Poor little rich kitty

As the stock and real-estate markets continue to shakeout, Forbes magazine’s editors are hard at work rearranging their rich list. Everyone is feeling the strain of the recession. This includes pet owners, and yes, even pets.

Take Tinker for example, a rags-to-riches stray that once prowled the streets of north London by night just looking for a handout. And he got one. Today, he’s ranked as one of the wealthiest cats in the world after Margaret Layne, an elderly widow he befriended, left him her estate when she passed away—an $800,000 house and a trust fund totaling $226,000, according to cbcnews.ca.

Not bad luck for a black cat. But, just like any other wealthy individual, Tinker has his hangers-ons. The neighbor cats, Lucy and Stardust, moved in soon after his windfall. And just like everyone else, he feels the strain every time the stock market takes a nose dive; he’s curbed his spending habits accordingly.

“There’s a limit to what you can spend it on,” his trustee, Eugene Wheatly explained to BBC News.

Just because Forbes magazine isn’t focusing on the dwindling fortunes of the world’s wealthiest pets, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Call it an economic tailspin.

But, Bankling.com does take a good look at phat cats and fat portfolios—before they started going bust. For Bankling.com’s ‘it list,’ including millionaire dogs, like Oprah’s, click here.

It’s worth a laugh—or a cry, depending on your own financial situation.

Tags: wealthiest pets