"I would like to adopt Taylor Swift": X reacts to a cheetah cub rescued from illegal trade being named after the popstar
An infant cheetah cub rescued from the illegal wildlife pet trade has been named after pop star Taylor Swift. The cub, only a few months old, was rescued by a Namibia-based nonprofit organization called Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).
In a statement shared on April 27, the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) addressed the cheetah cub as Taylor Swift. Their statement also included various references to the pop star's iconic songs to prove the origin of the rescued animal's name. The CCF mentioned that the cub is now "out of the woods" and doing "all too well," both of which are well-known songs by Swift.
The founder of CCF, Dr. Laurie Marker, also referred to Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour and said the cub is undergoing training as part of her recovery process.
"[The training] is essential to desensitize cubs to the gentle touch. Since Taylor will begin her vaccine regime soon. It may not be the Eras tour, but so far Taylor's training has been very successful." Marker said.
Dr. Marker also explained that the rescued cub was named after Taylor Swift as a mark of the singer's love for felines. The pop star is the mother to three feline beauties, Meredith, Olivia, and Benjamin.
Fans took to X to react to the news, with many considering it a major win for Swift. One X user wrote:
"I would like to adopt Taylor Swift."
"They could’ve just named it Allison," another user suggested, referring to Swift's middle name.
"The club understood that Taylor being a cat person means all kinds of cats deserve the Swiftie love," another person added.
"Of all the things she achieved for herself, this might be the one I'm most jealous of," another netizen chimed in.
Fans continued to share their thoughts on the news:
"The cub looks like country Taylor, I'll cry," a fan remarked.
"She’s def winning with this one!," another person commented.
According to the CCF, the baby cheetah was born in the wild. However, she was poached from her natural habitat in Africa and smuggled into the illegal wildlife pet trade. The CCF rescued the cub from the illegal pet trade, named her, and is in the process of rehabilitating her. At the time of rescue, the cheetah cub was only three pounds, not much larger than the cat.
Taylor Swift has three pet cats - Meredith Gray, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button
Taylor Swift is the owner of three feline beauties whom she named as her favorite fictional characters. Her first cat, Meredith Gray, is a Scottish Fold named after the iconic Grey's Anatomy character. The singer got Meredith in 2011, making her the oldest among her three feline friends.
"She is awesome. She's, like, the most adorable cat in the world," the singer said about Meredith after adopting her.
Meredith has also appeared in some of Taylor Swift's work. Her voice featured in Swift's 2012 track, I Knew You Were Trouble.
The second cat to make it to Taylor Swift's family is Olivia Benson, who came in 2014. Like Meredith, Olivia is also a Scottish Fold named after a character from Law & Order: SVU, played by Mariska Hargitay. In 2015, Swift shared a video of Olivia meeting Hargitay and wrote:
"This is Olivia Benson meeting Olivia Benson, and um, things are going well so far."
Swift has shared many images of Olivia and Meredith over the years for her fans. Her second Scottish Fold appeared in the ME! music video and a couple of ads. She notably featured in a Diet Coke ad with the singer and also made an appearance in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool 2.
The third member of Taylor Swift's feline family is Benjamin Button. He is a Ragdoll with bright blue eyes named after Brad Pitt's iconic character from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Swift first met Benjamin during the shoot for the ME! music video, when she decided to adopt him.
"He was just a cute kitten who didn't have a home. (...) She handed me this tiny cat, and he just starts purring and … he looks at me like, 'You're my mom, and we're going to live together.' I fell in love. I looked at Brendon and he's like, 'You're going to get the cat, aren't you?'," Swift said about adopting Benjamin.
In December 2023, Benjamin appeared with Taylor Swift on the cover of TIME magazine when the singer was named Person of the Year.
Swift has previously mentioned that if she adopts a fourth cat, she would like to name her after a character from FRIENDS. The popstar has often been vocal about her love for the iconic sitcom.
