CULTURE

Salma Hayek’s Owl Meditates And Pukes On Famous Houseguests

Cuddly house pet or dangerous bird of prey?

by Meagan Fredette

salma hayek
Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

How do you relax after a long, tiring day? Do you take a trip to your neighborhood low-key spa? Indulge in luxurious La Mer skincare products before bed? Hit the stationary bike like you’re in the Tour de France? If you’re plateauing from your self-care routine, allow Salma Hayek to present you another, more avian option: meditating into the bewitching abyss while an owl balances on your head. Are you soothed yet?

“You won't believe this,” began Hayek, in an interview with People. “I do meditate with [my] owl very, very often. The minute I go deep into meditation, she stays super still.” That may be due to owls’ unique talons, which Wired describes as “relatively short but strong,” allowing the bird to perch painlessly on Hayek with relative ease.

Hayek’s pet owl is named is Kering, in honor of her husband François-Henri Pinault, who owns the namesake luxury conglomerate. And Kering sounds like more a dog and less like a carnivorous bird of prey: Hayek previously told People that they “share meals, watch TV on [her] iPad,” and called Kering’s energy “mesmerizing.”

The nocturnal creature also has a mischievous side. On an upcoming appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hayek described how — this is gross, here is your warning — Kering vomited a ball of rat fur and bones on Harry Styles’ head. “[Styles] was really excited about the owl and was hoping that the owl would go on his head because it was on me,” recalled Hayek, when the bird decided to entreat Styles to an amuse bouche of its last meal. “The minute he least expected it, [Kering landed] on his head, and this thing came out, this ball of rat hair was on his head.” Styles took the experience like a champ, and understood these sorts of accidents “happen sometimes when you have guests” — sure, if you happen to be a guest in the home of a vermin-killing, finely-tuned evolutionary raptor. What a hoot.