When the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died at the age of 85, media outlets worldwide claimed he had left an inheritance to Choupette, his Birman cat.
Karl Lagerfeld himself had fuelled the legend during his lifetime. "She has her own little fortune, she's an heiress. If anything happens to me, the person who looks after her won't be in poverty," he once said.
However, according to an investigation published by The Atlantic and reported by People, Françoise Caçote, Choupette's dedicated carer, has set the record straight: to this day, neither she nor the cat has received a single penny of the inheritance.
A legal and financial deadlock
"I want to be completely transparent: today, we have received absolutely nothing," declared Françoise Caçote.
Faced with the complexity of the estate, the housekeeper has had to hire expensive lawyers to officially claim the inheritance on her behalf and try to enforce the designer's final wishes.
The main obstacle is primarily legal, as Choupette's agent, Lucas Bérullier, points out: "The law is the law. A cat cannot have a bank account."
In France, an animal does not have legal personality and therefore cannot inherit directly. To get around this legislation, Karl Lagerfeld bequeathed funds to an individual, who was then tasked with providing for the cat's lifestyle. While the designer had planned ahead by giving Françoise Caçote an apartment before his death to house Choupette, the rest of the promised funds remain completely frozen.
Maintaining Choupette's lifestyle
While waiting for the situation to be resolved, daily life has changed significantly for the most famous feline in fashion history, although her 'nanny' does everything she can to prevent any drop in her standard of living. "My absolute priority is that Choupette wants for nothing," says Françoise Caçote.
To maintain the cat's lifestyle, the housekeeper explains that she has to work part-time to supplement her income. Fortunately, Choupette is not entirely without resources: thanks to her image being managed by her agent, she continues to generate her own income through advertising contracts.