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Andrew Lloyd Webber, the mastermind composer behind Broadway's iconic "Cats," has admitted that he found the 2019 film based on the theatrical production so emotionally distressing that he went out and got a dog.

The "Cats" film, with its all-star cast including Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, and James Corden, seemed set for success but ultimately it was a box-office flop. In an interview with Variety, Lloyd Webber explained why he thought the film tanked.

"'Cats' was off-the-scale all wrong," he said. "There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy."

Lloyd Webber formed such a strong bond with the puppy, which was a constant companion for him during lockdown, that he now insists the dog travels with him. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to get airlines to allow the puppy onboard.

"I wrote off and said I needed him with me at all times because I’m emotionally damaged and I must have this therapy dog," Lloyd Webber recalled of one incident. "The airline wrote back and said, 'Can you prove that you really need him?' And I said 'Yes, just see what Hollywood did to my musical 'Cats.' Then the approval came back with a note saying, 'No doctor’s report required.'"