In a brand new interview with Kevin Vargas of El Paso’s Finest Rock KLAQ 95.5 FM radio station, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford as soon as once more defined why he posts so many footage on his Instagram of him sporting cat-related t-shirts. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I believe cats are an ideal selection as a result of they’re fiercely unbiased. I like that type of factor the place you assume you personal your cat, however your cat owns you. [Laughs] My nice good friend 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 totally different Instagram accounts that reference cats as a fantastic place to go and have a look at and have a look at and take heed to and have enjoyable with. However I simply love, once more, the number of totally different sorts of cats. Cats are like rock and roll. They’re all coming in from totally different angles and views. The distinction between a Persian and a ginger pussycat or a Sphynx cat, they’re simply nice creatures. However I believe that greater than something, I simply love the independence. I simply love the independence {that a} cat will present continuously when you have got them. They usually’re lovely creatures.”
He continued: “To have any animal in your life as an individual, to have a relationship with an animal is a very lovely blessing. Some individuals — cats turn out to be their youngsters, canines turn out to be your youngsters, and that is the way it must be as a result of they are 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 am an enormous supporter of the late ‘Worth Is Proper’ [host and animal advocate] Bob Barker, [who always reminded audiences to have their pets] spayed or neutered, I am an enormous believer in that. I’ve connected with Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles. The women there do an exquisite job doing the nice work that they do. You’ll be able to go to KittenRescueLA on the Instagram. There’s a fantastic alternative to see the great 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 in the meanwhile. My final cat handed away from a type of horrible issues that cats get. However cats are in my coronary heart and, yeah, heavy metallic cats, they rule.”
Again in April 2022, Kitten Rescue, a Los Angeles-based non-profit, volunteer-run group dedicated to discovering loving houses for undesirable, homeless cats and kittens, launched a brand new litter of kittens for The New York Instances-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 had 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 music “Turbo Lover”; Angel, a feminine white/cream, is called for the PRIEST music “Angel Of Retribution”; Starbreaker, Star for brief, a male black-and-white, is called after the PRIEST music from the “Sin After Sin” album; and Rocker, a male orange kitty, was named for the PRIEST music “I am A Rocker”. To prime it off, Halford named their Mama Rose for PRIEST‘s music “Final Rose Of Summer season”.
Kitten Rescue has been auctioning Halford‘s private assortment of autographed cat t-shirts, footage 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 in regards to the cat-related footage on his Instagram: “I believe I’ve a couple of hundred cat t-shirts now. I used to have an attractive kitty cat known as Ben, who lived a protracted life after which immediately handed, like all of them do. It is like dropping a member of the family. Nevertheless it was type of tough, as a result of I am on the street on a regular basis and there is no one right here on the home.
“As a lot because it’s nice generally for the cats to enter kitty jail [laughs], kitty trip, my cat by no means favored that very a lot,” he defined. “So I am type of making up for that with my cat t-shirts each Saturday on my Instagram, which is plenty of enjoyable. I do not understand how lengthy that is gonna go on for. I believe I will run out of cat shirts [at some point].”
Requested if he has a principle as to why “plenty of heavy metallic guys” actually like cats, Rob mentioned: “Ooh, yeah. That is 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 robust guys they usually’ve bought their cats. Clearly, it is the ability of pets, is not it? Pet energy. Nevertheless it’s nice.
“There is a enjoyable thread on Reddit about guys that hate cats, after which any person brings a cat into the home, and the cat sits on the man’s lap and the fellows immediately melts.
“They’re lovely creatures,” Halford mentioned. “I believe the explanation why we like ’em in our metallic neighborhood is as a result of they’re fiercely unbiased. You assume you understand your cat, [but] the cat is aware of you higher than you do. They usually’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.’ However I like ’em for that. They’re lovely creatures,” he repeated.
