A Florida woman who died in November decided to leave her estate to her seven Persian cats, along with an inheritance for each one.
Nancy Sauer of Tampa, Florida, died on November 26 at age 84. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Sauer left a stipulation in her will that her seven cats are to remain in her estate with each receiving an inheritance.
This is not the first time a pet has been the recipient of an owner’s money. Designer Karl Lagerfeld left a chunk of his inheritance to his beloved cat, Choupette, when he died in 2019.
Sauer’s friend Yana Alban told the Tampa Bay Times that the will indicates the estate would not be sold until the last cat died. The owner was worried the pets would struggle if they were separated.
According to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, the cats have continued to inhabit the 4,000-square-foot house. Despite the stipulation, however, a Hillsborough County probate judge recently decided that the cats should be placed in new homes.
Sherry Silk, the executive director of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, told the Tampa Bay Times that the cats should not be alone in a house that size. Silk said there was someone to check on the cats multiple times each day while they were living in the home, but the humane society has had the cats at its facility for the past month.
“I am going to personally make sure that we can keep as many together as we can and that they go to the perfect house,” Silk said.
The cats will be available for adoption later this week. The amount of each cat’s inheritance is currently being determined by an attorney, but Silk said it will be “substantial” and enough to cover the cat’s necessities forever.
“They’re only five years old. Persians can be expensive and persnickety,” Silk said.
Source: USA Today