“As soon as he hears Taylor Swift songs he gets all excited,” Park says of her 9-year-old rescue, Badger.
Park loved watching Swift’s Eras Tour concert: “it’s a tour de force,” she says. But the outfits in particular caught her eye — and the eyes of her four-legged friend, too.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, these costumes are amazing. They’re beautiful. I bet you that Badger could rock those.’ And then I thought, ‘How can I make these?’ ” she recalls. “And obviously, there’s nothing out there for cats.”
So Park, 53, started piecing together costumes and bedazzling and creating originals until she had a matching tour wardrobe that she shares on Instagram at @badger.dot. (She updates and adds looks as Swift does.)
Badger the cat in his Folklore era; Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour.
@badger.dot; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
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Yes, treats are involved in the photography process, but “you can’t force cats to do anything they don’t want to do,” Park says.
The cat loves playing dress-up so much, he even brings Park the costumes and helps put them on.
“He’ll lift his paw up to put through the armhole, and then he’ll put the other paw up and push it through the armhole himself,” says Park, managing director of a FinTech firm in Portland, Oregon.
All About Taylor Swift’s Cats, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button
Badger the cat in his Red era; Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour.
@badger.dot; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
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In total, Park has nine cats. (Swift herself has three.)
“They’re all rescues and foster fails,” she says. But Badger and another cat, Ellie, are the two most fashionable felines. “They love the attention,” she says. “But Badger, he poses. You can’t make a cat just sit there and pose like that.”
He even starts purring and drooling when it’s time for their costumed photo shoots — especially those inspired by the Eras Tour.
“He recognizes Taylor’s songs now,” Park adds. “It’s Mommy and Badger bonding moments. I love it.”
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