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John Lennon Was A Crazy Cat Man
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 11, 2012
Modified Jan 31, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 11, 2012
Modified Jan 31, 2012
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Yoko, John, and their black cat Salt (the white one was named Pepper)
We know that John Lennon loved to make music and bake bread... but did you know he was also a crazy cat lady at heart? According to Mental Floss, Lennon owned a number of cats throughout his lifetime, starting with his first childhood pet, named Elvis. There is also an adorable story involving a stray he saved, and trips he would make to the local fishmonger to buy treats for it! When he became famous with The Beatles, he would still call in to check on the cat (which he had named Tim).
Later, when he married Cynthia, they acquired TEN cats, and named one Jesus, which may have been a nod to his "bigger than Jesus" comment (Paul McCartney also had a cat named Jesus). With Yoko Ono, he had two cats, Salt and Pepper, and later a Russian blue cat named Alice... who has a tragic story.
John’s Russian Blue cat named Alice, however, was his special favorite. One day, Alice jumped out of an open window in the Lennons’ high-rise apartment at the Dakota and plunged to her death. Sean Lennon, John’s son, was present at the time of the accident. He remembers it as the only time he ever saw his father cry.
Lennon also drew his cats, and you can see those pieces right here.
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animals
cats
crazy cat lady
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john lennon
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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