Blackie

Blackie holds a Guinness World Record that has never been beaten: the wealthiest cat ever known. He belonged to Ben Rea, a reclusive British antiques dealer and property magnate who shared his large house with Blackie and a sizeable colony of other cats. Rea was famously private and shunned his human family, lavishing his affection on his animals instead. When he died in 1988, his will revealed an extraordinary bequest: a fortune valued at the time at around £7 million (roughly $12.5 million), left almost entirely to Blackie, the last surviving of his cats. Rather than hand the money directly to the cat — impossible in law — Rea divided the inheritance among three cat charities, with strict instructions that each was to care for Blackie for the rest of his days. The story captured the public imagination and has been retold for decades as the ultimate example of a pampered pet, earning Blackie a permanent place in the record books as the richest cat the world has ever known. The case is also frequently cited by lawyers as a classic illustration of how pet owners can — and cannot — provide for their animals after death.