Mariska Hargitay Says She ‘Was Not a Cat Person’ Before New Kitten, Karma: ‘I Don’t Understand the Obsession’

Mar. 15, 2025

Mariska Hargitay and her cat, Karma.Photo:Getty;Mariska Hargitay/Instagram

Getty;Mariska Hargitay/Instagram

Don’t callMariska Hargitaya cat lady!

On Thursday’s episode ofToday with Hoda & Jenna,theLaw & Order: SVUstar was candid about how her latest pet, a kitten named Karma, came to be a part of her family.

“I don’t understand the obsession,” she told hostsHoda KotbandJenna Bush Hager, of people who love cats.

“I was not a cat person, I’ll be honest. And I love lions, I see myself as a lion, and I saw this cat and I went crazy for it,” she continued, about her unexpected bond with Karma.

Mariska Hargitay attends the 2023 Stuttering Association For The Young (SAY) Benefit Gala at The Edison Ballroom on May 22, 2023.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The actress told Kotb, 59, and Hager, 42, that her kids were begging for the cat and she was surprised that her husband,Peter Hermann, agreed to allow another animal in the family.

“He did not want another animal, because we have a dog. And he saw this cat. And I was sitting there thinking I was going to have [to convince my husband] — ‘cause my kids were like, [begging] ‘Mommy, mommy please.’ And it was all, ‘Daddy’s not going to go for this.’ And then Peter was like, ‘I love that cat,'” Hargitay, 59, explained.

The kids— August Miklos Friedrich, 17, Amaya Josephine, 12, andAndrew Nicolas, 12 — ultimately didn’t have to do much convincing to make Karma a part of their family.

Taylor Swift performs onstage with actress Mariska Hargitay during The 1989 World Tour on June 13, 2015.Dimitrios Kambouris/LP5/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/LP5/Getty

The actress introduced her followers to her cat in an Instagrampost in November.

In aPEOPLE exclusive earlier this month, Hargitay confessed: “Her name was Karma from minute one. That was her name.”

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Swift famously named her cat Olivia, whom she brought home in 2014, after Hargitay’sSVUcharacter, Olivia Benson.

“It was a no-brainer,” she continued. “It just felt so right, and my daughter wasn’t having it any other way.”

source: people.com