“And Just Like That’s” Carrie wasn’t the only one to fall in love with her adoptive cat, Shoe. In the real world, the adorable kitten (real name Lotus) was adopted by Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Matthew Borderick, months before the Season 2 finale aired on Thursday.
Parker confirmed the adoption on Instagram. “Adopted officially by the Parker/Broderick family in April 2023. He joins Rémy and Smila who we adopted in May 2022. If he looks familiar, that’s because he is,” Parker shared along with several pictures of her new family pet.
The “And Just Like That” star also revealed that the real name of her furry costar is Lotus. Lotus and all his siblings were given botanical names when they were rescued by the Connecticut Human Society.
Parker and Lotus first met on the set of “And Just Like That.” After Che (Sara Ramirez) broke up with Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), they went back to their old job at a veterinary clinic. That’s how Che came to possess a litter of kittens. In “The Last Supper Part One: Appetizer,” Che persuaded Carrie (Parker) to adopt one, a fuzzy tabby that Carrie introduced as Shoe in the next episode.
Shoe, Carrie explained, has a double meaning. Naturally, the name is a nod to her favorite shopping addiction, but it also refers to “shoo,” something she’s told her new cat repeatedly.
The universe of “Sex and the City” has a long history when it comes to pets. In the original series, Miranda had her cat Fatty for years and would often use feeding him as an excuse to get out of uncomfortable situations. Miranda also adopted Scout the dog when she was dating Steve (David Eigenberg), a pup who later served as the inspiration for the name of Steve’s bar.
As for Charlotte (Kristin Davis), she’s had three dogs over the course of the original series as well as its movie and show spin-offs. First she had Henry, a rambunctious Jack Russell terrier she later gave away to Susan Sharon (Molly Price) and her husband. Then there was Elizabeth Taylor, a purebred Cavalier King Charles spaniel who was deemed too imperfect to be a show dog. The implication in “And Just Like That” is that Elizabeth Taylor has died, making way for Richard Burton, a bulldog named after Taylor’s real on-again, off-again husband. In “The Last Supper Part One: Appetizer,” Charlotte was praised for screaming at her husband and kids for not appreciating her enough before sweetly letting Richard Burton into her room.
As for Carrie, Shoe marks her very first pet.
