'Longlegs' Star Nicholas Cage Feeds His Pet Crow and Cat the Same Food

While Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage has been busy lately scaring the bejesus out of us with his portrayal of Longlegs , he’s also been giving interviews that shed some fascinating light on his personal life.

One of these little facts is that the gifted actor wakes up each day between  two am and five am and starts his day by feeding his pets, which include two parakeets, fish, dogs and a crow, which eats the same food as his cat.

The WSJ has an amazing interview with Cage , where he says, "It just so happens that my crow Huginn's favorite food is the same as Merlin's (Cage's cat) so I'll go over to his environment and he'll take it from my hand. I'll give him a little pet behind the feathers on his neck, " the Oscar-winning actor, 60, says. "Then my wife and I feed the dogs together."

In an article with the LA times in 2022, Rolling Stone magazine reports, "that his crow named Hoogan lives in a geodesic dome that Cage calls his Las Vegas home.

Cage’s crow also might be a parrot, as the actor claims “he has taken to calling me names … it’s comical, at least, it is to me.” For instance, when Cage leaves the room and says “Bye” to his bird, Hoogan allegedly answers back, “Ass.”

“Crows are very intelligent. And I like their appearance, the Edgar Allan Poe aspect,” Cage added, confusing ravens for crows. “I like the goth element. I am a goth.”

Please note that the WSJ article calls the crow 'Huggin" and the previous Rolling Stone piece calls the crow "Hoogan." At time of publication, we aren't sure which spelling is correct but we do know it's pretty amazing that Cage has a pet crow. That eats cat food.

Do Crows Make Good Pets?

As much as we would all like to have our very own crow for a pet , in the US, all migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act . Although crows don't always migrate (only the ones that live in the coldest places do), every type of crow is listed on the Department of the Interior's Federal Register of Migratory Birds. So this means that it is, indeed, illegal to take, possess, export, import, transport, sell, purchase, or trade any crow or any part of a crow (including its feathers) or crows' eggs or nests without a permit. It's also usually illegal to hunt, kill, capture, or take them without a permit.

So even if you did have some sort of special permit to keep a crow, they still don't make the best pets.

• A crow would need constant care, entertainment, feeding, and supervision for the duration of its life. It's a full-time job.
• Crows are omnivorous scavengers, so you'd be hard-pressed to feed it the wide variety of fresh foods it needs every day. And it wouldn't be cheap, either.

We will leave the care and feeding of a crow up to Mister Longlegs himself!