I left millions in my will to my pets and nothing to my children – my furry friends mean more to me

It's no secret that dogs are man's best friend and most people consider their pets to be beloved members of their families.

However, one owner in China has taken this sentiment to the extreme, choosing to leave her £2.2 million fortune entirely to her pets, leaving not a penny for her children.

The elderly Shanghai woman, who goes by the surname Liu, has deleted all mention of her children from her will as she claims they neglected her in her old age.

She insisted that her pets provided companionship when she had no one else and that her descendants never bothered to visit her, even when she was sick.

However, a report of South China Morning Mailquoting Zonglan News, said a local veterinary clinic was instead appointed as administrator of the estate as there were legal issues with leaving money to animals.

Liu told the outlet that only her cats and dogs have been there for her and that she wants the money to only be used to care for her animals and their offspring when she dies.

Although there are legal issues surrounding this issue in China, Chen Kai, an official from the Will Registration Center headquarters in Beijing, explained that there are “alternatives to solve this problem.”

He said: 'Liu's current will is one way, and we would have advised her to appoint a person she trusts to oversee the veterinary clinic to ensure the pets are properly cared for.'

This unique story has sparked discussion about family dynamics and inheritance practices in China.

However, this isn't the first time pet owners have tried to leave their money to furry friends.

New York property billionaire Leona Helmsley left £6 million to her toy Maltese terrier, Trouble.

Helmsley, who died in 2007, left part of her fortune to the dog, although a judge later reduced this to £1.5 million.

The will was contested by two of Mrs Helmsley's grandchildren, who were excluded from it 'for reasons known to them'.

They claimed that their grandmother was not of sound mind when she made the will, two years before her death from heart failure.

Now a court has reduced Trouble's trust fund to £1 million, and awarded the grandchildren – Craig Panzirer, 40, and Meegan Panzirer Wesolko, 37 – £2 million and £1 million respectively.

Similarly, according to Guinness World Records, German Countess Karlotta Liebenstein left her £315 million fortune to her dog Gunther IV and his descendants when she died in 1992.

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen also left £50,000 per dog for his three English bull terriers.