Citing her adult children’s lack of visits during her old age, an elderly Chinese woman has chosen to leave her $2.8 million fortune to her cats and dogs instead of them. Ms. Liu, a Shanghai native, altered her will due to her feelings of abandonment from her grown children, although her pets offered her “companionship and comfort.”
Due to legal restrictions that forbid direct bequests to animals in China, the inheritance is currently managed by a nearby veterinary clinic (South China Morning Post, citing Zonglan News). Although Ms. Liu stated that she wanted to leave her entire estate to her pets, this is not allowed in the nation by law. She was apparently also upset with her kids for not coming to see her, even when she was sick.
The specific age of Ms Liu remains unclear, as news reports simply refer to her as an “elderly” woman.
Chen Kai, an official from the country’s Will Registration Centre headquarters in Beijing, told the outlet that “there are alternatives to solve this issue”.
“Liu’s current will is one way, and we would have advised her to appoint a person she trusts to supervise the vet clinic to ensure the pets are properly cared for,” he added.
Another official from the agency said they had alerted Ms Liu to the risks of putting all of her money in the hands of the veterinary clinic.
“We told Auntie Liu that if her children change their attitude towards her, she could always alter her will again,” the official said.
Allegedly, the story has ignited online discussions about family dynamics and inheritance practices in China.
“How disappointed and heartbroken she must have been to make the decision not to leave anything to her children,” one user wrote.
“Well done. If my daughter treats me poorly in the future, I will also leave my house to others,” another said.
It’s worth noting that pets have previously benefited from sizeable inheritances.
According to the New York Post, a wealthy businessman in Tennessee left his eight-year-old border collie, Lulu, a sum of $US5 million in 2020.
And the renowned 2010 death of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen left his cherished dogs, Minter, Juice, and Callum, with $97,000 of his $31 million fortune.
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