Katherine Heigl Says She 'Needed to Be Brave' When Launching Her Shopify Store Dedicated to Animal Welfare

Katherine Heigl grew up with a love for animals and always had dogs and cats around. In fact, the adoration for pets runs in her family.

"Somebody asked me recently, 'Were you the kid that always came home with the stray animal?' I said, 'No, my mom was,'" the Emmy-winning actress and activist, 44, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "She instilled that in us, this compassion and love for these creatures."

Harboring a close relationship with her own furry friends later turned into what is now Heigel's full-fledged dedication to ending animal cruelty and advocating for animal wellness.

"We just didn't know what was going on. We were pet lovers, always had dogs and cats, but didn't know that so many of their kind were suffering," she admits. "That's when this real kind of push to make a difference began."

The Firefly Lane actress' latest initiative is her just-launched Artware Shopify store, which holds a variety of self-designed pet-themed hoodies, T-shirts, tote bags and mugs inspired by the cause close to her heart.

"I thought, 'You know what? If there's something I can do to incentivize people to financially participate, then I'm going to do that," says Heigl.

It's actually been a double-sided passion project for the star, who decided to finally showcase her self-made art through the merchandise available on her online store.

At first, Heigl never made much of her artwork she'd accumulated over the last six years due to "basic old insecurity." But, she says, "I decided I needed to be brave, put it out there and see if it could help us make a difference."

Heigl's shop includes four colorful collections inspired by cats and dogs. There's the Pit line, as well as the Namaste Cat and Dog ranges. Also housed within the shop is the Ben Davis capsule, which features a pup graphic conceptualized in Heigl's early foray into graphic design and inspired by her "first real pet" that had been with her from when she was born up until she was 16.

The drawings first came about when Heigl began using Procreate, an app made for graphic design. She notes that it's been a "fun outlet for creativity," and that inventing these playful illustrations has been a "more freeing" approach to art.

Exercising that muscle wasn't the only thing Heigl had to learn while on her new entrepreneurial journey, though. "I actually saw a TikTok video on how to open a Shopify store," she candidly says.

The behind-the-scenes work was mostly headed by the 27 Dresses alum (I was like, 'I can do this myself,'" she recalls thinking). And now that she's dipped her toe into the business world, the possibilities seem endless.

"I hope to expand it out towards more home goods — I'll have more designs coming out soon," she says, adding that she wants to involve her other hobbies and interests into the project, "but that's the 10-year goal."

In celebration of the store's opening, Heigl is donating 100% of its first-year proceeds to the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, the animal advocacy non-profit organization she created alongside her mom, Nancy, in 2008, in honor of their late brother and son, respectively.

"She's a real inspiration to me in terms of heart, soul, purpose and what's important in life," the Grey's Anatomy grad tells PEOPLE on working with her mom, whom she calls a "warrior."

"I really credit her with all of this. It was really her that was the inspiration and the impetus," she gushes, adding that her mother "will not quit and let anything deter her" even when things get tough.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Though Heigl (who also launched premium dog food brand Badlands Ranch in 2022 as a way to introduce simplified and holistic options to the market) has dedicated over a decade of her life to animal welfare, she's learned new ways to be proactive.

Within the last few years, she's made a "real, major effort" to research and incorporate cruelty-free, non-animal tested products at home. She's also adamant about not wearing real fur.

Even on set, when she's in hair and makeup, she's asked her crew to be mindful of using such products and even encourages conversations around the topic.

The feedback? "There's either one or two reactions: One, the hair and makeup team is aware and have made that commitment in their own lives. Or [they say] 'Oh, that's so interesting. I hadn't thought of it and I'd love to see what products you like that are cruelty-free so that I can become more aware,'" explains Heigl.

She continues: "People are very receptive and open. It's not that they don't care, it's just that they don't know."

Heigl has a full house. She lives with her husband Josh Kelley, eight dogs, three cats and her three children — Nancy Leigh "Naleigh" Mi-Eun, 14, Adelaide Marie Hope, 11, and Joshua Bishop Jr., 6, all of whom she shares with her singer beau.

On how her kids handle their pet companions, Heigl jokes, "I think my children are really overwhelmed. I think the kids are feeling very much [like] they live in a zoo at the moment."

Though, she's encouraging her youngins to get involved in the animals' lives, even though it's a "work in progress."

"I think children are sort of innately born compassionate, it just needs to be encouraged," she notes.

The actress has no future plans to take in any additional animals (a tentative decision), yet she hopes others can see the positive in taking in animals in need. "I would love people who just have a heart for that or have a heart for pets who can't necessarily adopt one, but could foster."