Okay… Okay… So I am 50 years behind when it comes to loving the Beatles, but even so, John Lennon will always be my idol. I love his music, I love his quotes, I love his entire mantra… So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that John Lennon had a special affection for cats. Yet another thing we have in common!! Needless to say, this post will be full of cute pictures of John Lennon and cats, with some fun facts weaved in! Please feel free to share!
John Lennon, my idol, the lover of cats <3
When John was growing up in Liverpool, he always had a special feline friend hanging around! There was Tich, the marmalade-coloured half-Persian, who, sadly, died when John was at college. Then there was Tim, the half-Persian, who was a stray found in the snowy street by John and became a special favorite. Then there was Sam was another best friend! John Lennon was crazy about cats! Every day (after being very naughty at school) he would ride his back to a local fish store and buy some treats for his friends! Even when he as a Beatle, he would call his Aunt Mimi and ask about the kitties! — information from LENNON The Definitive Biography by Ray Coleman
Even John’s mom was super fond of cats. Julia had a cat named Elvis. It was written that, “The cat, later, produced a litter of kittens in the bottom of the kitchen cupboard – so we realized our mistake – but the name remained the same!” Okay, so they weren’t on board with the whole spay/neuter thing, but they aren’t Saints!! haha — information from John Lennon My Brother by Julia Baird
In 1965, John and his (then) wife Cynthia and son Julian lived in England with many, many cats. Cynthia said that “once the house was completed, John insisted on getting a cat!” After living with them his whole life, he was going crazy with out them! She went on to say “The first [a tabby] was named Mimi, after his cat loving aunt. Two more soon followed [including one named Babaghi, another tabby] and eventually we had about ten.” Quotes from John by Cynthia Lennon
After Cynthia (but before Yoko, there was a woman named May Pang and… wait for it… they ALSO had two cats 🙂 Major (black) and Minor (white). Are you starting to see a pattern? I am beginning to think that John Lennon was a crazy cat lady in disguise!
Now, we move on to the infamous pair, John and Yoko… While, many Beatles fans dislike this combo and claim that they ruined the Beatles, I disagree. They were very passionately in love, and their relationship was timely (in my opinion). But, I digress. After getting married, the pair kept MANY cats in their life! : There was Salt (white) and Pepper (Black), Misha, Shasha and Charo (all were persian mixes) and Alice a Russian Blue Kitten.
So there you have it, John Lennon- Lover of Animals… If he were alive in this world of animal abuse and puppy mills, I think he would be singing a different tune …. Perhaps it would be… “All you need is love… and two kittens” or “Imagine there were no puppy mills… It’s easy if you try…”
Yeah, I went there 😀
–Mindi
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Below are a few drawings that John did, the can be found in his books A Spaniard in the Works. and Real Love – the Drawings for Sean.
