- September 24, 2022
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- 6 minutes read
Christina Ricci Has 3 Dogs, but Says She's an 'Equal-Opportunity Animal Lover': I 'Love Cats' – PEOPLE
Jen Juneau is a digital news writer for PEOPLE. A '90s teen and horror film connoisseur, she started at the brand in 2016, after a decade of working as a technical writer and then moonlighting as a journalist beginning in 2013. Originally from New Orleans, Jen grew up both in NOLA and Florida and eventually attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando (still her home base!), where she earned a bachelor's in English/technical communication, with a minor in magazine journalism.
Christina Ricci is a proud dog mom, but she doesn’t discriminate.
“I’m an equal-opportunity animal lover. I really love cats as much as I love dogs,” the Yellowjackets actress and recent Emmy nominee, 42, tells PEOPLE amid her partnership with Stella & Chewy’s for the brand’s “All You Need Is Raw” campaign.
Ricci says that aside from her three pups — named Logan, Patrick, and Karen Carpenter — her family (which also includes her celebrity-hairdresser husband Mark Hampton, 8-year-old son Freddie and daughter Cleopatra, 9 months) had a cat who, sadly, died a couple of months ago.
And the actress has had pets her "whole life," having grown up "with three dogs and a cat," so she's excited to partner with a brand she feels prioritizes animal health.
"Karen has been with me since I was about 29 years old. And I always say she's my first baby," Ricci says. "And as she got older, I really wanted to make sure that not only did she live as long as possible, but that she lives comfortably and happily, and without the ailments that older dogs suffer from."
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Karen has also seen both of Ricci's children become part of her family and has formed a special bond with baby Cleo as of late.
“She always comes over and sits by the baby and lets the baby pet her,” the Wednesday actress tells PEOPLE. “And Freddie used to get in Karen’s dog bed with her.”
“And then our big dog, Logan, always tries to sneak a kiss in. So he’ll be running through the kitchen, and he’ll sneak over to where [Cleo is] playing and just lick her face,” Ricci continues. “He’s a huge dog. So his tongue is literally suffocating for her.”
Meanwhile, little Cleo is all about it. "It's adorable. And she loves it," Ricci raves. "It's really cute. She's always horrified and can't breathe, but also giggling and loves it."
Ricci joined Stella & Chewy’s on Saturday at a launch event for the brand’s first-ever national campaign, “All You Need Is Raw,” which is described in a release as “a bold and candid celebration of the raw, unfiltered behaviors that make our pets who they are.”
The actress tells PEOPLE she found Stella & Chewy's when she "looked into better nutrition" for Karen and that Karen and her two younger dogs love the brand's food.
"I was really happy to be a part of this raw-love campaign. It's all about the depth of our passion and love for our animals and the lengths we would go to to make them happy," Ricci says. "And good nutrition is one of the easiest things we can do for them."
“Partnering with Christina is a natural fit for our brand, and we’re so excited she’s joining us to celebrate the raw love we share with our pets,” Stella & Chewy’s CEO Marc Hill says in the release, adding that the brand “was founded with raw love at its core, and it couldn’t be more evident that Christina embodies this daily through the relationship she has with her three dogs.”
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