Lea Michele Rescues Pets
Lea Michele knows how to share the spotlight. Like here character, Rachel Berry, in the hit series “Glee”, the actress is determined to fight for her cause. While the TV show may have her fighting for the stage, in real life the actress uses her sway to protect other divas in fur coats: kittens, puppies, and horses!
While on set for “Glee”, the actress recently discovered a litter of six stray kittens on the Paramount Studios lot. Not one to look the other way, she took all six of the kittens in herself: “They probably would have been eaten, so I rescued them,” she says. Once the kittens were old enough to be separated, they were distributed to other actors on the show, while Lea adopted two of them herself. A “Glee” director adopted three kittens, castmate Heather Morris adopted one, while Lea took home little kittens Claude and Sheila. Previously, Lea Michele rescued a dog abandoned near Long Beach, CA. While the cast and crew were filming scenes nearby, Lea noticed the dog tied to a fence. After a vet check- up, the newly named pup Charlie found a home with fellow cast member Harry Shum. The set of “Glee” has developed quite a pet- friendly reputation, as many of the show’s stars are avid pet parents, often bringing them to work.
But Lea didn’t stop there. She recently brought attention to the mistreatment of horses forced to work horse- drawn carriages throughout Central Park in New York City. While a huge draw for tourists, the horses are often forced to work in terrible conditions. Michele says, “They walk in the rain, snow, and heat, pulling people all day long, rarely getting proper food, water or care.” A number of other politicians and animal rights activists, including Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, have recently spoken out against the conditions under which these horses must perform, year- round.
From coast to coast, it sounds like every animal can rest easy when Lea Michele and her “Glee”- ful castmates are around!