These Animals Are the Richest Pets in History

5. A former stray cat becomes an Italian rags-to-riches story

This homeless cat once wandered the streets of Rome until Maria Assunta, the widow of a successful builder, took him in and named him Tommaso. Assunta died in 2011, but before her death, she instructed her attorneys to leave the inheritance of around $13 million in cash and properties to a deserving animal welfare organization that would, in exchange, care for Tommaso. The search proved futile. None of the organizations met Assunta’s standards. Eventually, the nurse who cared for Assunta in her final months promised to care for the cat after the woman’s passing. She lives with Tommaso and another cat in a secret location outside of Rome.