Christmas Comes Early For This Italian Cat!

While the rest of us are waiting with abated breath, hoping for at least a few items off our Christmas wish lists, one Italian cat is purring with sheer joy - For she, has just became the 3rd richest pet in the world, thanks to a generous owner who bequeathed her a whopping $13mm USD!

94-year old Rome resident Maria Assunta who died last month, had plenty of money but apparently, no living relatives. Therefore in 2009, when her health began to fail, she started to seek out a suitable animal shelter that would take care of her beloved 4-year old cat Tommaso and her multi-million dollar fortune.

However, none of them it seems were good enough for the little black feline, who had been a stray before being adopted by this lonely old lady. So, she instructed her lawyers to leave the entire fortune to her beloved pet. Since the cat cannot actually administer the money, Stefania, a nurse who took care of Maria Assunta till the day she died, has been named Tommaso's guardian - Talk about an early Christmas!

While Tommaso is richer than most humans, it is not the richest pet in the world - That honor goes to Gunther IV, a German Shepherd, who is supposedly worth over $372mm USD, that he inherited from his father - Gunther III, the sole beneficiary of the estate left behind by German countess, Karlotta Liebenstein. If rumors are to be believed, the son is enjoying his wealth immensely in his $5mm USD Miami mansion that he purchased from none other than American pop singer Madonna - And we thought Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble had it good!

Resources: gma.yahoo.com, huffingtonpost.com.