Celebrity Cats: Which Celebs are Cat Lovers?

Celebrities are not usually caught carrying cats around the streets of Hollywood, like their dog counterparts. However, cat ownership is plenty popular among the stars. Long haired, short haired, designer or domestic, each celebrity has their preference.

Cats and the Men Who Love Them

You might be surprised to know that some of Hollywood's famous men are cat lovers at heart. From talk show hosts to leading men, cats are quietly sharing the lives of superstars.

• Talk show host Regis Philbin is a cat lover at heart stating in interviews that he enjoys the understated love that cats give and the certain sense of entitlement that they portray. Philbin's cat companion Ashley passed away in 2004 and he refers to her as a love of his life.
• Tonight Show host Jay Leno is also a cat guy. While cars may be his first passion, few know that Leno is also a cat owner.
• Cats are very presidential. Many famous cats have graced the Whitehouse with their presence. Recently notable Socks Clinton and India Bush are worth mentioning. However cats and presidents have been a perfect fit since Abraham Lincoln. The award for most unique Whitehouse pet goes to President Carter's cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang.

Divas and Cats

It's no surprise that Divas and cats go together nicely with many shared character traits. Several famous cat/diva pairings exist.

• Grammy winning, Whitney Houston shares her estate with a pampered cat.
• Vivica Fox also owns and cares for her housecat.
• When Vanna White isn't turning letters she might be found opening cat food cans for her two housecats that are often a topic of
  discussion on Wheel-of-Fortune.
• Domestic Goddess Martha Stewart has numerous cats. Pure-bred Himalayans are her breed of choice, always perfectly groomed, of course.

Celebrity Cats

Cat's aren't merely pets in Hollywood. Some of them are actually celebrities.

• Morris the cat earned his own place in Hollywood by becoming America's most recognized feline.
• Based on real cats, cartoon characters Garfield, Heathcliff and Sylvester were all extremely popular, mischievous cat celebrities.
• Some really big cats, like those of *Siegfried and Roy*, actually have their own shows and theaters.

Purrfect Young Hollywood

Stars of young Hollywood have also joined the cat loving club. Kirsten Dunst, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kelly Osborne and Christina Ricci all share their home with cats.

It seems that cats are not totally outnumbered in Hollywood, but simply live a quieter lifestyle avoiding the paparazzi and staying out of the tabloids. Feline friends occupy many celebrity homes and hearts.