Freddie Mercury Loved Cats, These Photos Prove He Treated Them Like His Children

We already have plenty of reasons to love Freddie Mercury. The legendary Queen frontman blessed us with his electrifying stage presence, astounding voice, and gorgeous songwriting. Interestingly, it turns out that Freddie was a true cat lover and actually treated his beloved felines like his children.

Freddie Mercury fell in love with cats in the 1970s when his then-girlfriend Mary Austin brought home a pair of kitties. Freddie grew attached to the kittens, who were named Tom and Jerry, and it didn’t stop there. The rock star went on to adopt more felines who became his family.

Freddie took in several cats, some of which were from animal centers.

After Tom and Jerry, Freddie hosted up to 10 cats in his home. Some of them were from animal centers and were lovingly spoiled by the musician. Freddie’s former boyfriend Jim Hutton wrote in his memoir Mercury and Me about the singer’s relationship with the felines.

“Freddie treated the cats like his own children,” Hutton wrote. “He would constantly fuss over them, and if any of them came to any harm when Freddie was away, heaven help us. During the day the cats had the run of the house and grounds, and at night one of us would round them up and bring them inside.”

The love for cats was something that Freddie wanted to share. The musician reportedly dedicated his solo album Mr. Bad Guy to the aforementioned Jerry and made a note to “all the cat lovers across the universe.”

The names of Freddie’s 10 cats were Tiffany, Dorothy, Delilah, Goliath, Lily, Miko, Oscar, and Romeo.

However, Delilah was the true Queen of the Mercury household.

One particular cat even became the inspiration behind a Queen song. Delilah, the tri-colored tabby who captured Freddie’s heart, was often referred to as “the little princess” and was the muse behind the tune.

“’Innuendo’, the last album he recorded with the group, included artwork of Mercury dressed as a jester with cats on his shoulders. It also featured an upbeat song, titled ‘Delilah’. At first listen, you may believe it’s about a woman – at least until the line about her ‘pe*ing all over [his] Chippendale Suite.’”

The life of Freddie Mercury was adapted in the Rami Malek film Bohemian Rhapsody. Interestingly, the cats didn’t play a large role in the movie.

The iconic vest featuring all of Freddie’s beloved cats.