Martha Stewart Mourns the Death of Her Persian Cat Empress Tang: 'We Loved Her so Much'

The tri-color Persian cat, whom Stewart welcomed in 2009, would have turned 15 in May

Martha Stewart is saying goodbye to a beloved family member.

On April 8, the lifestyle mogul and animal lover, 82, announced the death of her pet cat, Empress Tang, in a heartfelt Instagram post. The feline was almost 15 years old.

"Empress Tang, my dearest tri-color Persian, passed away this morning of natural causes," Stewart wrote.

“She was an awesome cat,” she said, adding that Empress Tang “worked hard” and “lived well.”

Some of that hard work, Stewart noted, was modeling jobs for Martha Stewart Living and the kitty litter brand PrettyLitter.

Added Stewart on social media: “We loved her so much!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Related: Martha Stewart Shares Cute Photo of Puppy Luna Moona at the Vet: ‘All Good!’

The news of Empress Tang’s death comes two years after another one of Stewart’s beloved cats, Princess Peony, died in a tragic incident.

On April 3, 2022, the lifestyle guru took to social media to share the heartbreaking news that Empress Tang’s sister, Princess Peony, had been mistakenly killed by four of her dogs.

"The four dogs mistook her for an interloper and killed her defenseless little self," Stewart explained in an Instagram post at the time.

"I will miss her very badly," Stewart added. "RIP, beauty."

Also on Instagram, the star posted a sweet photo of the late furry friend, telling her fans: "This was the Princess Peony."

Both Princess Peony and her sister, Empress Tang, are considered to be of the dominant calico Persian breed, according to Stewart's website.

They were born on May 11, 2009, and moved in with Stewart when they were four months old. When the duo first moved in with the lifestyle author, Stewart reported that the kitties had "acclimated nicely to their new home and are so joyful, as only kittens can be."

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An enthusiastic animal lover, Stewart claimed she once owned "20 cats, 25 dogs, 10 chinchillas, scores of canaries and parakeets, two ponies, three donkeys, 10 horses, many sheep and goats, hundreds of chickens, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, peacocks, and homing pigeons."

In October 2022, the star welcomed two Bengal cats to her "farm menagerie," and last year, she opened up to PEOPLE about some of her feathery, not furry friends: her beloved pet peacocks.

"They're very friendly birds — and they talk to me," she told PEOPLE in 2023. "Whenever I go by their enclosure, I talk to them. I go, 'Awk, awk.' I make their noise, and they talk right back to me. Everybody laughs when they see that because I'm the only one they respond to."

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