14 DAY TRIAL // Leon Sheppard, retired businessman from Memphis, Tennessee and father of five, left entire fortune to his beloved cats. His two fluffy companions, Frisco and Jake, received $250,000 (€184,000) and a 4,270-square-foot luxury residence from their deceased owner.
The two cats are to live in the Sheppard residence in the same way their owner took care of them, and the $250,000 must be used for maintaining their lifestyle. In his will the cat lover states that, after Frisco dies, the remaining money will be divided among the family on condition that Jake be taken care for.
Leon Sheppard's family did not want to comment the unusual event and their feelings towards it will remain unknown, even if many say this is outraging. The former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local died at the age of 79 and was known for being a big cat lover.
In Tennessee, as long as a person is of “sound mind and disposing memory” when they make the will, the terms cannot be easily changed. Mr. Sheppard's lawyer declared the will as being as legal as possible, leaving the family at the cat's will.
The deceased man's lawyer says that pets being the beneficiaries of an inheritance is not as uncommon as it may seem to some people even if “the amount seems exorbitant, but it's Mr. Sheppard's money, so he decides how it's allocated,” Randall Fishman, Mr. Sheppard's attorney says according to CBSlocal.
The two papered cats are not the only ones to inherit huge amounts of money; back in 2007 a New York City hotel heiress left the majority of her estate, $12 (€8.8) million to her dog named Trouble, who died in 2011. To top Trouble's fortune, a wealthy Italian widow left $13 (€9.6) million to her cat Tommaso.
Some might say that Frisco and Jake's inheritance doesn't seem so absurd now.