Stars and their cats

Penelope and Capucina: Stage cats
Before becoming famous, Penelope Cruz already had an audience: stray cats. “Whenever I saw one in the street, I had to take it home,” she explains. It's easy to imagine the Spanish actress reciting her lines in front of her feline fans—especially her faithful companion Capucina with whom she posed for the official photo of the new People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaign.

Kirsten and Tito: Mutual adoption

“I found him on my doorstep one morning. I gave him some food and that was it: we immediately adopted each other,” says Kirsten Dunst. At first, the actress thought she had found a female, but one visit to the vet's and the record was set straight. “Tito no longer has his family jewels,” she explains. To hear her talk, you'd say Tito was a quite a character!

Christopher and Girl: Doing the right thing
Actor Christopher Walken's support for the Best Friends Animal Society—whose mission is to raise public awareness of the fate of shelter animals—isn't just a question of clearing his conscience. He leads by example. “Girl was very pregnant when we found her on the sidewalk,” he explains. After taking the expectant mother in, he set out to find a home for each of her kittens.

Taylor, Meredith and Olivia: Friendship and merchandise

Incredible, but true: Taylor Swift patented the names of her two cats so that she can sell derived products on her website. What's available? Jewelry, handbags, designer clothing—all by Meredith & Olivia Swift. The singer also retains the right to use her cats' names in future songs and to pay them royalties. Coming soon: “Meredith's cereals” and “Olivia's Eau de toilette”.

Hemingway and Snow White: Six toes and a pen
Ernest Hemingway—the big-game hunter, macho man, mythomaniac adventurer and influential writer—had a soft spot for mojitos, daiquiris and ... cats. “A cat has absolute emotional honesty ... Human beings ... may hide their feelings, but a cat does not,” he once said. Between his houses in Key West and Cuba, the man everyone called “Papa” housed dozens of cats, including his favourite, Snow White, who stood out from all the rest with her six toes.

Photo credits: Instagram/@kirstendunst
Photo credits: Instagram/@taylorswift