Don't call a cat lady!

On Thursday's episode of the star was candid about how her latest pet, a kitten named Karma, came to be a part of her family.

"I don’t understand the obsession," she told hosts and , of people who love cats.

"I was not a cat person, I’ll be honest. And I love lions, I see myself as a lion, and I saw this cat and I went crazy for it," she continued, about her unexpected bond with Karma.

The actress told Kotb, 59, and Hager, 42, that her kids were begging for the cat and she was surprised that her husband,

, agreed to allow another animal in the family.

"He did not want another animal, because we have a dog. And he saw this cat. And I was sitting there thinking I was going to have [to convince my husband] — ‘cause my kids were like, [begging] ‘Mommy, mommy please.’ And it was all, ‘Daddy’s not going to go for this.’ And then Peter was like, ‘I love that cat,'" Hargitay, 59, explained.

— August Miklos Friedrich, 17, Amaya Josephine, 12, and , 12 — ultimately didn't have to do much convincing to make Karma a part of their family.

Karma is, of course, named afters song on her 2022 album Hargitay confirmed this to Kotb and Hager by quoting the lyrics, "Karma is a cat.

Me and Karma vibe like that."

The actress introduced her followers to her cat in an Instagram .

In a , Hargitay confessed: "Her name was Karma from minute one. That was her name."

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Swift famously named her cat Olivia, whom she brought home in 2014, after Hargitay's character, Olivia Benson.

"It was a no-brainer," she continued. "It just felt so right, and my daughter wasn't having it any other way.

"