OkcPets Magazine March 2023

March / April 2023 • OKC Pets 21 E mma Watson is an animal lover on screen and off. The English actress, who launched her career as a child in the Harry Potter movies, is an advocate for several causes, includ- ing women’s rights and animal rights. She is out- spoken about animal welfare and the promotion of cruelty-free products. Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris, France, to English parents on April 15, 1990. After she acted in school plays, she snagged her first professional role in the first of the Harry Potter films at nine years old. She has also worked as a model and has acted in several other movies, on television, and in a music video. Film critics have said that Watson’s acting style shows a very human sensitivity and quiet strength. She has been called friendly, intelligent, and down to earth. Watson has two cats of her own, Bubbles and Domino. Unlike the pets of many of Watson’s celebrity colleagues, her felines are not purebreds but just plain cats. One is a calico mix, and the other is a red tabby mix. In her Harry Potter role as Hermione Granger, Watson went to the Magical Menagerie to get an owl but instead bought a very fuzzy ginger cat named Crookshanks when the salesclerk told her no one wanted him. Crookshanks played an important role in the Harry Potter stories. Two cats portrayed Crookshanks during the series. One was a red Persian named Pumpkin from the Isle of Man, and the second was a male red Persian named Crackerjack. In one of the Harry Potter movies, Watson’s character was transformed into a half cat and half human, further identifying her with animals. Watson’s love for animals extends to other species besides cats. She had an on-set hamster named Millie during the filming of the Harry Pot- ter movies. Unfortunately, Millie died of a heart attack. The set decorators built a hamster-sized mahogany coffin for Millie with a velvet lining and a silver plaque with her name engraved on it. Watson earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature at Brown University in Provi- dence, Rhode Island, in 2014. In 2022, she was in an HBO special for the twentieth anniversary of the Harry Potter films, along with many other cast members. Watson maintains a busy schedule of acting and activism and divides her time between England and the United States. If you are among the millions of Harry Potter fans, give a special nod of recognition to Emma Watson — aka Hermione Granger — and her affiliation with cats, whether movie stars or humble pets. FOCUS ON FELINES EmmaWatson, who por- trayed Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, is an animal lover on screen and off. Active Advocate Emma Watson Has an Affinity for Cats by Rowena Mills Okoboji Veterinary Hospital 1020 NW 192nd St., Suite L | Edmond, OK 73012 405-513-5905