Famous men who love cats!

In our culture, there is a ridiculous assumption that cats are only for females.  While reading Dan Harris’ New York Times Bestseller, 10% Happier, I learned that he was teased by his male news colleagues for adopting two cats from the ASPCA – his friends too, had obviously associated cats with the stereotype of femininity. Chris Cuomo, now one of the hosts on CNN, even sent him an email asking him, “Do u sit when u pee?”.

Dan Harris also pointed out that many macho men have had cats, like Winston Churchill for instance.  I couldn’t help but wonder, who were some of the other “manly” men who loved cats? Apparently, there are many men who are fond of felines.

Here is our list of the top famous men who love cats.

Number 8 – John Lennon

John Lennon was crazy over cats and had several throughout his life. Growing up, he had a cat named Elvis Presley. However, Elvis ended up giving birth but they kept the name. Also when John was young, he found a stray cat in the snow – he named the cat Tim. John and his wife, Yoko Ono had two cats – a black cat named Salt, the other was white and named Pepper.

Number 7 – George W. Bush

While in office, George W. Bush had his beloved Scottish Terrier named Barney so we know he liked animals.  In 2011, the Bush family found a stray cat on their Crawford ranch.  George and his wife gave the cat a forever home and named him Bob.  It’s reported that Bob enjoys looking for sunny spots in the house for taking his catnaps.

Number 6 – Michael Hall

Michael Hall who starred as a psychopath in the popular TV series of Dexter, adopted two cats back in 2009 with his now ex-wife, Jennifer Carpenter. One of the cats was a stray and suffering from a botfly infection – a nasty little parasite. Since their split, Micheal says he enjoys spending time with his cats named Preacher and Ford.

Number 5 – Robert Downey Jr.

Known to many as Tony Stark in the movie Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. didn’t want cats. He told Men’s Health,  “I don’t want any rescue pets within 100 yards of either of my residences, I’m sorry”.  But when one of his friends found some stray kittens in a bush, Robert sprang into action like a true superhero and rescued two kittens – they are named Montgomery and Dartanian.

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Number 4 – Joe Mantegna

Joe Mantegna, who plays an FBI special agent on the TV show Criminal Minds, is a self proclaimed cat expert.  He has been featured on the cover page of Cat Fancy and in CatChannel.com.  Juliet is the name of his Siamese cat.  He is a big animal advocate and has helped the Humane Society of the U.S. by doing some of their public service announcements.

Number 3 – James Franco

At first, we thought his cat calendar was a cheesy publicity stunt. But turns out he genuinely loves cats. On The Ellen DeGeneres show, he talked about his family and how they were “raised as cat people”. James Franco even adopted two cats from the movie set of Homefront, where he played the character of a dangerous drug lord.

Number 2 – Ian Somerhalder

Ian Somerhalder, the Vampire Diaries star, is a true cat lover. He has posed with his cat, Moke, for People magazine – he spoke about how his cat helps him relax. Ian also started the IS Foundation whose mission is to “empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures”. Through his foundation he provides DIY how-to guides on caring for feral cats. He also intends to start an animal sanctuary for all those lost “misfits”.

Number 1 – Norman Reedus

Zombie fans may be surprised but topping off our list of famous men who love cats, is Norman Reedus who plays the character of Darryl on the show of the Walking Dead. Like you need another reason to think this guy is cool, Norman has a rescue cat that he got for his son when he was 5 years old. Even his cat has a cool name, Eye in the Dark. In 2013, he did a photo shoot with his cat for People.