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By Madison Vanderberg, INSIDER
- Some individuals use their wills to leave money to their pets.
- In some cases, these pets have been left acres of land.
- Some pets have been given millions of dollars upon their owner's death.
Leaving millions of dollars to a pet is a pretty grand gesture that's been done many times over the years.
From rich dogs who own villas to a cat that walked with millions when its owner died, here are eight pets that inherited large fortunes from their owners.
The "Star Trek" heiress gave her pets more than $3 million.
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Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the
widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, reportedly left £2.65
million (roughly $3.3 million) to her pets when she died in
2008.
According to the Daily Mail, Barrett-Roddenberry also left £662,000 to her housekeeper who would "be allowed to" continue living in the family's mansion and taking care of the various cats and dogs that lived there.
According to the Daily Mail, Barrett-Roddenberry also left £662,000 to her housekeeper who would "be allowed to" continue living in the family's mansion and taking care of the various cats and dogs that lived there.
The world’s richest dog is a German shepherd named Gunther.
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According to BBC News, Gunther
III, a German
shepherd, inherited
$65 million when his owner, the late German countess Karlotta
Liebenstein died in 1992. The humans who managed his doggy estate
eventually invested Gunther's money and turned it into $375
million which was passed onto Gunther's son, Gunther IV.
Gunther IV and his team of handlers have used that money to snatch up mansions and villas all over the world (including Madonna's) and now Gunther IV is actually considered the world's richest dog.
Gunther IV and his team of handlers have used that money to snatch up mansions and villas all over the world (including Madonna's) and now Gunther IV is actually considered the world's richest dog.
Instead of leaving money to his children, a man left his entire fortune to his black cat.
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According to Guinness World Records, the richest cat in the world is a black cat named Blackie who inherited £7 million (about $12.5 million) in 1988 when his owner Ben Rea - an antiques dealer - left a good portion of his fortune to his beloved pet.
In his will, Rea left nothing for his family and he gave additional donations to several cat-related charities, instructing them to look after Blackie.
Instead of
leaving money to his children, a man left his entire fortune to his
black cat. According to Guinness World Records, the richest cat in the
world is a black cat named Blackie who inherited £7 million (about $12.5
million) in 1988 when his owner Ben Rea - an antiques dealer - left a
good portion of his fortune to his beloved pet.
An eccentric widow left her $13 million fortune to her cat.
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Maria Assunta, the wealthy widow
of an Italian property tycoon, left her €10 million
(about $13 million) fortune to her cat Tommaso when she died in
2011.
Asunta had no children and left the cat's money with her longtime nurse who told the Daily Telegraph that she had no idea that the woman she cared for all those years was so wealthy. The nurse and the cat moved to an undisclosed area outside of Rome after Assunta's death to avoid potential scam artists.
An eccentric
widow left her $13 million fortune to her cat. Maria Assunta, the
wealthy widow of an Italian property tycoon, left her €10 million (about
$13 million) fortune to her cat Tommaso when she died in 2011.Asunta had no children and left the cat's money with her longtime nurse who told the Daily Telegraph that she had no idea that the woman she cared for all those years was so wealthy. The nurse and the cat moved to an undisclosed area outside of Rome after Assunta's death to avoid potential scam artists.
A socialite's son sued when she left $3 million to her dogs.
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During her life, Mrs. Posner reportedly spent about $8,000 a month on Conchita in the form of lavish gifts, manicures, and lunches at the Shore Club in South Beach, Miami.
After her death, Posner's son sued the estate, claiming his mother's housekeepers coerced her into leaving such a large sum to the dogs. It's unclear what the result of the suit was.
Leona Helmsley gave her dog $12 million after she passed, but a judge later decided it was too much money.
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When billionaire real estate and
hotel tycoon
Leona Helmsley passed away in
2007, she left $12 million to her Maltese, Trouble.
According to the New York Times, a year later, a judge decided that $12 million exceeded the amount necessary to care for the dog and reduced the inheritance to $2 million. Trouble spent her final years in Sarasota, Florida, with her new caretaker until her death in 2011.
According to the New York Times, a year later, a judge decided that $12 million exceeded the amount necessary to care for the dog and reduced the inheritance to $2 million. Trouble spent her final years in Sarasota, Florida, with her new caretaker until her death in 2011.
Two collies in England inherited an entire five-acre farm.
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Nora Hardwell left her collies, Tina and Kate, about $500,000 and five acres of land near Bath in England, according to CBBC news. The dogs continued to live on Hardwell's estate after her death in 2002 and they were later cared for by the gardener.
Two collies
in England inherited an entire five-acre farm. Nora Hardwell left her
collies, Tina and Kate, about $500,000 and five acres of land near Bath
in England, according to CBBC news. The dogs continued to live on
Hardwell's estate after her death in 2002 and they were later cared for
by the gardener.
A man gave $6 million to his dog.
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A Los Angeles man who made his fortune selling upscale bathroom fixtures left the majority of his $6 million estate to his cocker spaniel, Samantha, when he passed away in 1998.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he only left a $60,000 per year allowance to his girlfriend of six years and it came with instructions to take care of his dog. However, the girlfriend's allowance would expire once the dog died.
The woman sued the estate for more than $2 million, supposedly saying she was being treated worse than a dog. It was settled out of court.
A man gave $6
million to his dog. A Los Angeles man who made his fortune selling
upscale bathroom fixtures left the majority of his $6 million estate to
his cocker spaniel, Samantha, when he passed away in 1998.
