Scottish Folds are the most photographed, memed, and celebrity-owned cat breed in the world, and it is not even close. The folded ears, the round face, the Buddha-style sit; the breed is a visual signature that reads instantly on camera. From Taylor Swift’s living room to the covers of Vogue to the viral meme corners of the internet, Scottish Folds have had the most consistent pop-culture run of any breed over the last fifteen years.
Here are the famous Scottish Folds the internet keeps coming back to, the celebrities who own them, and the moments that made them famous.
Taylor Swift’s Scottish Folds (Meredith and Olivia)
The two most famous Scottish Folds alive are Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson, both owned by Taylor Swift. Named after characters from Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit respectively, the two have appeared in Taylor Swift’s music videos, Instagram posts, tour documentaries, Vogue photoshoots, and in the arms of Taylor Swift at nearly every major red carpet appearance she has been photographed at for over a decade.
Olivia Benson is famously ranked by one Forbes list as the third-wealthiest pet in the world; a title she earned through appearances in Diet Coke commercials, a cameo in the music video for “Blank Space,” and a prominent role in the “ME!” music video alongside Panda Paws the Ragdoll. The current estimated value is often cited at around $97 million.
Meredith Grey, the senior cat of the family, is slightly more reclusive but still appears regularly in Taylor Swift’s personal Instagram posts. Both cats have personal fan accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Their visibility is the single biggest reason the Scottish Fold has stayed culturally dominant since 2011; Taylor Swift’s audience is tens of millions of fans who associate the breed directly with her.
Maru (the YouTube star)
Maru is a Scottish Fold Straight (the non-folded variant) from Japan whose owner, Mugumogu, started uploading videos of him jumping into cardboard boxes in 2008. Maru’s YouTube channel now has over 850,000 subscribers and his videos have cumulatively been viewed over 400 million times.
Maru is credited by cat video historians as the single most influential cat on the internet; the box-jumping format that defined early viral cat content was essentially invented by him. He has his own books, merchandise, and documentary features.
Note on terminology: the Scottish Fold Straight has the same temperament and body shape as the folded variant but with normal upright ears. Many breeders only breed Fold-to-Straight pairings for genetic health reasons; both ear types come from the same litter. Browse our Scottish Fold Straight guide for more.
Marutaro and Hana (also Japan)
If Maru is the godfather of cat video, Marutaro the Shiba Inu and his Scottish Fold roommate Hana are the current heavyweights. Hana, a brown tabby Scottish Fold, appears regularly on an Instagram account that has over 2.5 million followers. The combination of Shiba Inu and Scottish Fold is one of the most popular pet pairings in Japanese cat culture, and this specific duo helped drive that trend.
Ed Sheeran’s Scottish Fold (Dorito)
Ed Sheeran owns a Scottish Fold named Dorito who has her own Instagram account and has appeared in multiple behind-the-scenes photos from his recording sessions. Dorito is one of two Sheeran cats; the other, Calippo, is also a Fold.
Karl Lagerfeld’s Choupette (Birman, but important for context)
Choupette, the famous Chanel cat, was a Birman and not a Scottish Fold; but she is relevant here because she defined the “luxury celebrity cat” category that Taylor Swift’s Folds now dominate. Choupette earned over $4 million modeling for Vauxhall and Shu Uemura. The template Choupette established in the early 2010s is the exact template Meredith and Olivia Benson now operate inside.
Grumpy Cat was NOT a Scottish Fold
Grumpy Cat (real name Tardar Sauce) is often mistaken for a Scottish Fold because of the facial expression, but she was actually a mixed-breed cat with a form of dwarfism and an underbite. Her ears were upright, not folded. Grumpy Cat passed away in 2019, but her meme legacy lives on and is often misattributed to the Fold breed.
True Scottish Fold expressions are a different signature; the folded ears and the round, flat skull give them a built-in “concerned” or “contemplative” look that photographs well in any pose.
Why Scottish Folds dominate internet culture
Three structural reasons the breed outperforms every other cat in viral content.
The ears. The folded ears give Scottish Folds a face that reads as more owl-like, baby-like, and expressive than other breeds. This triggers the same visual cuteness response in humans that drives baby animal content; psychologists call this the “baby schema” response and Scottish Folds hit it harder than almost any domestic cat.
The sit. Scottish Folds famously sit upright on their haunches like tiny humans, often with front paws relaxed in their laps. This pose, called the Buddha sit, is extremely rare in other breeds and extremely photographable. Every viral Scottish Fold video has at least one Buddha sit shot.
The temperament. Scottish Folds are calm, people-focused, and tolerate being photographed. They are the opposite of a cat who runs when the camera comes out. For a celebrity, this is a non-trivial feature; the breed makes the kind of pet that willingly joins a photoshoot.
Scottish Folds in TV and film
Scottish Folds have appeared in dozens of productions. A short list:
- James Bond franchise (various): Blofeld’s white cat in several Bond films was often cast with a Persian, but Scottish Folds were used in later productions when a calmer on-set temperament was needed.
- Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” and “ME!” music videos: Olivia Benson in starring roles.
- Various luxury brand commercials: Scottish Folds are the most-booked cat breed for European luxury commercial work in the 2020s according to several pet-casting agencies.
- Documentary and reality TV: appearances on everything from Oprah to Jimmy Fallon alongside their celebrity owners.
Scottish Fold Instagram accounts worth following
If you want a daily dose of folded ears, these are the biggest active Scottish Fold accounts (sizes approximate, 2026):
- @taylorswift; Taylor Swift’s main account regularly features Meredith and Olivia.
- @mugumogu; Maru’s family channel.
- @marutaro; the Shiba and Hana account.
- Hundreds of fan accounts dedicated to Olivia Benson alone; she has an entire fan ecosystem.
Thinking of adopting a Scottish Fold yourself?
The pop-culture visibility is real, but Scottish Folds also come with real responsibilities. The folded-ear gene is a cartilage mutation; ethical breeders only pair Fold-to-Straight (never Fold-to-Fold) to avoid skeletal issues, and health-tested lines are essential. At Luxury Only Kittens, every Scottish Fold placement comes from a cattery that follows this breeding protocol and provides full health records. Browse our Scottish Fold breed guide or our currently available kittens to see who is ready for placement.
Frequently asked questions
Is Taylor Swift’s Olivia Benson really worth $97 million?
The $97 million figure comes from estimated earnings and brand value cited on various pet-wealth lists, including a widely circulated Forbes-adjacent ranking. The number factors in commercial appearances, music video royalties, and brand licensing associated with Olivia. Whether $97 million is literal cash value is debatable, but Olivia is undeniably one of the most commercially valuable pets alive.
Why do all Taylor Swift’s cats look alike?
They look alike because Meredith and Olivia are both Scottish Folds with similar coat patterns. Taylor’s third cat, Benjamin Button, is a Ragdoll kitten she adopted on the set of the “ME!” music video and he looks very different; long white and cream fur with blue eyes. For more on that breed see our Ragdoll kittens page.
What breed is Maru?
Maru is a Scottish Fold Straight; same body and temperament as a standard Scottish Fold but with normal upright ears. Many litters contain both ear types.
Is Grumpy Cat a Scottish Fold?
No. Grumpy Cat (Tardar Sauce) was a mixed-breed cat with dwarfism and an underbite. The upright ears alone rule out Scottish Fold. The confusion comes from the signature grumpy-looking face, which Scottish Folds also tend to have for a completely different reason (the fold itself).
Which celebrities own Scottish Folds besides Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran?
The breed has shown up in homes of various other musicians, actors, and designers over the years. Scottish Folds are especially popular in the Korean entertainment industry; several K-pop idols and Korean actors have publicly posted about their Scottish Folds, which has driven the breed’s enormous popularity in East Asia.
Can I get a Scottish Fold that looks like Olivia Benson?
Olivia Benson is a silver tabby Scottish Fold. The silver tabby coat pattern is one of the most popular Scottish Fold colors globally, which is directly attributable to her visibility. If you want a kitten that resembles her, filter breeder listings for silver tabby or classic silver tabby Scottish Folds specifically.
Do Scottish Folds have health problems?
The folded-ear gene is a cartilage mutation that, when inherited from both parents, causes a condition called osteochondrodysplasia. Responsible breeders only pair a folded-ear parent with a straight-eared parent, which produces healthy kittens with either ear type. Health certifications, HCM screening, and parent-cat records are the signals of ethical breeding. Avoid any breeder who pairs Fold-to-Fold.
Are Scottish Folds good family cats?
Yes, exceptionally so. The temperament is one of the main reasons the breed is overrepresented in celebrity households; Folds are calm, people-focused, tolerate handling, and tend to bond closely with multiple family members rather than fixating on one person. They do well with children and with other pets.