Inheritance, wills: Chinese woman leaves $4.3m to cats and dogs because children never visited

The Shanghai woman, identified only by her surname Liu, has cut her three children out of her will and instead plans to leave around 20 million yuan ($4.3 million) for her pets, as they have been her only comfort in her old age, according to a report in The South China Morning Post, citing Zonglan News.

Ms Liu made an initial will some years ago leaving her three children money and property, but changed her mind because they did not visit or care for her — and seldom even contact her — according to the report.

In her new will, she insists all of her money must be used to care for her pets and any of their offspring, with a local veterinary clinic appointed as the administrator of her inheritance and tasked with care of the animals.

Ms Liu wanted to leave all of her money directly to her pets but that is not legal in China, an official from the Will Registration Centre headquarters in Beijing told The South China Morning Post.

“However, there are alternatives to solve this issue,” Chen Kai said.

“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.”

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.

According to the newspaper, the story has generated lively online discussion in China.

“How disappointed and heartbroken she must have been to make the decision not to leave anything to her children,” one user wrote.

It’s not the first time a pet has been the beneficiary of a generous inheritance.

In 2020, a wealthy businessman in Tennessee left $US5 million ($7.6 million) to his eight-year-old border collie, Lulu.

And British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who died in 2010, famously left £50,000 ($97,000) of his £16 million ($31 million) fortune to his beloved dogs, Minter, Juice and Callum.

frank.chung@news.com.au

Originally published as Chinese woman leaves $4.3 million to cats and dogs because children never visited when she was sick