Liu's exact age remains unknown.
In China, an elderly woman decided to leave her $2.8 million fortune to her dogs and cats rather than her adult children because they wouldn't come to visit her in her old age. Ms Liu, from Shanghai, changed her will because she felt that while her pets provided her “companion and comfort”, she was being ignored by her adult children.
Due to legal restrictions in China that prohibit direct bequests to animals, inheritances are currently under the care of local veterinary hospitals. South China Morning Post, citing Zonglan News. Mr. Liu expressed his desire to leave all of his assets to his pets, which is not legally allowed in the country. Additionally, she was reportedly angry at her children who did not come to visit her when she was sick.
Liu's exact age remains unknown, as she is simply described as an “elderly” woman in news reports.
“There are alternatives to solve this problem,” Chen Kai, an official at the country's will registration center headquarters in Beijing, told the media.
“Ms Liu's current will is unilateral and we would have advised her to appoint a trusted person to oversee the veterinary hospital to ensure the pets are properly cared for,” it added.
Another official at the agency said it warned Liu of the risk of leaving all the money in the hands of veterinary hospitals.
“We told Aunt Liu that if the children change their attitude towards her, she can change her mind again at any time,” the official said.
The story reportedly sparked an online discussion about family relationships and inheritance practices in China.
One user wrote: “How disappointed and heartbroken she must have felt to have decided to leave nothing for her children.”
One person said, “Well done. If my daughter treats me badly in the future, I will leave my house to someone else.''
Meanwhile, this is not the first time a pet has been the beneficiary of a large inheritance.
In 2020, a wealthy Tennessee businessman left his 8-year-old border collie Lulu $5 million, the New York Post reported.
And when British fashion designer Alexander McQueen passed away in 2010, he famously left $97,000 of his $31 million fortune to his dogs Minter, Juice, and Callum.
