Mariska Hargitay on Her 'Full Circle Cat Moment' with Taylor Swift: 'It Was a No-Brainer' (Exclusive)
Hargitay and her family welcomed a Siamese cat in November and named the kitten Karma after the song from Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album
Mariska Hargitay wasn't "kitten" around when naming the newest member of her family.
The Law & Order: SVU star welcomed Karma, a Siamese cat, to her family in November, and she tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story that coming up with the pet's name was a breeze.
"Her name was Karma from minute one," she says. "That was her name."
Hargitay admits "there were other names thrown out" by the boys in the family (she and her husband, Peter Hermann, share two sons: August, 17, and Andrew, 12), but she and daughter Amaya, 12, made the official call.
Mariska Hargitay/instagram
Mariska Hargitay's cat, Karma"It was a no-brainer," she says. "It just felt so right, and my daughter wasn't having it any other way."
Beyond the fact that both Hargitay and Amaya are dedicated Swifties (they attended the Eras Tour twice over the summer and went to the concert film premiere together in October), naming the feline in honor of the pop icon had another connection.
Related: Mariska Hargitay Makes Rare Appearance with Daughter Amaya at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Film Premiere
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
In 2014, Swift named one of her Scottish fold cats Olivia Benson after Hargitay's character on Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay also appeared in Swift's "Bad Blood" music video the following year.
"I mean, it's so like, 'Wait, what? Taylor Swift named her cat after my character?'" recalls Hargitay of when she first heard the news. "And I was so honored because Olivia Benson's awesome, but also that it resonated with [Taylor]. It was meaningful to me."
Returning the favor "only seemed fitting, fair, and perfect," Hargitay adds.
Dimitrios Kambouris/LP5/Getty
The soundtrack to PEOPLE's cover shoot naturally featured lots of Swift — including "Karma."
"Can we superimpose my cat?" joked Hargitay as she sat on the kitchen counter and motioned to the open space beside her.
"Karma is a Cat @taylorswift Meet Karma. My Cat.🐱 #MeAndKarmaVibeLikeThat #AndIKeepMySideOfMyPawClean #KarmaIsACat," Hargitay captioned her post in November introducing the feline, which included references to the song's lyrics. Swift herself couldn't help but respond.
"Are you serious?!!!! Nothing has ever come more full circle ⭕️ LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! 😻" the singer-songwriter commented.
For more on Mariska Hargitay, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.
Reflecting on the sweet note from Swift, Hargitay smiles.
"Yeah," she says, "that was really cool."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
