Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay officially entered her Cat Lady era when she introduced the world to her kitty Karma. The name is, of course, a nod to Taylor Swift, a certified Olivia Benson superfan. 

Way back in 2014, Swift adopted a kitten and named her Olivia Benson, after Hargitay’s SVU character. Later that year, Hargitay made an appearance in Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood,” and the friendship was sealed. And in 2022, Swift released her album Midnights, including the song “Karma,” which has the line, “Karma is a cat, purring in my lap ‘cuz it loves me.” And for Hargitay, those lyrics are as spot-on as it gets.

Mariska Hargitay’s cat is named after Taylor Swift’s song “Karma”

In November 2023, Hargitay introduced her cat — an adorable, blue-eyed Siamese — to her fans on social media. “Karma is a Cat @taylorswift Meet Karma. My Cat,” Hargitay wrote on Instagram.

“Are you serious?!!!! Nothing has ever come more full circle,” Swift commented on Hargitay’s post. “LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!”

 

A month later, in honor of the singer’s birthday in December 2023, Hargitay’s posted a photo of Karma posing in front of lots of Taylor Swift memorabilia.

Hargitay later told Entertainment Tonight that “it was only right” to name her cat after a Taylor Swift song. “It was only fair,” she said. “There was no other name that was even an option.”

Hargitay and her husband, Peter Hermann, already had one pet, their rescue dog Kaia, when Karma arrived and the SVU star shares a deep connection with both of them. “I’m so close with my animals,” Hargitay told TODAY in 2024. “There’s just a deep connection that animals have. They know when you’re sick, they know when you’re upset, they are happy to see you in a way that nobody else is.”

And yes, the two animals are friends. “They get along so well,” Hargitay told Woman’s World in 2024. “They live for each other. My cat will be like, ‘I’m done with you,’ and she’ll walk away and then the dog will be like, ‘Can we play more? Can we play more?’ It’s just a beautiful relationship to watch.”

Mariska Hargitay’s cat Karma and dog Kaia. Photo: Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay is a proud “cat lady”

Hargitay kicked off Christmas 2024 a full two months early, posting a special ornament to Instagram: pink slippers that say “cat lady.” She also spent the autumn doing photo shoots playing with Karma and plenty, plenty of posts in celebration of the pretty kitty. Karma giving paw. Karma doing a stalk. Karma on a Friday. Karma and Kaia at Kristmas.

 

But like any cat owner, Hargitay has discovered that cats make you work for their affection, which is why it’s all the more rewarding when you get it.

“I feel like cats make people so insecure,” Hargitay told People. “It’s like, why won’t you come into the room when I come home? Why do you walk the other way? It’s almost like she’s doing it on purpose. And it’s always up to her mood when she feels like coming over and rubbing against my leg or letting me pet her. She makes me needy — it’s so funny.”

Karma isn’t always playing hard to get though. “She’s starting to cozy up in the bed with me and let me pet her and purring more,” Hargitay told the magazine. “And just starting to give it up a little more…She’s so slinky and elegant. Just the way she moves always leaves me a little in awe.” Spoken like a true cat lover.