Chinese woman leaves $2.8 million inheritance with her pets instead of her three children

An elderly woman who died has left her $2.8 million fortune to her pet cats and dogs. The woman said the decision was made after her children chose not to visit her when she was ill, according to the New York Post.

The woman — only identified as Liu — was from Shanghai and decided to scratch her three children from her will. She said she decided to leave the money for her pets because they were the only things that offered her comfort in her old age.

While she made an initial will some years ago, which included her three children, she decided to change who would be receiving her fortune after realizing that her children had no interest in visiting or caring for her. A report from the South China Morning Post noted that her children rarely even contacted her to see how she was doing.

Now, she has given all her money to pets and their offspring. A local veterinary clinic has been tasked with being the administrator of her inheritance and trusted with taking care of the animals. Liu had planned to leave the money directly with her pets, but she was not allowed to under Chinese law.

“However, there are alternatives to solve this issue,” Chen Kai said, according to the South China Morning Post.

“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.”

An official from the Will Registration Centre headquarters in Beijing said they had warned Liu of the risks of putting all of her money into the possession of a 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.

The development has caused a stir online, with one online user ruminating over how "disappointed and heartbroken she must have been to make the decision not to leave anything to her children."

Another user wrote: "Well done. If my daughter treats me poorly in the future, I will also leave my house to others."

The report did not mention if there was a dispute between Liu and her children that caused the familial divide.

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