In a brand new interview with Kevin Vargas of El Paso’s Best Rock KLAQ 95.5 FM radio station, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford as soon as once more defined why he posts so many photos on his Instagram of him carrying cat-related t-shirts. He stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I believe cats are an ideal selection as a result of they’re fiercely unbiased. I like that form of factor the place you assume you personal your cat, however your cat owns you. [Laughs] My nice pal Blasko [Robert Nicholson, bassist for OZZY OSBOURNE and ROB ZOMBIE], the bass participant, he is additionally a cat-mad man. And then you definately’ve bought all these completely different Instagram accounts that reference cats as an incredible place to go and have a look at and have a look at and hearken to and have enjoyable with. But I simply love, once more, the number of completely different sorts of cats. Cats are like rock and roll. They’re all coming in from completely different angles and views. The distinction between a Persian and a ginger pussycat or a Sphynx cat, they’re simply nice creatures. But I believe that greater than something, I simply love the independence. I simply love the independence {that a} cat will present consistently when you will have them. And they’re lovely creatures.”
He continued: “To have any animal in your life as a person, to have a relationship with an animal is a really lovely blessing. Some individuals — cats turn into their children, dogs turn into your children, and that is the way it must be as a result of they seem to be a member of the family. So there’s all that, after which there’s all the opposite nice issues which might be related to that world.
“I’m a giant supporter of the late ‘Price Is Right’ [host and animal advocate] Bob Barker, [who always reminded audiences to have their pets] spayed or neutered, I’m a giant believer in that. I’ve connected with Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles. The women there do a beautiful job doing the nice work that they do. You can go to KittenRescueLA on the Instagram. There’s an incredible alternative to see the nice work that they do. And anyone that basically takes care of animals must be acknowledged.
“So, there’s my factor with cats,” Rob added. “I like them. I haven’t got one for the time being. My final cat handed away from a kind of horrible issues that cats get. But cats are in my coronary heart and, yeah, heavy metallic cats, they rule.”
Back in April 2022, Kitten Rescue, a Los Angeles-based non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to discovering loving houses for undesirable, homeless cats and kittens, launched a brand new litter of kittens for The New York Times-recognized kitten cam room, named by Halford. In appreciation for Halford‘s endless love of cats and kittens, Kitten Rescue requested him to call the cam room additions and he fired again rock ‘n’ roll-themed names. The Halford-named kittens have been Taylor, Turbo, Angel, Starbreaker, Rocker and Mama Rose. Taylor, an orange-and-white male, is called in honor of FOO FIGHTERS‘ Taylor Hawkins; Turbo, a calico feminine, is called after JUDAS PRIEST‘s tune “Turbo Lover”; Angel, a feminine white/cream, is called for the PRIEST tune “Angel Of Retribution”; Starbreaker, Star for brief, a male black-and-white, is called after the PRIEST tune from the “Sin After Sin” album; and Rocker, a male orange kitty, was named for the PRIEST tune “I’m A Rocker”. To high it off, Halford named their Mama Rose for PRIEST‘s tune “Last Rose Of Summer”.
Kitten Rescue has been auctioning Halford‘s private assortment of autographed cat t-shirts, photos of which he has posted on Instagram. Proceeds profit Kitten Rescue and the lifesaving work they do on behalf of cats and kittens.
In a 2020 interview with the “Cobras & Fire” podcast, Halford acknowledged concerning the cat-related photos on his Instagram: “I believe I’ve a few hundred cat t-shirts now. I used to have a phenomenal kitty cat referred to as Ben, who lived a protracted life after which all of the sudden handed, like all of them do. It’s like dropping a member of the family. But it was form of tough, as a result of I’m on the street on a regular basis and there is no one right here on the home.
“As a lot because it’s nice typically for the cats to enter kitty jail [laughs], kitty trip, my cat by no means favored that very a lot,” he defined. “So I’m form of making up for that with my cat t-shirts each Saturday on my Instagram, which is a variety of enjoyable. I do not understand how lengthy that is gonna go on for. I believe I’ll run out of cat shirts [at some point].”
Asked if he has a idea as to why “a variety of heavy metallic guys” actually like cats, Rob stated: “Ooh, yeah. That’s very true. I solely actually began to determine that out [when] I noticed issues about books of pictures of metallic musicians, notably, with their cats. You get all these actually sturdy guys and so they’ve bought their cats. Obviously, it is the ability of pets, is not it? Pet energy. But it is nice.
“There’s a enjoyable thread on Reddit about guys that hate cats, after which anyone brings a cat into the home, and the cat sits on the man’s lap and the blokes immediately melts.
“They’re lovely creatures,” Halford stated. “I believe the explanation why we like ’em in our metallic group is as a result of they’re fiercely unbiased. You assume you recognize your cat, [but] the cat is aware of you higher than you do. And they’re so filled with character and knocking issues off the shelf and taking a look at you as if to say, ‘Look what I can do.’ But I like ’em for that. They’re lovely creatures,” he repeated.
