Karl Lagerfeld’s Cat Choupette Could Inherit Some Of His Fortune
Many have been concerned about the fate of the designer’s beloved pet cat
After the sad news of Karl Lagerfeld’s death broke on Tuesday, many took to social media to express concern about the fate of his beloved cat Choupette.
The legendary designer adopted the Birman cat after pet-sitting for the French model Baptiste Giabiconi. The feline has lived a life of luxury ever since, famously being fed from silver dishes – at the table, never on the floor – with a personal chef, two maids and a bodyguard.
It seems that Choupette’s lifestyle won’t be changing any time soon, as she’s reportedly been named in Lagerfeld’s will. The feline could be set to receive a portion of Lagerfeld’s estate, which is estimated to be worth more than Dhs720 million in total. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, it’s a move that could be completely feasible under German law, if the designer named Choupette as his “heir”.
In an interview with Numero last year, the designer confirmed that Choupette was set to receive a portion of his earnings, “among others”. He added: “Don’t worry, there is enough for everyone.”
Lagerfeld talked fondly about Choupette often, telling Bazaar editor-in-chief Justine Picardie last year – in what turned out to be one of his last ever interviews – that he sometimes believed she might be his “mother’s reincarnation”.
“She’s like a sentimental person,” he said. “She’s very funny – when I’m reading a newspaper, she reads it with me. She eats on the table, too, not on the floor. If the food is on the floor, she won’t touch it. She’s very human… I sometimes think she’s my mother’s reincarnation.”
The close companions would sleep in the same bed together, with sheets of white linen and antique lace.
“The one thing she doesn’t like is when I sleep and I turn my back on her – she gets furious,” he said. “If she gets hungry, she wakes up first and goes to the kitchen, and if there’s nothing there, she comes back and wakes me up, by jumping on me. And sometimes in the middle of the night, she wants to play. She runs all over me and her little teeth bite me through the light summer cashmere blanket.”
The 85-year-old fashion legend passed away in Paris on Tuesday, with many from the fashion industry and beyond paying their respects on social media. Lagerfeld was the creative director for Chanel, Fendi and his own label, working right up until his death.