Other name(s) | Dibbles |
---|---|
Species | Cat |
Breed | Scottish Fold |
Born | January 23, 2014 |
Owner | Taylor Swift |
Olivia Benson is a Scottish Fold cat owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Adopted in June 2014, Olivia has appeared in multiple commercials and music videos and won or been nominated for several awards. Comparethemarket.com ranked Olivia as the world's second-richest cat, with a net worth of $97 million.
Olivia Benson was purchased by Swift in June 2014 as a kitten. [1] She has osteochondrodysplasia, [2] [3] a painful degenerative joint disease, which affects all Scottish Fold cats. [4] Olivia, like Swift's other cats, is named after a fictional character, taking after Olivia Benson, the main protagonist of American crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. [1] Olivia is the adoptive younger sister of Meredith Grey, another Scottish Fold named after the Grey's Anatomy character, and the adoptive older sister of Benjamin Button, a Ragdoll named after the titular character of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. [5] Meredith and Olivia's names, Swift told Rolling Stone in September 2014, were themed after "strong, complex, independent women". [6] The adoption announcement prompted Swift's friend and English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to call her "a sort of middle-aged woman trapped in a 24-year-old’s body". [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]
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. [5]
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. [note 1] [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]
Award | Year [note 2] | Recipient(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards | 2015 | Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson | Aussie/Kiwi's Favourite Animal | Nominated | [27] |
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | 2016 | Olivia Benson | UK Favourite Famous Cat | Nominated | [28] |
iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2018 | Olivia Benson | Cutest Musician's Pet | Nominated | [29] |
MTV Millennial Awards Brazil | 2018 | Olivia Benson | Pet of the Year | Nominated | [30] |
2019 | Nominated | [31] | |||
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2023 | Olivia Benson | Favorite Pet | Won | [32] |
Other name(s) | Dibbles |
---|---|
Species | Cat |
Breed | Scottish Fold |
Born | January 23, 2014 |
Owner | Taylor Swift |
Olivia Benson is a Scottish Fold cat owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Adopted in June 2014, Olivia has appeared in multiple commercials and music videos and won or been nominated for several awards. Comparethemarket.com ranked Olivia as the world's second-richest cat, with a net worth of $97 million.
Olivia Benson was purchased by Swift in June 2014 as a kitten. [1] She has osteochondrodysplasia, [2] [3] a painful degenerative joint disease, which affects all Scottish Fold cats. [4] Olivia, like Swift's other cats, is named after a fictional character, taking after Olivia Benson, the main protagonist of American crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. [1] Olivia is the adoptive younger sister of Meredith Grey, another Scottish Fold named after the Grey's Anatomy character, and the adoptive older sister of Benjamin Button, a Ragdoll named after the titular character of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. [5] Meredith and Olivia's names, Swift told Rolling Stone in September 2014, were themed after "strong, complex, independent women". [6] The adoption announcement prompted Swift's friend and English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to call her "a sort of middle-aged woman trapped in a 24-year-old’s body". [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]
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. [5]
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. [note 1] [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]
Award | Year [note 2] | Recipient(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards | 2015 | Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson | Aussie/Kiwi's Favourite Animal | Nominated | [27] |
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | 2016 | Olivia Benson | UK Favourite Famous Cat | Nominated | [28] |
iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2018 | Olivia Benson | Cutest Musician's Pet | Nominated | [29] |
MTV Millennial Awards Brazil | 2018 | Olivia Benson | Pet of the Year | Nominated | [30] |
2019 | Nominated | [31] | |||
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | 2023 | Olivia Benson | Favorite Pet | Won | [32] |