10 Wealthy Pets That Inherited Their Owner's Fortune

When it comes to the concept of family and children, things are changing. Not only are more and more Americans putting off the idea of having kids until their 30s and older, but a growing number aren't interested in having kids at all — at least the two-legged kind. In May 2025, Harris Poll partnered with Lowe's to survey approximately 2,000 Americans, revealing that 43% of those asked preferred the idea of pets over children. Though cats and dogs are still the most adored options, some pet parents will happily adopt hens, rabbits, turtles, fish, or even snakes.

Regardless of the animal, they ultimately become a very much loved part of the family, experiencing many of the same milestones as human children, like birthdays and Christmas celebrations. They even enjoy a weekend at their grandparents' home. Pet parents ultimately want the same for their furry kids as any parent: to know that their loved ones will be always be safe and cared for, especially should they, unfortunately, pass away, leaving their pets behind.

Just as this is a concern for the average, middle-class American, it's also a worry for some of the wealthiest members of society. The difference is that those with massive means are capable of going to great lengths to make sure their beloved pets continue to get pampered treatment long after they're gone. The result? Very rich pets that go on to inherit hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars worth of cash and properties.

The pets below represent some of the richest animals ever, who were lucky enough to inherit a sizable fortune from wealthy owners. 

In 2003, a cat named Tinker inherited a sizeable chunk of wealth following the passing of his owner, Margaret Layne. According to The Guardian and CBC News, the wealthy British widow took in the stray and even set up a special trust to ensure he would live a comfortable lifestyle for the rest of his days. In total, Tinker received the equivalent of $834,000 worth of wealth, the combination of Layne's $650,000 home and $186,000 in cash. To ensure Tinker lived his best feline life, Layne named her neighbors, Eugene and Ann Wheatley, as trustees, tasking them with seeing to the cat's every need.

Although Tinker did inherit the money, there was a catch. If Tinker were to run away or disappear for a certain amount of time, that he would miss out on his near million-dollar fortune and the Wheatleys were free to do with the funds whatever they felt best.

The Wheatleys took their roles as joint trustees over little Tinker quite seriously. By early 2005, per UPI, they were forced to relocate the animal. When the story of Tinker and his inheritance hit the news, not everyone was happy to hear that a former stray cat was living a decidedly wealthier life than themselves, and went as far as to send death threats to the animal. The Wheatleys moved Tinker to an undisclosed location to live out the rest of his life in pampered peace. 

In matters of inheritance, it's hard to argue against the perk of being an only child. The family heir is pretty obvious — unless there's estrangement familial strife that continues from beyond the grave. The single child will also not have to worry about splitting their inheritance with multiple siblings. In some cases, so many heirs can mean a very messy legal battle during a time when such matters should already be finalized and surviving loved ones can instead focus on next steps and comforting each other.

Even if pets find themselves splitting a lot of money, they're less likely to fight over dollars and more likely to scrap over a favorite stuffed toy. A group of cats named Boon, Coco, Eileen, Hamish, and Tuffnel weren't torn apart by infighting when their owner, actress Beryl Reid, decided to add the felines to her will. According to The Irish Mirror, the five cats inherited a $1.3 million home, as per Beryl's wishes. That means each animal has $260,000 stake in the mansion.

The likely reason Beryl decided to leave the home to her beloved cats is rather touching. Apparently, they were all former strays that she'd taken in. Without providing for them, there was a very real chance the animals would once again find themselves outside on the streets, forced to fend for themselves. By giving them the home, Beryl no doubt hoped that they would always have a roof over their heads.

Some animals don't just inherit a lot of money; they actually are capable of affording a fabulous lifestyle due to becoming a celebrity in their own right. This was the case for Choupette, a pet Burmese cat who was the beloved pet of none other than fashion industry icon Karl Lagerfeld. The famed designer passed away in 2019, leaving behind a vast fortune that reportedly totaled over $300 million.

Even without Lagerfeld making arrangements for her, Choupette would have apparently had the funds to live a pampered lifestyle thanks to the money earned through her sizeable Instagram following. But Lagerfeld was not willing to chance it, instead making sure that his precious feline friend would inherit a respectful chunk of his wealth. Per The Daily Mail, Choupette is thought to have received the near equivalent of $1.5 million. The means aren't straight forward because of an unfortunate hiccup in English Law.

In its coverage of the unusual situation, CBS News revealed it's possible Choupette was able to enjoy her inheritance only through special arrangements as French Law currently forbids the direct transfer of wealth to a family pet. Instead, it's likely that Lagerfeld set up a special non-profit or foundation solely to handle Choupette's inheritance. All things considered, it's likely that Choupette continued her luxurious lifestyle both online and offline, which is exactly what Lagerfeld would have wanted. 

With a name like Trouble, you can already guess that the inheritance situation for this Maltese was never going to go smoothly. The pooch was originally willed $12 million by the late Leona Helmsley, a real estate tycoon who was as wealthy as she was notorious. Nicknamed the "Queen of Mean," Helmsley reportedly served 19 months in prison for fraud and tax evasion. However people felt about Helmsley, clearly she was loving mother to her dog, and decided she wanted to ensure that her pet get a decent share of her many millions when she passed away.

It was for this reason that she decided to grant Trouble so much money in her will. However, despite what her wishes were, The New York Times reported a surrogate court judge decided it was just too much money to leave behind for a pet. In the end, Trouble would live a lavish lifestyle worthy of her breed, just with far less funds than initially intended. Following the court ruling, Trouble would instead receive an inheritance of $2 million. Even though it wasn't nearly as much money as before, we're doubtful Trouble was too bothered.

Trouble was ultimately left in the care of Carl Lekic, the general manager of Helmsley Sandcastle hotel, who she also reportedly paid $60,000 to act as guardian. He revealed that $100,000 of Trouble's inheritance went toward security due to death threats. Lekic looked after Trouble until her death at age 12 in 2011. 

If ever there were humans able to go boldly where no man has gone before in terms of millionaire pets, it's of little surprise that the Roddenberrys would be on that list. After all, Gene Roddenberry came up with the Star Trek franchise, thus ensuring his estate's vast wealth for many years. When he passed away in October 1991, the fortune passed to his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.

What love she was no longer able to give to her dearly departed husband she lavished lovingly on her many pets. However, she likely realized that something would need to be done to ensure their high-end lifestyle when she was no longer living. As The Daily Mail reports, a group of unnamed pets would ultimately inherit the equivalent of $3.3 million, but Mrs. Roddenberry wasn't done. She also left $835,000 to her housekeeper, who in addition to the cash would also be able to remain living in the family home and see to the care of their various cats and dogs. The Daily Mail notes that the legal documents never specified exactly how many pets lived in the home. However, we can be assured that however many there are, they would remain safe and well looked after on the Roddenberrys' estate.

As for human heirs, Mrs. Roddenberry's son Eugene was willed her Bel-Air mansion and approximately $82 million, paid out through a series of installments. 

They could almost be something out of a Disney movie similar to "The Aristocats." In this case, the animation would star a chihuahua called Conchita, a Maltese named April Marie, and their Yorkshire Terrier sister Lucia. In reality, these trios were the much loved pets of Gail Poner, a Miami heiress and socialite. She herself inherited her millions from her father Victor Posner, a man who earned the reputation as the ultimate master of the hostile takeover. His controversial business methods made him, and ultimately his daughter, very rich.

As for Gail Posner, when she passed away in 2010, she left behind not only a $3 million trust fund for her pets, but also a Miami mansion that was later reportedly sold for around $8.4 million. Despite Posner's desire to spoil Conchita, April Marie, and Lucia even when she was no longer around, it was a move that not only invited controversy, but also a lawsuit.

According to The Huffington Post, while the dogs received their share of millions and a multi-million dollar home, Posner's estranged son, Bret Carr, was willed $1 million. Clearly not happy to be getting far less than the family pets, Carr took the matter to court in 2010. Though there's no further information available as to how the case went, we'd like to think that the three pets got their Disney-like and ultra-luxurious happy ending. 

While Blackie, a black cat hailing from the United Kingdom, might not be the richest cat on the list per se, he does hold the distinction for officially having his multi-million inheritance officially recognized by none other than Guinness World Records. The organization was able to officially confirm Blackie's status as a wealthy heir, and so crowned him as the "Wealthiest Cat." He earned the distinction thanks to his late owner, a U.K. millionaire named Ben Rea.

Thanks to the generosity of Rea, Blackie was able to inherit nearly $12.5 million. Blackie wasn't the only animal that Rea sought to care for, as he reportedly willed the majority of his fortune to his favorite cat charities. While the majority of the millionaire's funds were reserved for Blackie, who Guinness World Records reports was Rea's last surviving cat companion, he did leave a small sum of money to a few staff members and a friend.

Rea's will would have left the majority of his family very disappointed, as they were ultimately cut out of the will. While there have been instances of angry family members challenging wills in court, there doesn't seem to be any indication that Blackie's vast wealth was effectively threatened, nor his title as the richest cat ever. 

Italy's Tommaso might be able to contest Blackie's title as wealthiest cat, having inherited a fortune that, when converted to American dollars, just night eclipse his furry competitor. In the case of Tommaso, he is yet another former stray that found himself taking into a loving home, where the pet parent just so happened to be a wealthy widow. In this case, Tommaso's pet mom was reportedly a woman named Maria Assunta. According to The Telegraph, Assunta was left a sizeable amount of money following the passing of her husband, an Italian real estate tycoon.

Assunta spoiled her precious feline friend until she passed away at age 94. Thanks to a generous will, Tommaso would ultimately inherit approximately $13 million. It wasn't always Assunta's plans to leave the money to Tommaso in so direct a fashion. ABC News interviewed her lawyer who revealed the widow originally sought out an animal welfare group to see to Tommaso's needs after her passing. However, despite her best efforts, Assunta couldn't find anyone she fully trusted to see to her cat's care.

In the end, Tommaso was gifted a vast fortune that would let the kitty live a dream life for the rest of his days. There was another unnamed cat that was likewise to be provided for, however, the details are murky over all, and that's likely intentional. The animals were reportedly left with a trusted nurse known only as Stefania, and their whereabouts were never shared in an effort to protect the animals from fraud and kidnapping attempts. 

The story of Gigoo is often what one thinks of when they imagine an eccentric and ultra-wealthy millionaire who decides to leave behind a massive fortune not for a widow or their children, but specifically for a family pet. Things get even stranger when you learn that Gigoo is neither a cat nor a dog. Instead, Gigoo is a pet hen. While most of her fellow hens are running around a farm, or packed in a small white tent with almost no space to roam, Gigoo is an heiress who received $15 million following the passing of her owner, publishing tycoon Miles Blackwell.

According to Humane League UK wild chickens can live several years, with others stating you can expect most hens to live between five and 10 years. Depending on how old Gigoo was when she became a chicken millionairess, we can assume that she was well-cared for during the remaining few years of her life, though, with that amount of money and related vet appointments, its possible Gigoo's lifespan could expand significantly.

Given the fate of most chickens, Gigoo is no doubt grateful her inheritance gives her a seat at the head of the dinner table instead of being presented as a meal on top of it.

If you've read previous lists about the world's wealthiest pets who inherited a fortune from rich owners, you no doubt heard about a German countess named Karlotta Leibenstein who left her beloved dog Gunther III a substantial amount of money. Per Town & Country, the amount mentioned is usually around $80 million. The caretaker, Maurizio Mian, is the one seen taking the dog around in a fancy car and feeding him luxurious meals. 

There's just one problem: the entire thing is a hoax. Well, mostly. As revealed in the Netflix documentary, "Gunther's Millions", there is a dog — whether the animal's name was originally Gunther isn't clear — but there was never a German countess. There is a vast fortune, but it was reportedly meant to be Mian's, by way of a tax haven where a family friend managed the millions. However, as the New York Post revealed, that friend became ill, leaving them with a serious conundrum regarding the taxation of all of that money and complete access to their family fortune. The family decided that the best way to continue to protect their money was to leave it to the friend's dog. However, the bizarre arrangement caught the attention of local news and soon went viral. 

Mian leaned into the global fame, dreaming up a countess, choosing new Gunthers to inherit the name, and even starting somewhat of a cult. Despite the bizarre story, the only true thing seems to be that "Gunther" is living well.