It certainly must take much for someone to be nicknamed the ‘Ultimate Cat Guy’. Well, Freddie certainly had much love for cats to be given that name. The rock star did more than buying nice collars for his furry friends and even went ahead to dedicate songs to them.

Freddie’s love for felines is said to have begun with Mercury’s girlfriend Mary Austin. When she moved in with her rock star boyfriend, she brought along a pair of kittens named Tom and Jerry. According to multiple biographers, Freddie had an assistant, Austin who cared for the animals while he was out on tour with Queen. He would often check with Austin to check up on their little critters

“He’d get to a hotel, we’d dial through, and he really would talk to his cats,” his personal assistant Peter Freestone said. Writing in his memoir, ‘Freddy Mercury’ he added, “Mary would hold Tom and Jerry in turn up to the receiver to listen to Freddie talking. This continued throughout the years with succeeding feline occupants of his houses.”

Other biographers report that Mercury eventually hosted a total of 10 cats, Tiffany, Dorothy, Goliath, Lily, Miko, Oscar, and Romeo. “His cats were his family,” wrote freestone who added that Mercury made sure that each cat had their own Christmas stocking filled with treats and toys.

Jacky Smith, the Official Queen Fan Club leader of 21 years, said, “Most of them were from rescue centers. We have a charity [in the United Kingdom] called The Blue Cross, which takes care of sick animals. Freddie got at least two from them.”

According to The Queen Archives, Freddy even released a solo album, Mr. Bad Guy dedicated to his cat Jerry and the rest of the brood. In one of the songs, he even extended a note to ‘all the cat lovers across the universe.’

“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 ‘peeing all over [his] Chippendale Suite.’ The song also features a guitar solo from Brian May with harmonies that sound like meows. May has also had a few cats over the years. Presently, his travel commitments restrict him from having one, but according to Smith, ‘He still is a cat person as opposed to a dog person.'”

In an average family, there is one typical member who standouts out from the rest. Mercury’s cat family was no different; the most famous felines was Delilah; a big, tri-colored tabby that was adopted in late 1987. As the lyrics to her song state, she completely took over the house and pretty much did whatever she pleased.

“She was a real character, that lady!” agreed Smith. “Delilah was just kind of funny. She was a bit of a bully to the others, but was always first on his lap, first for food.” Jim Hutton, the singer’s boyfriend of seven years, recognized their special bond as well. 

“Freddie treated the cats like his own children,” he explained in his memoir ‘mercury and me.’ “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.”