Martha Stewart Reveals Her Beloved Cat Was Mistakenly Killed by Her 4 Dogs

Martha Stewart shared awful news this weekend. Her beloved cat Princess Peony was killed by her four dogs, who mistook the cat for an intruder. Stewart, 80, shared a photo of men digging Princess Peony’s grave on Instagram Sunday, then shared a picture of the adorable cat.

“Burying the beautiful and unusual Princess Peony,” Stewart wrote. “The four dogs mistook her for an interloper and killed her defenseless little self. I will miss her very badly. RIP beauty.” Next, Stewart posted a close-up of Princess Peony, who looked like a very serious pet.

The lifestyle guru‘s fans and celebrity followers rushed to share their condolences. “So sorry,” Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo wrote. Kris Jenner posted three crying emojis. “That is horrible. I am so sorry,” designer Adam Lippes wrote.

Many of Stewart’s fans were horrified by this and wondered what she planned to do about her dogs. “That’s horrific! I wish I had never read this. That poor beautiful baby…this makes me so sad and sick to read,” one fan wrote. “I’m so sorry. At the end of the day, animals are animals, no matter how domesticated, so it’s understandable, but nonetheless so painful,” another commented.

According to her website, Stewart adopted Princess Peony and her sister, Empress Tang, in 2009. The two are Persian cats, born on May 11, 2009. They moved in with Stewart four months later. “Empress Tang and Princess Peony have acclimated nicely to their new home and are so joyful, as only kittens can be,” Stewart said in 2020.

In a 2020 feature for her website, Stewart said she has dozens of animals at her home. “At least 20 cats, 25 dogs, 10 chinchillas, and scores of canaries and parakeets have lived happily in my homes,” Stewart wrote. “And two ponies, three donkeys, 10 horses, many sheep and goats, and hundreds of chickens, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, peacocks, and homing pigeons have populated my sheds, barns, and stables. Just thinking about this amazing group astonishes me, and I realize how much I’ve learned from caring for them all and how much joy they’ve given me.”

Stewart said raising animals is “serious business,” and she tries to be a “good owner” for all of them.”Some respond in friendly ways, some are more aloof, and others don’t make a show of knowing me at all,” she wrote. “But I think they all understand that I care about their needs and recognize their problems.”

Stewart’s love of animals was on display on Super Bowl weekend when she joined Snoop Dogg for Animal Planet’s 2022 Puppy Bowl. The two also hosted the 2021 Puppy Bowl. In February, the two also coached the teams. Stewart and Snoop hosted the VH1 series Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party and the Peacock special Snoop and Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween.