Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, received $1.5 million from the late designer, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 85but it’s unclear how exactly the feline will get its paws on the mass inheritance.
has become increasingly popular for the ultra-rich to leave millions to their beloved pets so they can maintain their high-class lifestyle after their owners pass away. However, the logistics of leaving a bunch of cash to a pet is a gray area.
Choupette is now richer than most people on the planet. Critics can picture her eating the most expensive bowl of kibble, if she dares eat such mundane pet food, in her designer Lucy Balu x Choupette bowls and sleeping only on the softest of beds.
like her instagram as he already shows, travel in style in a $250 Lucy Balu x Choupette Aircraft Carrier or a $2,000 Louis Vuitton Aircraft Carrier – a far cry from Amazon’s standard $20 mesh aircraft carrier – and fly in gorgeous private jets.
It’s even too cool for the Met Gala, with the feline seen opting for a midday nap at home instead of showing up at the exclusive event: although certainly references to it abounded.
So how does a blue-cream tortoise Burmese cat inherit his millions?
Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette (pictured together in 2016) received $1.5 million from the late designer, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 85.
Choupette was Lagerfeld’s beloved cat and is one of the many beneficiaries of his will.
The simple answer…
she does not
In France, where Choupette resides – as well as in the United States and the United Kingdom – pets are considered property, and therefore, they cannot inherit a penny.
‘In France you cannot name a pet as a beneficiary. For a beneficiary to receive an inheritance, it has to be an individual or a foundation,’ said Valerie Duane-Dray, a lawyer specializing in international inheritances. CBS News in 2019.
However, there are still several ways in which one can leave money to ensure the well-being of a pet. Although it is not clear which method Lagerfeld chose.
So how does a blue-cream tortoise Burmese cat inherit his millions? The simple answer… She doesn’t.
Drowning in legal paperwork, Choupette? In France, where Choupette resides, as well as in the US and UK, pets are considered property and therefore cannot inherit a penny.
The most common method is to leave the money to the new caretaker, since an animal can be left to someone in the will.
Lagerfeld’s cat also has her own source of income, including modeling work, collaborations as Lucy Balu, and is the subject of two books, among other assets.
“She has her little fortune,” Lagerfeld once said. She is an heiress. If something happens to me, the person who will take care of it will not be destitute.
She’s a rich girl!
Lagerfeld could also have created a foundation that had the sole mission of caring for little Choupette.
However, in Germany, where Lagerfeld was born, one can leave money for an animal.
As her Instagram already shows, she travels in style in a $2,000 Louis Vuitton backpack — a far cry from Amazon’s standard $20 mesh backpack — and flies in gorgeous private jets, her enemies could only dream of.
Choupette also has her own line of revenue, including a $250 Lucy Balu x Choupette baby carrier collaboration (pictured).
The most common method of leaving money for pets is to give it to a new caretaker, to a foundation designed to care for the pet, or to a non-profit organization.
Regardless of how Lagerfeld left the money for Choupette, the little kitty has been living the high life since her passing, though she often posts tributes to her father.
As last Monday’s Met Gala was in honor of her father’s designs and fashion career, Choupette revealed that she had been invited to walk the red carpet in ‘tribute to dad’ but opted for a cozier experience.
“We’ve been paying tribute to my dad every day since he left and we’re so excited to see another day dedicated to him,” she wrote on Instagram.
In February, the feline honored the fourth anniversary of her father’s ‘rushing’ departure by saying that he will ‘always’ be in her heart.
“You are no longer where you were, but you are still where I am… I miss you daddy,” he wrote.