Don’t Worry, Choupette Lagerfeld Is Still Living the High Life

When Karl Lagerfeld died of pancreatic cancer in February 2019, a rumor began circulating that the designer’s fortune—estimated to be anywhere between $195 to $300 million dollars—was being inherited by his beloved Birman cat, Choupette. The rumor was never confirmed, but given Choupette just rang in her eleventh birthday, surrounded by champagne and gifts, we can definitely conclude she’s continued to be well taken care of.

On Monday, Choupette shared a post on her (verified) Instagram account, showing off how she spent her big day. “Happy birthday to me,” Choupette wrote in the caption of the photos, which showed the fluffy creature lounging on a private plane. The kitty did clarify that the plane remained grounded while they were on it, “in memory of the many trips with my daddy.” And no, Choupette isn’t the world’s most brilliant cat with opposable thumbs, able to navigate social media, merely the subject of an Instagram account run by her now-owner, Lagerfeld’s former housekeeper, Françoise Caçote, who took ownership of Choupette following Lagerfeld’s death.

Yes, this kind of celebration for a cat seems over the top, but the pampered pet is likely used to it as this point. According to the New York Times, Choupette enjoyed quite the extravagant lifestyle back when Lagerfeld was alive, with a staff that included two minders, a bodyguard, chef, and doctor. She also traveled around in a custom Louis Vuitton carrying case, her silver dishes and brushes accompanying her in their own Goyard bag. These days, though Choupette may not still have quite the entourage, she does seem to stay busy with photoshoots, vacations, and over 100 thousand Instagram followers following her every hair ball.