The World's Richest Cat Inherited $1.5M From Her Late Celebrity Owner — Now She's Broke. What Happened?

Seven years after Karl Lagerfeld's death, a £150 million ($195 million) estate battle with French tax authorities has left every named beneficiary empty-handed. That includes the late Chanel creative director's most famous dependent — his Birman cat, Choupette, who was reportedly promised £1.2 million ($1.5 million) in his will.

Françoise Caçote, the designer's former housekeeper and the person Lagerfeld entrusted with Choupette's care, confirmed the situation in a recent interview with The Atlantic. 'We have received absolutely nothing,' she said. 'I work part-time just to support her.'

The 14-year-old cat now shares a Parisian apartment with Caçote, her husband, and their children — a quiet domestic life that bears little resemblance to the Seine-side residence where Choupette once dined from Maison Goyard bowls, attended to by two personal maids.

Tax Dispute and Will Contestation Freeze Lagerfeld's Fortune

Lagerfeld died on 19 February 2019 at the age of 85. His estate has been locked in a protracted dispute with French tax authorities, preventing any distributions to the people he named in his will, the Daily Mail noted.

The will, finalised in April 2016, named longtime assistant Sébastien Jondeau, godson Hudson Kroenig, and models Brad Kroenig and Baptiste Giabiconi among the primary beneficiaries. Choupette was widely reported to have been promised more than €1 million (£850,000).

On top of the tax hold-up, an unknown plaintiff has come forward to contest the document itself, with some questioning whether Lagerfeld possessed full mental capacity when he signed it. If a court were to annul the will under French inheritance law, the estate would be redistributed to surviving nieces and nephews — relatives the designer had largely cut from his life. He told The New York Times Magazine in 2015 that he had 'no family at all' and had not seen his sister Christiane in 40 years.

French Law Bars Pets From Inheriting Directly

Even when the dispute is resolved, the tax bill could swallow a significant chunk of whatever is left. Non-family beneficiaries in France face inheritance tax rates as high as 60 per cent, according to Bloomberg Tax. Funds placed into a trust for the cat in another jurisdiction would be taxed at the same rate.

French law also does not recognise animals as legal persons. Pets are classified as property, which means they cannot inherit money or assets. Lagerfeld, a German citizen, was aware of the limitation. 'Well it's lucky I'm not French then,' he once told Numéro magazine.

Regardless, the money was always going to pass through a human intermediary. Caçote was the intended recipient, charged with using the funds for Choupette's care. She has since had to hire lawyers at her own expense to pursue the claim.

'Given the situation's complexity, I have had to hire expensive lawyers to claim the inheritance in my name, and ensure that Karl's wishes are properly respected,' Caçote said.

From £2.4M Modelling Career to Part-Time Work

Choupette was once a commercial force. Lagerfeld told The Cut in 2015 that the cat had earned £2.4 million ($3 million) from modelling work, including campaigns for German car manufacturer Opel and a Japanese cosmetics brand. He oversaw those partnerships personally.

That revenue disappeared after the designer's death. Caçote now relies on smaller French fashion campaigns and occasional modelling bookings for the ageing cat to cover expenses. Agent Lucas Bérullier manages what remains of Choupette's professional schedule.

Lagerfeld is believed to have purchased the Paris flat where Caçote and Choupette currently live. That property, at least, appears secure. But there is no clear timeline for when the estate will release any funds.

'I'm doing my best to honour his wishes, especially that Choupette wants for nothing,' Caçote said. 'That's my top priority.'

Lagerfeld served as Chanel's creative director from 1983 until his death and simultaneously helmed Fendi and his own eponymous label. He adopted Choupette in 2011 from model Giabiconi. The cat quickly became a fixture of the designer's public persona, amassing more than 265,000 Instagram followers and becoming the subject of a Rizzoli coffee table book featuring photographs Lagerfeld himself had taken.