The fact that Nancy Sauer left her seven Persian cats millions of dollars upon her death last year surprised very few people who knew her. Now, her cats are set to find loving homes once again.
Fox 13One of Nancy Sauer’s cats at the rescue.
After Nancy Sauer lost her husband and son, her seven Persian cats were the only family she had left. So when the Florida woman died last November at the age of 84, she left her $2.5 million estate to her pets — as well as a “substantial” inheritance.
In her will, Nancy Sauer asked that her seven furry companions — Cleopatra, Goldfinger, Leo, Midnight, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squeaky — remain at her sprawling Tampa home in the event of her death, believing that separating the cats might upset them.
“The deal is that the house was not to be sold until the last cat passed,” her friend, Yana Alban, told the Tampa Bay Times. “She loved them so much.”
Neighbors and friends in the area remember Sauer as an eccentric woman who loved shopping and had “quirky” taste. For some, it wasn’t very surprising that she would try to care for her cats as much as possible, even after death.
“She was a lot of fun and we miss her in the neighborhood. I really enjoyed just chatting with her,” neighbor Leslie Farrell said to FOX 13.
Google MapsNancy Sauer’s $2.5 million home in Tampa, Florida.
Not only did the seven felines receive the rights to Sauer’s estate, but they also received an unspecified but hefty inheritance to cover medical expenses, food, toys, and anything else they might want or need.
“[It was] substantial,” Sherry Silk, executive director of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, told the New York Post. “Enough to cover the cats’ food, medical and grooming bills forever. They’re young. They’re only 5 years old. Persians can be expensive and persnickety.”
Following Sauer’s death, the cats lived alone in the home for six months as per their owner’s last wishes. However, the individuals Sauer’s executor hired to look after the cats allegedly were not providing them with proper care. A judge recently ruled that the cats needed better care and ordered them out of the home and into a shelter.
Fox 13Some of Nancy Sauer’s millionaire cats.
“The executor of her estate which is a personal friend called us to ask as experts what do we think of them because they were basically living in dog cages at the house,” Silk told FOX 13.
After speaking with the executor, Silk accepted the seven felines and placed them in a large room at the shelter.
“Cats shouldn’t be left by themselves in a big house. I am going to personally make sure that we can keep as many together as we can and that they go to the perfect house,” Silk told the New York Post.
Fox 13Nancy Sauer’s cats at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Currently, the seven cats are up for adoption and enjoying life at the shelter. For now, people interested in adopting the cats will pay the costs of adoption and care up front, and the executor will later reimburse them according to Sauer’s wishes.
“We know the Humane Society will vet very carefully who gets [the cats] and I think [Sauer] would be happy about that,” Farrell said to Fox 13.
While the shelter has already received numerous inquiries about the cats, so far, only one has gone to a new home. A local veterinarian adopted Snowball, one of Sauer’s white Persian cats, who suffers from a heart condition.
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