Iconic rock star Freddie Mercury no doubt had immense love for his cats, as evidenced by a series of photographs. The love for his felines probably started in the 1970s when his girlfriend at the time, Mary Austin, decided to give him Tomy and Jerry.
Several people, including his personal assistant Peter Freestoneclaim that when he was on tour with Queen, he always called the people who looked after his little cats to make sure they were okay.
Peter Freestone said:
“He would come to the hotel, phone and really talk to his cats. Mary took turns holding Tom and Jerry closer to the phone so they could hear Freddie talking. This continued over the years, with all the other felines that came to his home. »
Freddie Mercury loved his cats like they were his own children
Some reports reveal that Freddie Mercury had 8 other kittens in his care named Tiffany, Dorothy, Delilah, Goliath, Lily, Miko, Oscar and Romeo.
Peter added:
“His cats were his family. »
Freddie Mercury even made sure each of them had a stocking stuffer full of toys and treats.
Jacky Smith, official leader of the Queen Fan Club for 21 years, added :
“Most of them came from rescue centres. In the UK we have a charity called The Blue Cross which looks after sick animals. At least two of Freddie’s cats came from there.
Freddie Mercury even dedicated some of his talent to his cats, since according to The Queen Archives, the solo album Mr. Bad Guy was dedicated to Jerry and the others.
“Innuendo,” the last album he recorded with the band, included footage of Freddie Mercury dressed as a jester with cats on his shoulders. And an upbeat title called Delilah. At first you might think it’s a woman, until you get to in the verse where she “piss on his Chippendale furniture”.
And there’s a Brian May solo with meow-like harmonies. Brian May has also had several cats over the years. Today he has to travel so much that he can’t have any, but according to Smith, “he still likes cats, not dogs”.
Freddie Mercury fans found another hint of his love of cats on the CD Classic Queen, where he can be seen wearing an eye-catching kitten print vest, but on closer inspection you can see that it is actually his. He wore the same vest in his latest video.
The Mercury family’s most famous cat was a tricolor tabby named Delilah, who was adopted in 1987.
“She was a real character, this little lady. Delilah was funny. She was also a bit bossy around others, but she was always the first to get on her knees and the first to ask for food. »
Jim Hutton, the singer’s boyfriend of seven years, also confirmed Mercury’s special bond with Delilah:
“The “little princess” of the house, “the one he held and cuddled the most”. And as if that weren’t enough, “she fell asleep at the foot of the bed, before slipping away to look for late-night quarrels.”
In his memoirs it is written:
“Freddie treated cats like his own children. He constantly worried about them, and if anything happened to any of them while he was away, heaven help us. During the day the cats would run around the house and surrounding grounds, and at night one of us would pick them up and tuck them in.“
