Kate Beckinsale Reveals the Hilarious Reason Why She's 'Very Much a Cat Person'

Kate Beckinsale says she has always been an animal lover, but when it comes to the age-old cats vs. dogs debate, the actress, 45, has a clear preference.

“I’m very much a cat person,” Beckinsale tells PEOPLE. “I had cats growing up when I was little, and a big dog.”

The Widow actress currently has two Persian cats, Clive and Willow, who make frequent appearances on her Instagram feed.

“Cats are easier than dogs,” Beckinsale says, because “you don’t have to walk around with a bag of poo like you do with a dog, which I hate to walk around with a bag of poo.”

For more on Kate Beckinsale and her cats, pick up The Beautiful Issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Beckinsale’s Clive is “quite old,” she says, around 11 or 12, and frequently pops up on the actress’s Insta wearing bows, ribbons and/or cat costumes.

“We got him when my daughter [Lily Sheen, now 20] was little. And he usually is shaved into an odd shape, but he’s a recent cancer survivor. So, he will have all his old fur,” she explains.

Two-year-old Willow was “inherited from a friend of mine,” the actress says, “who got Willow because she liked Clive so much. Willow is insane so, she gave her to me.”

Beckinsale says her two cats have completely different personalities and preferences.

“Clive’s favorite things in the world are suitcases and boxes and bags, if you bring home a pair of sneakers or take out bag, he’s immediately inside it,” she says. “So we got him this suitcase bed, and he loves it so much.”

Willow enjoys a bag or two, too, but prefers to “sleep in creepy, psychopath places,” says Beckinsale. “Like the back of a drawer or places that she could die.”

She adds: “Willow is more of a handful but she’s so pretty, we forgive her.”