has a pop culture-inspired name. Benjamin Button is named after Brad Pitt’s character in the 2008 film, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Swift first met the Ragdoll cat on the set of the “ME!”, the music video co-starring Swift's other two cats.
In a behind-the-scenes segment, Swift picks up Benjamin, who purrs in her lap. “He’s purring,” Swift repeats while petting him. Soon, he wins her over. “Can I have him?” she asks.
She gasps after finding out that he’s available, then proceeds to walk around with him. "I'm obsessed with this animal," she says. "I've never had a cat love people so much. Look how sweet he is!"
"I know kittens are cute but that kitten's special," she continues. "He's an amazing, amazing little animal."
Brandon Urie points out his blue eyes are a similar hue to Swift's. "I think that might be your child," he says. "I must have forgotten giving birth to him," she jokes.
Eventually, she brought Benjamin home. When Benjamin celebrated his 22nd birthday (in cat years) in 2021, Swift made sure he was "feeling 22."
"Benjamin is 22 in cat years," Swift wrote in the caption, with the hashtag "#ImFeeling2022."
