Posted on 12/10/2011 9:47:16 PM PST by Beowulf9
Rags to riches tale of kitty who went from living on the streets to lap of luxury
once down-on-his-luck stray cat has become the world’s richest kitty — thanks to a childless widow who left him $8.5 million in her will.
Tommaso the black cat, who once scoured the streets of Rome for food, can now afford a gilded litter box with the inheritance.
In a handwritten will penned shortly before her death last month, Maria Assunta, 94, ordered that the money from her real estate empire should keep the green-eyed feline she rescued in the lap of luxury.
Animals are prohibited from direct inheritance under Italian law, so Assunta tasked her lawyers with finding "the animal welfare body or association to which to leave the inheritance and the task of looking after the cat Tommaso,” according to The Guardian newspaper.
They searched far and wide for the right organization, but none could guarantee Tommaso the princely life envisioned for him by Assunta.
So she willed her beloved feline — and the riches — to a fellow cat-lover she met in a park weeks before she died.
"Sometimes I'd go to her house so my cat could play with Tommaso," the woman, identified only as Stefania, told The Guardian.
Stefania, a nurse, also cared for Assunta until the end.
"I had no idea the signora had such wealth,” Stefania said.
She and Tommaso are now living in an “undisclosed location” outside Rome, The Guardian reported.
Tommaso is not the first lucky pet to receive a massive payday.
"Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley famously left $12 million in 2007 for the care of her tiny dog, Trouble.
The hotel heiress’s will was later challenged and recast.
I have an opinion, and I am expressing it.
Has Jim Rob taken to partying late on Saturday nights now?
I like the idea of leaving money to a bunch of cats...they’re nicer than most of the people I have met...
He CAN haz cheezburger!
What is wrong with stupid old biddies who leave millions to their pets whilst there are plenty of human charities that could do with the money?
by the way, if you read the article she did leave it to someone of her choice with the task of taking care of the cat. I am sure that person will spend it wisely.
And a new ‘do.
Maybe humans weren’t all that nice to her in her lifetime. There is nothing wrong with leaving money to animal charities, or to someone who showed her kindness in her declining years.
It’s hard for cats of great wealth to get along with other cats.
One rich cat I knew was recently asked by another feline how she was feeling after a certain medical procedure.
“Oh, I am quite well now, thank you, ” the rich cat replied, stiffly. “I had a hysterectomy. ”
“For heaven’s sake! ” the alley cat exclaimed in exasperation - ”Why can’t you call a spayed a spayed. ”
Leona Helmsley’s dog, Trouble, incidentally, died in June.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/helmsleys-millionaire-maltese-trouble-dies-at-12/
I gave a gorgeous 1902 Edouard Jules grand piano to the Spay Today organization of Winchester, VA (and “cat farm”) with the task of taking care of my cat Nelson in perpetuity or seeing that he found a good home.
Wish I had shot the cat and kept the piano.
Get thee to a punnery!
Looks like he/she has already matriculated from same ...
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