‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ star thinks she might be better suited to hosting cat dinner parties
Jenna Lyons has a busy household.The Real Housewives of New York City star manages her reality career and business ventures with her partner, Cass Bird, their children, and their many pets. Sitting down for dinner, especially in the summer with its lack of structure, is not always easy, but Lyons likes to make a point of it.
The former J. Crew executive even includes her cats, Charlie, Rimba, and Roo, and her dog Popeye in family dinner, she tells PEOPLE, adding that it wouldn’t feel “fair” not to have their pets at dinner.
Now, Lyons is taking family meals to a new level with a Fancy Feast collaboration of eight dishes for humans and cats adorned with watercolor sketches Lyons made of her beloved felines.
“The [cats] sit there, and they look cute, and they look at you,” Lyons says of eating with Charlie, Rimba, and Roo. “The cats have a totally different way of approaching mealtime, so it made sense.”
The former creative director says she feeds the animals first because they “can’t wait,” then the family sits down, often giggling at “the cat’s little funny positions while they’re eating.”
“They get first dibs, and then we try to sit down together,” Lyons says. “For the most part, we eat all together, and the cats eat right near us. The dog just wants to watch. It’s very funny.”
In September 2023, Lyons alluded to her family’s closeness with their pets when she posted on Instagram about Popeye’s love for sharing food (and coffee!) with her. “THIS – is what an angel looks like – except he begs for food, which is totally my fault and he drinks my coffee- but LOOK AT HIM,” she wrote alongside three photos of Popeye at home.
Lyons grew up with dogs and didn’t expect to be a cat lover but was won over by their “elegant” nature.
“We’ve gone from one tiny little dog to three cats and a dog. And all that’s on my Instagram feed is cats and more cats,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Do I need another cat?’ I now know what cat ladies are and how it gets there. They’re sort of addictive, cats.”
Lyons, who will return to The Real Housewives of New York City for season 15 in October, says she wants to host dinner parties for cats because the events seem better suited to her hostess skills. The reality star loves chatting and sharing good food at dinner parties but struggles to multitask the cooking and the entertaining.
“I get overwhelmed, and I honestly want it to be too perfect, and then I don’t do it as much as I should. I’m also not so great at cooking and talking at the same time, and I like to keep people alive at my dinner parties, so that could be dangerous,” Lyons says. “Cat dinner parties, maybe I could do better.”