Black Cats, Dark Metal: Rock-Star Bassist Blasko Discusses His Cat Advocacy [Exclusive]

Mr. Rob “Blasko” is a Renaissance man, whose many hats over the years have included rock star, hugely successful manager, music career coach, entrepreneur, marketing wizard, and so forth. As arguably one of the finest and coolest bassists in metal, he currently lends his supremacy to Rob Zombie, though he is also revered for his involvement with Cryptic Slaughter, Danzig, Prong, and the immortal Ozzy Osbourne. However, today, we are celebrating Blasko’s heroic and tireless efforts to ensure the best lives possible for cats. As we thank Blasko for his advocacy, we hope that his exemplary devotion will inspire readers.

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In 2019, Blasko became the recipient of the Advocacy Award at Kitten Rescue’s annual fundraiser and gala, Fur Ball. Radio personality Jason Ellis introduced him that glorious evening, which was attended by heavyweights, as actress Miranda Cosgrove, ex-Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes, Gloria Butler, and the Black Sabbath co-founding legend Geezer Butler. The Butlers were honored with the very same award in 2016, and their ongoing altruistic deeds in service of animals have been endless. The charitable power couple actually connected Blasko with Kitten Rescue — Blasko now sits on this LA-based organization’s Board of Directors. Blasko’s friend Rob Halford of Judas Priest is yet another icon championing Kitten Rescue and proving that cats are born “Rocka Rolla[s].” As we will explore, Blasko has assumed the special role of black cat advocate, which, as he points out, fits perfectly with his dark brand.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to catch up with the kind and humble Blasko, who proudly states, “The Fur Ball just happened [on October 3], and that was a great success, as always. So, we feel very-very happy about that. It’s a big moment for us each year. There’s obviously a stigma attached to black cats. A lot of it stems from their association with witches and black magic in folklore. The stigma carries over into other kinds of adoptable pets — black dogs tend to be the last ones adopted, which is ridiculous. One reason is that people seem to think they don’t show up well in photos, and we’re living in a social media world, where everything is all about documenting your life — the fact that’s even a consideration is difficult for me to wrap my head around. If anyone has ever seen photos of my black cat, they’re amazing. […] Cats don’t pick the color of their fur, and at the end of the day, they’re still just cats. If you want one, what color it is really has no bearing on how it interacts with humans.” Blasko’s photos prove that black cats are, in fact, dangerous, but only in their bewitching adorableness.

The lethal hired gun onstage and lifesaver offstage praises his rescue community, “We have such a big network of TNR volunteers, who trap out of the love of doing it and protecting the cat colonies in their neighborhoods. There’s so much that goes into that sort of work. It’s really commendable. I stand on the shoulders of giants in that regard. Kitten Rescue and Heaven on Earth, the other rescue I work with, are non-profit organizations that rely on support from the community — foster families and donations. It’s very important that people support them, whether from a financial standpoint or a volunteer standpoint, because cats do come to us in various stages. Sometimes, they can be rehabilitated and are ready for adoption, and sometimes they end up just at the rescue forever, which is fine in some cases.” These organizations take it upon themselves to treat the medical afflictions of the cats they rescue — Blasko has mentioned leukemia as an issue they sometimes encounter.

Blasko continues, “On the rescue side, you see a lot of things, and it really gives you some insight into the general state of humanity, and it can be really depressing when you look at how animals can be neglected, and mistreated, and abused. It makes you very angry. People will just roll up to a shelter in the middle of the night with cats in a box and just leave it at the front door. You have to be very thankful that there are shelters and rescues that can take those abandoned and misused animals in. […] When it comes to it being spooky season, there are a lot of rescues that won’t even adopt out black cats in October because people do stupid stuff. That is also completely frustrating and infuriating. At Kitten Rescue, we vet every adopter pretty thoroughly.”

As Blasko cautions us, cats are not toys, and the privilege of ownership should not be approached without a great sense of responsibility, “This is a real commitment. It’s important to consider that it is a decision that will impact a cat for a lifetime, which can be upwards of 20 years. Anyone who is a cat owner will really have to adapt to their cat’s idiosyncrasies. I was having dinner with some friends last night — the majority of them are cat owners, so we were talking about getting the covers pulled off of you at 3 in the morning and getting our toes bitten and scratched so that we’d wake up and feed our cats treats and stuff. If you lock them outside the door, they’ll scratch and meow… I think it’s hilarious, and I find it cute and endearing. I get a kick out of getting up in the middle of the night to feed my cats. But there are people who don’t realize what they’re signing up for. Cats can be pretty self-sufficient, as long as you put down a litter box, clean it out every once in a while, and feed them. But the point is they do get sick. They are clumsy sometimes. They can get hurt. They are finicky. They do scratch stuff up, right? Occasionally, they’ll have accidents, depending on their age, temperament, surroundings within the house, etc. So, if you’re a good person who’s looking to adopt a cat for October, and you’re doing it as a novelty thing, you have to remember that there will be many more spooky seasons that this guy is going to be around for.”

jackie daytona courtesy of blasko

Blasko addresses the pressing, and sometimes physically suffocating, issue of Halloween costumes for cats, “Some cats are cool with it and like to dress up. Some cats like adventure. Most really don’t though. It’s kinda mean to do those things. Touching more upon the safety of cats, I kinda think most cats that were adopted as pets should really be indoors all the time. Especially during this time of year, people can be cruel. But I understand that certain cats have the instinct to go outside, and there are certain situations where there is a yard, and people do have cats that go in and out. Generally speaking though, those are ones that kind of came that way. We had a cat that was an outdoor cat first and then just came into our house. It wasn’t feral or anything, it was just meandering, and that cat was always an indoor-outdoor.”

Looking past Halloween, we must highlight that each November, Kitten Rescue does their best to guarantee that the community keeps their feline allies in mind on and around GivingTuesday. With the donations gathered solely from that annual occurrence, Kitten Rescue is able to pick a different shelter each year and save all the cats scheduled to be euthanized. This entails, as always, doing their best to restore the health of rescuees. Blasko did inform me that 88 cats had been saved as a result of the 2023 edition of GivingTuesday alone. Blasko beams, “It’s always a great moment to be able to talk about how many of these cats that would have been killed were able to be adopted. On average, we rescue and adopt out over 2,000 cats a year.”

Kitten Rescue has displayed great preparedness in stepping in during wildfires. Blasko reflects, “You can read of the amazing things as well as all the very depressing things that have happened during something as catastrophic as fires that are leveling thousands of homes and communities, right? It’s tragic. And there is loss there, but we like to celebrate the wins if at all possible. There were some real wins in that we were able to take in as many cats as we could and either hold them while their owners were unable to go back home or because they were completely displaced. We’re a real community-based organization, and when things like that happen and everyone pulls together, it does rekindle some of your faith in humanity.”

For those among us willing to become cat parents, Blasko explains how we can meet and test our compatibility with potential besties, “There are a lot of pop-up events. Usually, they happen at PetSmart or something. Kitten Rescue and Heaven on Earth can be open to the public, and you can make an appointment to come and see the cats. We also supply cats to a number of cat cafés — I feel they are always really good environments to see who might be a good fit for adoption. At the cafés, you can play with the cats and see if they gravitate towards you as well as how they interact with other cats and people. There’s Tail Town Cats, which is in Pasadena. There’s Crumbs & Whiskers, which is in Hollywood on Melrose [and also in Washington DC]. And then, there’s Catfe in Santa Clarita. But those aren’t the only ones that we supply to. There are great cat cafés all over the world, and I’ve been to them in Japan; London; Monterey, Mexico; everywhere. Whenever I am on tour, one of the first things I do when I wake up in a city is look up where the cat café is in closest proximity to the gig or hotel. I always try to visit when I can, just to see how their operations run. One of my favorites is The Catcade, which is in Chicago — I have friends that operate it, and it’s a really great location. Supporting all of these things is of tremendous value, and we appreciate it all.” Blasko adds, “We pop up at [Halloween and horror convention] Midsummer Scream every year in August, and we do some great merch for that.” Blasko used to sell “Black Cat Social Club” merch for charity himself.

Lil’ champ courtesy of blasko

Blasko previously told me, “Cats are very metal.” Now, he obligingly responds to my request to please expand, “There seems to be a natural unity between cats and metalheads. I can’t completely explain it, but I’m fascinated by it. There really are a lot of people in metal that love cats, have cats, appreciate cats, and that’s a great thing. Recently, I lost a cat, and I was out in the crowd at a gig, and people that I did not know came up to me and expressed sincere condolences. When someone recognizes me from Instagram, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I love your cats; I love that you post pictures and videos of your cats.’ It’s common for people to come up to me and not talk about bands that I’ve been in or am in but cats.”

Our cat savior of honor remembers his recently-lost black-and-white companion, “When I adopted him from a place called AGWC Rockin’ Rescue, his shelter name was Wilbur, but I changed it to Captain. He was with me for a really long time, and it was unfortunate to see him go. However, I look at it like this: We gave him a great life from a life that wasn’t so great, so the last two-thirds of his life were as great as they could be. Right now, I’m still grieving, but there are a lot of homeless cats out there that need pet parents, and so I believe it’s my responsibility to find more. No one can replace Captain, but, at the end of the day, there is an empty space here for a cat that needs a second chance, and we’re very good cat parents.” Blasko and his wife still lovingly care for two other striking heart-stealers, whom the former describes as “super codependent and very human.” Blasko notes of cats in general, in line with earlier remarks, “I appreciate their willingness to be independent, their attitude… But they still need us, so there’s a real connection there. They can be real friends.”

Wilbur courtesy of blasko

Of his ambitions, Blasko reveals, “I have the fantasy of opening my own cat café one of these days. I’ve got a great idea of what mine could be like… But it’s just too restrictive. I give anyone who has ever opened a cat café all the credit in the world, because it is so much work.” Hopefully, down the road, we’ll see Blasko’s dream come to fruition. Blasko further shares that he met Alexandra Crockett, who authored the famous Metal Cats (2014), and that he’d be eager to participate if she ever assigns herself the task of a follow-up. In my estimation, a “Black Metal, Black Cats” book, featuring some of the “grim and frostbitten” Lords of Cuteness, is long overdue. I would also love to see Blasko and pals record a cat-themed album.

Blasko has truly demonstrated brilliance in raising awareness through social media, which he views as a gift that should be used to spread positivity. Especially in our age of AI cat videos, it’s refreshing to follow real cats and their bipedal caretakers. Blasko runs the LA Big 5K each year and, at the appropriate time, includes a link for donations in his Instagram bio — he advises us to check Instagram for those aforementioned pop-up events as well. In closing, Blasko emphasizes, “The internet is a good resource. I think if you have questions, and you don’t understand what the adoption process looks like, or where the best places are to meet and potentially adopt in your area, look it up, and go check it out. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you, but make some effort if it’s something you’ve been thinking about. There’s a lot of information and resources on kittenrescue.org. If you are in the Atwater Village area, then visit Kitten Rescue.”

(Follow Blasko’s main Instagram account here, Kitten Rescue here, and Heaven on Earth here, or you will be promptly fed to rabid dogs.)

lil’ champ courtesy of blasko

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