Something for the weekend: The cost-of-living crisis is of no concern to celebrity feline influencer Olivia Benson, who has earned a whopping $97 million (£81.6 million) net worth working alongside best friend Taylor Swift.
The Scottish Fold earned her fortune starring alongside Swift in several music videos, in addition to having her own merchandise line, and cat-meos in adverts for Diet Coke and Ned Sneakers.
Benson’s earnings might seem like a dream for many, but she might not even be the richest celebrity pet. Swift’s furry friend ranked third on a list compiled by the website AllAboutCats.com, which calculated pet net worth by using Instagram data, and online tool Influence Marketing Hub to estimate each pet’s Instagram earnings per post, as well as the average number of likes.
The list found that the world’s richest pet is likely a German shepherd known as Gunther VI, owned by multi-media production business Gunther Corporation. Gunther VI’s wealth was originally inherited, rather than earned, however, with his grrr-andfather Gunther III inheriting a vast fortune in 1992 from late owner German countess Karlotta Liebenstein.
Now, Gunther Corporation manages the estate and fur-tune, with real estate investments rocketing Gunther VI’s earnings from $80 million (£67.3 million) in 1992 to the $500 million (£420.9 million) reported today.
Other celeb pets featured on the list included Oprah Winfrey’s four dogs, each of whom stands to inherit $30 million (£25.2 million) via their own trust when she dies, late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s Birman cat Choupette who inherited $13 million (£10.9 million), and Betty White’s adopted Golden Retriever Pontiac, who inherited $5 million (£4.2 million).
Of course, it is not just due to celebrity nepotism that animals made the top earning list, with many having amassed their fortunes through their own – or their owner’s – hard work. Second to Gunther VI is Nala Cat, for example, who holds the Guinness World Record for most Instagram followers for a cat, and has a net worth of $100 million (£84.4 million) due to her work on various social media sites, as well as launching her own line of pet food.
Another earned fortune goes to Pomeranian actor and online sensation Jiffpom, with $25 million (£21.1 million) in the bank, followed by canine influencers Doug the Pug, Tucker and Marutaro, all at £1.1 million.
It is clear that you do not have to be a celebrity for your furry friend to fetch some fame, but it helps! Here at Employee Benefits, we are wondering whether it’s high time our pets started paying their way…