Pets Of Broadway: Meet Ariana DeBose's Lil Cheerleaders, Freddy & Izzy!

BroadwayWorld is excited to continue our exclusive collaboration with Pets of Broadway! From the cats of choreographers, to the dogs of dancers, to the birds of belters and the many pets in between, Pets of Broadway shares the stories of your favorite Broadway stars' best friends!

This week's Pets of Broadway introduces you to Freddy and Izzy, two cats rescued by Tony nominee, Ariana DeBose! Read below as DeBose talks about her feline BFFs!

I got Freddy, short for Frederick Douglass, and Izzy, short for Isadora Duncan, at the same time. They were a two for one package. Someone abandoned them outside the apartment I was living in at the time. It was raining and they were meowing the entire night. My girlfriend at the time felt horrible for them so she woke up early and brought them inside. I was on the couch meditating when I hear 'Meow Meow.' I thought 'oh my goodness, we have two cats now!'

We lived across the street from the Boys and Girls club and Izzy was against a brick wall like "I'm hidden if I close my eyes you can't see me." Freddy had the bright idea to hop under a car tire so he was in there just meowing all evening. It was very evident that they had been abandoned by their prior caretakers.

We cleaned them up and took them to the vet. We couldn't find any information on them. They weren't tagged or chipped so we don't know their story. They were so tiny, probably just under a year old. We started fostering them and it soon became clear that they weren't going anywhere. We were having trouble finding them a home because we wanted them to stay together. The trauma of them being abandoned really bonded them. They're best friends! I don't know if they're brother and sister, but they act like it. They're sweet kids.

I've had them for about three years and they're the best! They're my little companions. When I got back from the out of town run of Summer in La Jolla, I moved and brought them with me. I essentially started my life over. My show was coming to Broadway, I was just coming out of a relationship, I had no real furniture of my own. I was genuinely starting over and it's been really great having them during all of that.

As much as I love my dear sweet Freddy "Freddy, my love," he tries me sometimes! Last night, he decided that it would be fun to wake me up consistently throughout the evening. He started at 1 am and then again at 3 am and 6 am. I said 'oh no sir. We are going to have to do something to tire you out because mama needs her sleep!'

Freddy is really outgoing and really sweet. He's nothing but a little fatty love nugget but he is a talker. Izzy is a little more reserved. Every once in a while when she wants something she'll talk but she's usually quiet about things. She's a lady "whoa whoa whoa, she's a lady."

Cats are generally easy to take care of but my cats still need attention. They love to be loved. It's great when I don't have a two-show day because I can be a little more leisurely, drink my coffee, spend more time with them. Two show days get a little tough. The scheduling can be hard on my animals sometimes. When I first got them I said they could sit on my lap but I wouldn't play because I didn't want them to scratch me. Now that I've had them for a while, I've become a proper caretaker! They sleep in the bed with me. I'm a 70-year-old cat lady in my heart. The next step to my complete cat lady queendom will be to start knitting!

If we spoke the same language, I would try to make sure they knew how loved they are. Even though I don't like to play that much, I love them to the ends of this earth. They're amazing animals and they got me through a crazy transition time in my life. When I was at ground zero, they were there to say, 'It's ok mom, you can do it!' They're my little cheerleaders. I just want them to know that they're perfect and I hope they never change. And I need them to live forever.

You can see more pet loving stories at @petsofbroadway on Instagram!