In present times, when making money seems to be a hard deal, a lot of people become millionaires just sitting at home. You might be thinking that it’s not possible, but it is. All you need to do is go out and find yourself an adorable pet with a visibly unique feature. Yes, that’s the trick.
Today, we’ll talk about the top celebrity cats in the world who have the greatest amount of dollars in their bank accounts. Do you also want to know which celebrity owns a cat? Well, we’ll uncover everything about these famous feline creatures that you need to know.
Top Celebrity Cats You Should Know About
1. Lil Bub
The cat that rose to fame due to her medical condition, Lil Bub, was a genetic oddity and is considered one of the most popular pets of all time. Her genetic abnormality gave Lil Bub a “weird, alien-like” look, as described by her owner, which did not let her grow more than four pounds. She also had no teeth and had her tongue permanently drooped out of her mouth.
Lil Bub was first found somewhere in rural Indiana in 2011 and was adopted by Mike Bridavsky. Even though the little kitten was pretty weak when she was found and weighed only six ounces, Bridavsky took her in and named her Lil Bub.
Soon after bringing her home, Bridavsky posted some photos of his new kitten that went viral, and in a very short time, Lil Bub became a celebrity. After her newfound fame and popularity, she began to feature in several ads, movies, and magazines and managed to garner millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Lil Bub wasn’t a regular cat anymore; she became a celebrity cat. A few of her many stints include a documentary with the name of “Lil BUB and Friendz” that was headlined by her, her features in Bullett Magazine and Bloom Magazine, and her starring roles in films like “Nine Lives” and “I’ll be Next Door for Christmas.”
According to the reports, Lil Bub used to make around $30,000 annually through YouTube. Again, if reports are to be believed, Lil Bub had a net worth of $195,000. However, on December 1, 2019, Lil Bub passed away at the age of 8 in her sleep after battling an aggressive bone infection for some time.
Currently, Lil Bub has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, 2.8 million on Facebook, and 843K on Twitter, maintaining her popularity even after death. Up till now, Lil Bub’s owner has donated over $500,000 for many homeless pets and made their lives much better.
2. Grumpy Cat
Another famous cat on our list is Tardar Sauce, more commonly known as Grumpy Cat. She became one of the first pet cats to rule the internet and brought in many millions of dollars during her lifespan of seven years.
Grumpy was born on April 4, 2012, at the house of her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, in Morristown, Arizona. She was born to a calico mother and a tabby father. Grumpy got her distinct look due to feline dwarfism, even though both her parents were normal domestic cats.
Her life completely changed when Bryan, Bundesen’s brother, posted Grumpy’s photo on Reddit in September 2012, which went viral instantly, gathering more than a million views in around two days. The next few years did not just make Grumpy famous but also made Bundesen, a waitress when the photos were first posted, extremely rich.
According to several reports, Bundesen managed to make about $100 million from her cat’s newfound fame within the first two years.
With her instant fame and popularity, Grumpy managed to grab a lot of amazing opportunities for herself. In a little time, she became a part of many advertising campaigns of big brands like Friskies and featured in many commercial ads, shows, and films.
In 2013, Grumpy Cat was credited as the writer of her book titled “Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book,” which made it to the New York Times Best Sellers list. The next year, Grumpy Cat was featured in Lifetime’s holiday movie, “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” in which actress Aubrey Plaza lent her voice to the character.
In 2018, Grumpy was declared as the second richest pet and the richest cat in the world, with a net worth of around $100 million.
However, on May 14, 2019, Grumpy Cat died at her home due to complications caused as a result of a urinary tract infection. Her death was declared to the public on May 17 through social media, which created an uproar by all her admirers and well-wishers. She was seven years old when she passed away.
Currently, Grumpy Cat has 2.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million followers on Twitter, making her one of the most famous pets in the world. Today, she is the focus of popular Internet memes that keep her alive even after death.
3. Taylor Swift’s Cats – Meredith, Olivia, and Benjamin
It is not possible to talk about notable celebrity cats without mentioning Tay Tay’s little furry pets. If you are a Taylor Swift fan, you should know that the Grammy-winning singer is obsessed with cats and has a feline family. We all know that Taylor Swift is one of the biggest and most celebrated divas of all time but so are her cats.
The Love Story singer is a proud owner of three adorable cats that are each named after Swift’s favorite fictional characters on TV and in films. Her first cat is a Scottish Fold cat named after the protagonist, Dr. Meredith Grey, from the hit, award-winning medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.” The character is originally played by actress Ellen Pompeo.
Swift adopted her second cat in 2014, who also happens to be a Scottish Fold, and named her after another favorite TV character of hers, Olivia Benson, from the long-running crime drama “Law & Order: SVU.” Actress Mariska Hargitay played the character of Olivia Benson in the show.
In 2019, Tay Tay adopted her third cat, a Ragdoll, and named him after Brad Pitt’s iconic character, Benjamin Button, from the Oscar-nominated film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Several reports suggest that Tay Tay’s little cats make millions of dollars through commercial deals and advertising campaigns with big brands like Coca-Cola and Keds. As a matter of fact, the cats have a net worth more than that of a lot of A-listers in Hollywood.
According to the 2018 Pet Rich List, Miss Olivia Benson was the third richest pet in the world, losing the first and second positions to Tardar Sauce, the Grumpy Cat from memes, and Gunther IV, the German shepherd. Olivia’s big, fat net worth is said to be around $97 million, which is why she is nothing less than a royalty.
4. Sam, the Cat with Eyebrows
Another celebrity cat known for his distinct facial features is Sam, also known as Sam, the cat with eyebrows. While everyone was talking about Grumpy Cat or Lil Bub, this little guy took the internet by storm with his human-like eyebrows.
He is owned by Amanda Collado, whose mom, Ivette Rodriguez, first discovered the lonely kitty outside her house in New York and later gave it to her daughter. Since then, he has been under Amanda’s care, and supervision and the two of them have been enjoying all the attention, fame, and money.
5. Tommasino
We have all heard the stories following the theme, from rags to riches, but unlike any fairy tale, this one’s real. Maria Assunta, the widow of an Italian mogul, found a black stray cat roaming on the streets, and she took her in.
After Assunta’s death, her beloved cat inherited her entire estate, which had around $13 million worth. According to Assunta’s lawyers, Anna Orecchioni and Giacinto Canzona, Assunta left everything she had to Tommasino in her will, which contained many homes, villas, and other properties.
6. Blackie
The cat who got her name due to her shiny black body has also been mentioned as the richest cat in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records. After the death of British millionaire Ben Rea, he left all his fortune in the name of his cat, Blackie. Some of his money also went to his gardener, mechanic, plumber, and other charities, but Blackie got the biggest share of around $12.5 million.
7. Street Cat Bob
This cat has to be on the list for inspiring the author James Bowen to write some amazing books, including “A Street Cat Named Bob,” among others. Bowen met a stray cat in 2007 when he was battling heroin addiction, who helped him come out of it alive.
Bowen wrote some great and inspiring memoirs such as “The World According to Bob,” “A Gift from Bob,” etc. These heavily revolved around Bob and how he inspired Bowen to live a better life. Bob became a big name due to the books and soon starred in the film adaptation of “A Street Cat Named Bob” and in its sequel, A Gift from Bob, where he played himself.
Bob’s net worth is around $5 million. However, in June 2020, Bob passed away at the age of 14, in an accident when he ran head-first into a car. The cause of death was a hematoma that was a result of his head injury.
8. Choupette
The blue-cream Birman cat belonged to the German fashion designer of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, until his passing in February 2019. The cat has her own social media and branded products that make her as popular as her late owner.
She has a worth of $3.5 million and spends a peaceful and luxurious life in the love and care of her nanny even after the death of the designer.
Conclusion:
We are sure that you didn’t know about many of these celebrity cats before reading this article, or if you did, you definitely weren’t aware of their worth. One thing that comes out of this article is capturing a photo of your pet, putting it on the internet, and maybe, yours can be the next celebrity cat.