Karl Lagerfeld, a famous creative director for Chanel, passed away last week at age 85. While Hollywood was stirring and mourning the loss, it came out that Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, is going to inherit millions from his $200 million dollar fortune.
Choupette’s Instagram posted a photo of the cat in a black hat with the caption, “Thank you everyone for your words of condolence. With a once cold, but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning. I pray that your kind words and well-wishes will help me to put my best paw forward in my future without Daddy @KarlLagerfeld & as my own woman.”
Choupette originally belonged to model Baptiste Giabiconi, but was given as a gift to Lagerfeld when they formed a special connection in 2011. Lagerfeld was utterly devoted to the cat, so much so, he included her in his will.
Some think this is ridiculous, but to Lagerfeld, Choupette was family. In the eyes of the law, pets are replaceable property, and are treated as such. While the details of the will aren’t public, what it clear is that Choupette will be taken care of for the rest of her life.
If you are creating a will, it’s not a bad idea to set out parameters for your pet’s care. Make sure to identify a caregiver, funds for that caregiver, and create a dossier of information so no matters are lost or overlooked. Also, always include another option in case something happens to that caregiver.
In honor of pets like Choupette and Chloe the Mini Frenchie, Loni Edwards’ beloved dog who passed away due to medical error, PetInsider will be featuring a story every Wednesday about pets being family, not property. Please join us by reading the stories and signing and sharing the pledge we created with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to push for changes around the legal classification of pets.
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