Additional Coverage:
- Inside heart-wrenching life of world’s richest cat who inherited $1.5m but is now broke (themirror.com)
The world’s richest cat, Choupette, remains without access to her famed inheritance-caught in a tangled legal battle that has stretched on for years.
Choupette, a blue-cream Birman cat, gained global fame as the beloved companion of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 85. Born in 2011, she lived a life of extraordinary luxury, traveling by private jet, dining from fine china, and even having two personal maids. Lagerfeld’s will designated a significant portion of his multimillion-dollar estate to support Choupette’s care, with an estimated sum of around $1.5 million.
Yet, despite the passage of time, the funds have not reached Choupette or her caretaker, Françoise Caçote, Lagerfeld’s former housekeeper who was entrusted with the cat. Caçote has revealed that she has received nothing and now works part-time simply to support herself while caring for Choupette, who has had to adjust to a much quieter life in a modest Paris apartment alongside Caçote and her family.
The delay stems from an ongoing dispute with French tax authorities over Lagerfeld’s estate, which has also held up distributions to other named beneficiaries, including Lagerfeld’s longtime assistant Sébastien Jondeau, godson Hudson Kroenig, and models Brad Kroenig and Baptiste Giabiconi. Complicating matters further, an anonymous party has challenged the validity of Lagerfeld’s will, claiming he lacked full mental capacity when it was drafted.
Even if the tax issues are resolved, inheritance laws in France impose steep tax rates-up to 60 percent for non-family heirs-which will significantly reduce the amounts beneficiaries ultimately receive. Because pets are legally considered property, Choupette herself cannot inherit directly; the funds were intended for Caçote to cover the cat’s expenses.
To pursue the inheritance, Caçote has had to retain expensive legal counsel at her own cost, with no clear timeline on when the estate will be settled or funds disbursed. “Given the situation’s complexity, I have had to hire expensive lawyers to claim the inheritance in my name, and ensure that Karl’s wishes are properly respected,” she explained.
For now, the world’s most famous feline endures a far humbler existence than the glamorous life she once knew, as the legal saga surrounding her fortune continues.