Karl Lagerfeld, the creative genius who shaped iconic brands like Chanel and Fendi sadly passed away earlier this week on 19 Feb. The 85-year-old fashion mogul is super iconic, with trademark eccentricities like his habit of snubbing politically correct viewpoints and his famously uncompromising work ethic (he was still employed as Chanel’s creative director when he passed).
Source: InStyle
Perhaps one of his most prominent oddities comes in the form of Choupette, a 7-year-old red-point Birman cat that was the apple of Karl’s eye. Pampered to the nines, this luxurious feline has made headlines around the world as she has been named one of the beneficiaries in Karl’s will. When the executors are through, this cat will have inherited a considerable sum of Karl’s estate, a grand total estimated to be about USD380 million (approx. RM1.55 billion).
“Among others, yes,” Lagerfeld admitted when asked regarding rumours that the cat would inherit his fortune. Though he never cared to reveal the amount, he did add to his answer with a knowing quip, saying, “Don’t worry, there is enough for everyone.”
Indeed, Choupette is in no need of the inheritance. The cat has established an incredibly successful career with two books about her being written, a fashion line designed by Karl, a line of makeup with Shu Uemura, and she also currently serves as an ambassador for Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors. The Opel sponsorship and another line of makeup from Lagerfeld alone earned the pussycat USD3 million (approx. RM12.2 million).
Choupette maintains an incredibly exquisite lifestyle, with two personal maids at her beck and call named Françoise and Marjorie, who keep her company and document her every action (keeping almost 600 pages of notes in nine months). “Even if she sleeps, she doesn’t want to be alone. She’s like a chic lady, like a kept woman with her personal maid,” Karl said once in an interview.
She is brushed six times a day, practises cat yoga, and in the words of Karl, “will only touch the four different dishes prepared for her on that day, served in fabulous bowls.” This cat is even more pampered than humans!
She also has a bodyguard and a personal chef who prepares some seriously extra meals for the feline, a typical example being a mix of king crab, smoked salmon and caviar. She enjoys these meals at the dinner table with Karl.
In fact, she was so well-loved by Karl that people have tried to influence Karl through Choupette. When an animal rights activist wrote a letter to Choupette to “purr in the ear” of Karl to stop using fur, Chanel consequently became the first major fashion house to go fur-free.
Source: Twitter
Beloved as she is, the cat has gone into mourning, announcing on Twitter (of course she has social media) to her 51,500 followers the following message:
“Thank you, everyone, for your words of condolence. With a once cold but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning. I pray that your kind words and well-wishes will help me to put my best paw forward in my future without Daddy @KarlLagerfeld & as my own woman.”
Source: Be.com
Truly, Choupette was a beloved pet. Karl was truly a remarkable figure and his cat, naturally, an extraordinary animal. You can follow Choupette’s journey on Twitter or check out her Instagram page.
We’d like to wish Choupette our deepest condolences. To our readers, we’d like to ask, what are some ways you pamper your pets? Are they also treated like royalty? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Watch: Mother Cat Buries Her Dead Baby Kitten Believed to be Killed By Humans
