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Taylor Swift fans know that the singer adores her three pet cats, and they often appear in her music videos. The pop star loves her feline companions so much that she even performed in the 2019 movie Cats. But Swift once publicly claimed that one of her pets owed her a hefty sum of money – $40 million, to be exact. Here’s why the singer said her cat owed her millions of dollars. 

Taylor Swift, who has three pet cats, poses at an event.
Taylor Swift | Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Taylor Swift once tweeted that her pet cat, Meredith Grey, owes her $40 million

Singer and songwriter Taylor Swift is a self-proclaimed “cat lady,” and she currently has three furry companions: Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button. 

Swift acquired Meredith Grey, a Scottish Fold, before the other two cats, on Halloween 2011. She named the cat after the titular star of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, portrayed by actor Ellen Pompeo

“Meredith is one of the best cats,” Swift once said of her feline friend (per Inquisitr). “She doesn’t leave fur or fur balls and she is never aggressive or afraid of being around people.”

Meredith Grey might not be aggressive, but her claws are sharp. On March 14, 2015, Swift tweeted a photo of a long red scratch mark along her thigh. 

“GREAT WORK MEREDITH,” the singer wrote (per Yahoo). “I WAS JUST TRYING TO LOVE YOU AND NOW YOU OWE ME 40 MILLION DOLLARS.”

Taylor Swift tweeted about her cat owing her money following reports that she had insured her legs for $40 million

The singer shared her tweet just days after reports that she had insured her legs for $40 million. On March 10, 2015, TMZ reported that Swift and her team had her legs evaluated for insurance against possible injury, and they were valued at $20 million each. 

But it’s unclear whether Swift went through with the insurance process, and her tweet seemed to be making fun of the idea. 

The singer wouldn’t be the only entertainer to take out a policy on her body parts. Heidi Klum’s legs are insured for $2.2 million, while Rihanna and Jamie Lee Curtis each have their legs insured for $1 million (per People).

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One of the singer’s pets could actually afford to pay the sum

Meredith Grey might not be able to afford Taylor Swift’s $40 million legs, but one of her other cats actually could.

Olivia Benson, Swift’s other Scottish Fold, is the second richest cat in the world (per the New York Post). Olivia has a whopping net worth of $97 million. Grumpy Cat is the only feline to have out-earned Olivia, with a net worth of $99.5 million.

Swift’s second cat earned her impressive fortune by appearing in several commercials, including ads for Keds and Diet Coke. She has also been featured in some of Swift’s music videos. Olivia is so camera-friendly that she even has her own Instagram account.

Meredith Grey occasionally pops up in Swift’s music videos, but other than that, fans don’t see her very much. In April 2021, the pop star shared a video on Instagram explaining why she doesn’t post many pictures of Meredith.

“She’s just a really private little cat,” Swift said. “She likes her business kept to herself. She doesn’t like a camera shoved in her face, and who can blame her. So there’s your update on Meredith.”

Maybe Olivia Benson could loan the funds to her sister if she needed to pay Swift for the leg scratch.