Karl Lagerfeld’s heiress cat has paid tribute to her late companion, appearing behind a black veil, in a heartbreaking Instagram post.
Choupette – who Lagerfeld famously said he would marry – could be set to inherit his £150m fortune, but was described as ‘simply heart broken.’
The feline was Lagerfeld’s great love, flying with him on private jets, adorned in diamond necklaces and raking in millions as a model.
The Instagram post read: ‘Thank you everyone for your words of condolence. (cat face crying emoji) With a once cold but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning.
Choupette the gorgeous and beloved Burmese cat of Karl Lagerfeld appeared behind a funereal veil with words describing her as having ‘a once cold but now simply broken heart’
Lagerfeld once told i.D magazine: ‘Her name is Choupette, Princess Choupette or Miss Choupette. She’s snow white with touches of caramel around the eyes, ears and on her endless boa-like feather tail.’
The Birman cat, who Lagerfeld called his one true love and famously said he would marry if it was legal, has enjoyed a life of luxury only mere mortals can dream of
‘I pray that your kind words and well-wishes will help me to put my best paw forward in my future without Daddy @KarlLagerfeld & as my own woman.’
Clearly someone else must have written this for the kitty, but it is not known who is looking after the gorgeous Burmese since Lagerfeld died aged 85 in Paris on Tuesday.
She was one of the designer’s most important companions in later life and enjoyed a life of luxury making more than £2.5million herself.
Lagerfeld’s massive wealth could end up in the feline’s paws if certain legal structures are arranged, it has been claimed.
Originally belonging to Baptiste Giabiconi, after two weeks of house sitting for the French model in 2011, Lagerfeld told him: ‘I’m sorry but Choupette is mine,’ and would later joke that he abducted her before turning her into an international model.
From the moment the creative director was gifted Choupette, her life was changed forever.
Choupette began her modelling career in August 2012, posing in the arms of French supermodel Laetitia Casta by the Eiffel Tower.
The cat has since been used in numerous advertising campaigns, including for Opel cars and various make-up ranges.
A whole collection titled ‘Choupette in Love’ was launched in honour of the feline and a Chanel range was inspired by the cat’s eyes.
The stunning cat, which has a silky white coat and deep blue eyes has more than 128,000 Instagram followers.
Lagerfeld poses next to a painting of his cat during the inauguration of the show ‘Corsa Karl and Choupette’ at the Palazzo Italia in Berlin in 2015
Choupette sticks her furry head out of a black leather handbag
Lagerfeld (left) at a visit to Chanel workshops in Pantin, outside of Paris and beside a photograph of himself holding Choupette with cat ears (right) which appeared in Harper’s Bazaar
Her two maids, Françoise and Marjorie, keep the cat company when her ‘daddy’ isn’t around and tend to her every whim.
In addition Choupette had her own collection of jewellery, a chef and a hairdresser.
Lagerfeld said in a previous interview: ‘Even if she sleeps, she doesn’t want to be alone. She’s like a chic lady, like a kept woman with her personal maid.
‘They play with her, they have to take care of her beautiful white hair, the beauty treatments for her eyes, and they entertain her. She is the center of the world. If you saw her, you would understand.’
Likening her to Hollywood screen siren Greta Garbo, he also said of Choupette: ‘There is something unforgettable about her, the way she moves, the way she plays. She’s an inspiration for elegance. For attitude.’
The eight-year-old feline favours walks along the catwalk over walks in the park and prefers hitting the shopping mall or lounging in antique lace to frolics in the garden.
And in true diva style, she doesn’t just have one name. She has three – Choupette, Princess Choupette or Miss Choupette.
Lagerfeld at work with his team, taking a break to say hello to Choupette who is held by an assistant
Karl Lagerfeld posing with his beautiful Birman cat in a photo from Choupette’s official Instagram
Riding in style: Choupette in her own comfortable car-seat, she was treated to the very best
The blue-eyed kitty has been the inspiration for many of Lagerfeld’s designs, including a black-and-white capsule collection starting at $465, as well as a scented candle which featured her portrait and cost more than $250.
Choupette made more than £2.3million in one year alone after appearing in just two ad campaigns — one for Japenese beauty product Shu Uemura, and for German car company Vauxhall.
Speaking of his desire to make their relationship ‘official’, Lagerfeld once said: ‘There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals… I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat.
‘I look a lot like her, we’re really like an old couple. In fact, she maintains it (my beard) for me, we sleep on the same pillow and she spends her life licking it.’
Even Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, was drawn to the animal, telling people at the British Fashion Awards in 2015 that she would like to be reborn as Choupette in the next life.
But behind the glamourous exterior, in one of Lagerfeld’s last interviews, he told Harper’s Bazaar, of their deep affection for each other.
He told the magazine how he and Choupette slept together, ‘sometimes in the middle of the night, she wants to play. She runs all over me and her little teeth bite me through the light summer cashmere blanket.’
He described how if he ever slept with his back to the cat she would grow furious.
Recently he mentioned the cat when asked about funeral plans, telling Numéro: ‘There will be no funeral. I’d rather die! I’ve asked to be cremated and want my ashes to be scattered along with my mother’s… And Choupette’s, if she dies before I do.’
His spokesperson confirmed yesterday his ‘wishes will be respected,’ and it is expected Lagerfeld will be cremated without a funeral ceremony.
Lagerfeld had previously asked that his ashes be mixed and scattered with those of his mother Elisabeth and his lover Jacques De Bascher, who died in 1989 of AIDS.