Rich Florida Woman Left Her Mansion and Inheritance to Her Seven Cats
You’ve heard the term “cat lady,” but this is extreme. A Tampa, Florida woman who may have been too rich for her own good, as she left quite an inheritance to her seven cats, including her mansion.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Nancy Sauer loved shopping. She loved it so much she couldn’t buy just one thing. In fact, Sauer’s friend said she’d buy 20 or 30 of something she liked. Many of those things were on display last week at her estate sale in Tampa. There were 50 Dale Tiffany lamps, around 5,000 pieces of jewelry, and more than 200 statues and figurines. Sauer died last November at the age of 84.
Sauer’s will stated that her seven Persian cats must remain at her home and receive an inheritance. It also said that the house was not to be sold until the last of those cats died. Her friend said it was because Sauer was worried it would be too hard for her cats to be separated and placed in new homes. So for nearly six months, the cats stayed at the 4,000 square-foot South Tampa home worth $2.5 million.
Someone would stop by a few times a day to check on them until a Hillsborough County probate judge decided it was best if the cats were found new homes instead having their run of the huge house. So, off they went to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay where they are trying to keep as many of the cats together as possible when they go to another home.
Each feline comes with an inheritance as well.
The exact amount has not been fully determined by attorneys yet, but it will be quite substantial. There will be enough money with each cat to cover their food, vet, and grooming bills forever. They are still young at only five years-old, but Persians are known to be expensive to care for. They will be available for adoption late this week. Their names are Cleopatra, Goldfinger, Leo, Midnight, Napolean, Snowball, and Squeaky.
Sauer’s husband, Ralph Sauer Jr., died in 1986 and the couple owned a lot of properties. Sauer continued to work in real estate and development with her son, Ralph Sauer III. Her son died in 1999. His obituary said he and his mom developed the Market Square Shopping Plaza in Fort Myers plus a Target, Barnes & Noble and Longhorn Steakhouse along US 41 near Daniels Parkway. Sauer III went to the University of Tampa for a short time and Sauer left a gift for UT in her estate. She also left a donation to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, but the amount is not yet known.
