Where caviar dreams meet dog food

An online writer recently dug up financial numbers on some of the richest cats and dogs in the world. What can they possibly do with all that cash?

Highest on the list of rich dogs is a German shepherd named Gunther IV, worth roughly $372 million. He inherited his cash from his rich father, Gunther III, who received his assets from a German countess.

It's a serious drop from No. 1 to No. 2. Coming in second are Oprah Winfrey's dogs. The billionaire media mogul has left $30 million in her will for canine care.

Third on the list is the center of a huge legal controversy, Leona Helmsley's dog, Trouble. The famous hotel owner left $12 million to her Maltese terrier, but a judge cut it to $2 million after legal wrangling by family members.

Cat lovers will be unhappy to learn that felines fare worse in the list of rich pets. A stray cat, Tinker, wormed his way into the heart of an old widow. She died, leaving him with a $226,000 trust fund and a new home worth roughly $800,000. Flush-with-cash Tinker has since picked up two female cats, Lucky and Stardust. No word on whether anyone's been spayed or neutered in the $800K love nest.

Actress Beryl Reid bequeathed her $1.8 million cottage to her cats, Hamish, Boon, Eilen, Coco, and Tuffnel. One of Reid's friends was commissioned to take care of the cats.