The Last One Laughing star on the life-affirming love a pet can give, and how Taylor Swift has finally made cat ownership cool
Comedian Lou Sanders is a cat person – very proud of it, too. And she is by no means alone. In fact, the latest research reveals that there are around 10.2 million owned cats in the UK. One in four households (24%) have one. “I’m obsessed with my cats and not afraid to show it,” says Lou, 46, who starred in hugely popular comedy series Last One Laughing and has recently been named an ambassador for leading family connection app Life360.
“I am a mad cat lady, but it’s a phrase that needs rebranding. In fact, Taylor Swift has helped begin the rebrand.” Indeed Swift has three cats: Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson, both Scottish folds, and Benjamin Button, a ragdoll. Lou, who lives in Margate, has two: Bobba, a three-legged feline who lost a leg in a road accident, and Baby. “I don’t think it helps my mad cat lady persona that I called one of them ‘Baby’,” she says. “I go outside to call them in, and people must think, ‘She keeps losing that baby!’”
There’s a method in the cat madness, though. Indeed, science shows owning a cat helps to lower blood pressure, decreases stress hormones like cortisol, and promotes relaxation through physical contact. Spending even a short amount of time with a cat can improve mood and their presence offers companionship and distraction from worries.
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“It’s the unconditional love that they give you,” agrees Lou, who won the eighth series of Taskmaster. “I was thinking the other day, if I murdered someone my cats would still love me.” There’s a stigma around women and cats, says Lou, and that needs to change – fast. “I think any time people find something that brings them joy, sometimes other people tend to want to tear it down if they don’t have access to it as well. “Cold water swimming for example, there’s a whole website dedicated to taking the mick out of women in their dry robes. And I think it’s slight misogyny because it’s often women of a certain age who have found peace and joy in this thing – be it cold water swimming, or cats.”
Lou got her cats after a romantic relationship ended. “It was when I went through a breakup, and I think that’s quite telling… ‘They won’t leave me,’ ‘They’re dependent on me,’” she says. “Cats are such good judges of character. They did meet the ex when he came to pick up his stuff, and they turned their noses up at him. I thought ‘Quite right too’. Not that there’s anything wrong with him, just different people for different times.”
Right now, Lou is single. She has teamed up with Life360 to launch its new Pet GPS which allows you to keep track of your furry friends as well as your favourite people and things all in one place. The campaign comes as new research reveals 40% of Brits have lost a pet!
“I think it’s very obvious that I don’t have a partner,” she laughs. “I have seen a few people, and actually the cats don’t get jealous. So if I do start a relationship they are usually quite nice to the guy. They don’t chase him out. They probably think, ‘Oh this is good for her.’ ‘Stick a tracker on this one.’ That said, they will let me know if someone is staying that isn’t adding value. They will do a dodo on the bed.”
It’s all good material for her comedy, says Lou, who is a regular on QI and Would I Lie To You. “In 2025, it’s a lot easier being a woman in comedy. Women want to see other women. We want to hear stories from women; we want all different ages, colours, backgrounds. The gender balance in comedy has gotten a lot better. But more can be done, though, and the gatekeepers – the people that make comedy shows – need to stop putting five men and just two women on them.”
The issue in comedy now is class-based, she continues. “There are more posh people in the arts now because that’s who can afford to dedicate the time to it,” says Lou. “We do love a rags-to-riches story but in TV a lot of people give jobs to people like themselves. I want to hear stories from other people – everyone.”
And there are still barriers to be broken as a woman in comedy. “When I was growing up my brother was the funny one, and I was the peacekeeper – always making sure that everyone was okay. Now I’m more myself but I do still have that compulsion to make sure people are alright. “This clashes with comedy, and I wish I was more hard nosed and didn’t care – it’s exhausting. I just want to be a selfish boy sometimes and not care. It’s arrogant thinking you can help anyway, everyone is on their own path. It’s awful, I’m actually really annoying in that way, I just want to not care about anything and go for the laugh.
“I think it’s a me thing and a woman thing, a bit of both. As women, we’re taught to read emotions and read between the lines and stuff, not just for safety, but for affection too. It’s why I can’t understand why there aren’t more chat shows by female comedians. We would push for a truer answer in a funny way, we’re more emotionally intelligent. And we love chatting.”
The greatest piece of advice she’s been given lately was by fellow female comedian Diane Morgan. “She said don’t look at your watch or phone before midday and just do your creative stuff,” says Lou.
Although she plans to continue in comedy, and in fact has a string of tour dates coming up before the year is through, her dream is to live off grid. “It’s my plan for the future: sell my house, buy some land with some other people, and grow my own fruit and vegetables. Go back to basics. There’s so much pesticides in our food, I don’t like the thought of these ID cards the Government wants to bring in, I’m really worried about that… and I would quite like to drill for my own water – apparently it’s easier than you think. So watch this space…”
