THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST ANIMALS

Insurance aggregator Compare the Market has come up with its first list of Rich Pets. Here are the Top 5:
1. Gunther IV, a German shepherd worth: $375 million. When Countess Karlotta Liebenstein of Germany died in 1991, she left her entire $80 million fortune to her dog named Gunther III. Trustees of the estate have done well with investments, which now are in the name of the next in line, Gunther IV. The jet-setting dog owns villas in Italy and the Bahamas, and in 2000 bought Madonna’s former Miami Beach mansion for a cool $7.5 million. Not surprisingly, he has his own personal maid and butler, who serve him steak and caviar.
2. Grumpy Cat – Net worth: $99.5 million. Her real name is Tardar Sauce, but the internet knows her as Grumpy Cat. She became famous when her photo went viral in 2012. Her permanently moody facial appearance is caused by an underbite and feline dwarfism. Since her debut, the kitty has been the subject of a film and a merchandise empire, which includes tablecloths and other party products.
3. Olivia Benson, a Scottish fold cat, worth: $97 million. Named after Mariska Hargitay’s detective on TV’s “Law & Order,” Olivia belongs to Taylor Swift, who has parlayed the cat into lucrative deals with Diet Coke and Keds. The cat makes frequent appearances on Swift’s social media, which has 112 million devotees.
4. Sadie, Sunny, Lauren, Layla and Luke, five dogs of various breeds that belong to Oprah Winfrey. Oprah set up a trust fund of $30 million for her pets’ well-being, should anything happen to her. (* Don’t tell Stedman!)
5. Gigoo, a Scots Dumpy chicken worth: $15 million. After retiring, British publishing giant Miles Blackwell moved to the English countryside to raise sheep and hens. When he died in 2001, he divided his $95 million fortune among a variety of charities, but kept $15 million for his beloved hen.
* So think of Gigoo the chicken next time you’re trying to scrape up enough money for your insurance premium.
* I’d have expected to find the GEICO lizard and the AFLACK duck on the list. At least they talk.
* What about Mickey Mouse – the Jeff Bezos of Rich Animals?
* Meanwhile, Bubbles the Chimp sits in an ape sanctuary, dreaming about what might have been.