Pets really are our best friends. An elderly Chinese woman opted to leave her $2.8 million fortune to her pet cats and dogs instead of to her three children.
The woman had originally split her possessions among her three children but she recently decided to change her will after being neglected by them. She claimed that her children never came to visit or even arrange for her to be taken care of when she was sick. Because of this, she decided to leave all her assets to her pet cats and dogs.
While Chinese law normally forbids people from leaving possessions directly to their pets, the woman surnamed Liu was able to get around it. She was able to appoint a veterinary clinic as the administrator of her wealth, entrusting it with caring for her beloved pets.
Chen Kai, an official from China’s Will Registration Centre headquarters in Beijing, said that Liu’s current will does put her assets at risk. He added that his office had instructed her to appoint a person she trusts to supervise the veterinary clinic in how it manages the inheritance.
“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,” Kai said.