The old die-hard line, ‘A pet is for life, not just for Christmas’ has the power to soak the recipient in a mixture of gratitude and sentimentality for their beloved furry friend. Unfortunately, these bonkers animal lovers have taken the special bond between animal and human to the extreme, crossing that all too thin line from loving pet owners to just plain spoiling them rotten.

From trips to incredibly expensive salons, private chefs, first class flights, designer outfits, private mansion style homes and vast inheritances that would make the likes of top-earning celebs turn green with envy; you might say these animals are living it up more than most of us humans.

Many may argue about the ridiculousness of the extravagant lifestyles these animals live, but perhaps the strong, unconditional loyalty these pets have for their owners make them ideal candidates to inherit considerable amounts of money and be treated like royalty, especially as many of the wealthy feel they live in a world where demands on them are immense, and loyalties towards them may be false.

Have a glance through the gallery of these furry and fabulously rich, pawed and clawed individuals who know a thing or two about living in the lap of luxury, literally.

1. Tinkerbell

Images: Pets Accessories, MyCity and Dolittler

Move over all you wannabes, we know who Paris Hilton’s real BFF is. We’ve all seen images of this tiny Chihuahua prancing alongside the bejewelled Paris Hilton, looking just as dazzling in her diamond studded collar. But how spoilt is the precocious little Tinkerbell? Reports are this darn lucky pooch gets to roam around wearing five figure Louis Vuitton collars, is carried around in Prada doggie handbags and is transported round the world in Paris’ private jet. But the fun doesn’t stop there, she has her own $320,000 pooch mansion to live in, complete with air conditioning and adorned with chandeliers and miniature sofas to curl up on.

The cute little teacup Chihuahua surely deserves all this extravagant treatment; she has put her paws to good use and written an actual book called The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries: My Life Tailing Paris Hilton, which offers a dog’s eye view of Paris Hilton’s fabulous life. Such an achievement surely deserves a designer collar or two?

2. Kalu the Chimp

Images: Sawse and UgoDog

When Frank O’Neil, the former Australian Swimming Champion decided to make a trip out of visiting the Sydney Olympics, Kalu the chimp must have really thought his luck was in. Not only was this orphaned chimpanzee quickly promoted to the role of ‘man (or creature) of the house’ but his devoted owner Patricia O’Neil decided to make her pet monkey the key inheritor of her fortune, leaving Kalu the proud owner of $80 million. Apparently, she couldn’t bear the thought of her chimp being left homeless after she died, being as it was her husband wasn’t a massive fan of Kalu. He said he began to hate Kalu ever since the chimp took to stealing his liquor and smoking his cigarettes. Still, what’s a monkey to do with $80 million? That’s a hell of a lot of bananas!

3. Flossie

Images: BaxterBoo and UgoDog

Drew Barrymore’s loving yellow labrador Flossie has won the actress’ heart for life by her bravery and devotion to the star. It is told the dog awoke Drew Barrymore and her then boyfriend Tom Green when a fire broke out in their multi-million dollar home in Hollywood, alerting them to the danger and consequently saving their lives. The dog is said to have barked and ‘literally banged on their bedroom door.’ The pooch has now been added to the star’s will, and is set to inherit Barrymore’s $3 million home upon her death. Some say the heroic act was payback for Drew’s kindness when she rescued Flossie from a flea market in Pasadena years ago. The minted Flossie has certainly learnt one good deed returns another!

4. Tobey Rimes, the Dog

Images: Jewellery Zeitgeist and Wyspanialy

A dog is a man’s best friend. Well he better be to get his paws on this ridiculous amount of money. The reportedly reclusive poodle Tobey descends from a poodle who inherited $30 million from his New York owner, Ella Wendel back in 1931. Now the beloved Tobey has a fortune worth $92 million, and graces the posters for benefits and trust funds. He is currently ranking number three in the world’s richest pets.

5. Oprah Winfrey’s Dogs

Images: EurThisnThat and The Insider

Oprah Winfrey is the US Queen of chat, and boy does she know how to spend her money like a queen. Her five beloved dogs, a mixture of spaniels and retrievers, are set to inherit $30 million when she dies, providing them with round the clock care. Her ex-boyfriend of 21 years is set to inherit $250 million from the star. An avid dog lover, she wants to make sure her animals are well cared for after she’s gone. A touch extravagant but still, it’s little more than you would expect from the richest woman in the world.

6. Gunther IV

Images: Itchmo and Dailymail

Another lucky pooch is the incredibly wealthy German shepherd heir, Gunther IV, who owns a mansion, a BMW Roadster, has a chef to prepare his meals and a multitude of willing servants. The dog inherited his millions from his father, Gunther III who inherited $106 million from his owner German Countess Karlotta Liebenstein when she died in 1992. Careful investment has meant the fortune has reportedly grown to $ 372 million, and Gunther’s property portfolio includes properties in Bahamas, Italy and Germany. He is known to be the richest dog in the world.

The pampered pooch even has a website devoted to him where he is displayed enjoying a playboy style existence surrounded by beautiful girls in shimmering gold dresses tending to his every need. The hungry Alsatian Gunther is rumoured to tuck into meals of caviar, steak and truffles served by his butler and army of servants. Well, they do say it’s a dog’s life.

7. Tinker the Cat

Images: Sawse and Scott Barbour

Cats are known to always find the most comfortable spot to sit, and what can be more comfortable than sitting on a $9 million nest egg? Blackie is officially the richest cat in the world, having been left the immense sum of $9 million by the reclusive socialite Ben Rea. But the cat who will really warm your heart is Tinker, who has a classic ‘rags to riches’ story to tell. He was a stray cat that regularly visited the widow Margaret Layne. When she died, she left her $226,000 trust fund to the moggie, he was also granted run of her $800,000 home and trustees were set-up to provide the cat with food and milk whenever he visited. The most astonishing part of the will is that Layne’s home is to be left faithfully open to the feline for 21 years or until the cat dies, whichever comes first. Tinker, the stray and down on his luck cat made more of an impact than he ever thought, and now has a home for life.

8. Trouble the Maltese Millionaire

Images: via Dailymail

When New York socialite and billionaire Leona Helmsley died, friends and family were shocked when they discovered she had left $12 million to the up-keep of her Maltese dog, Trouble. Especially since she left nothing to her four grandchildren, and there was no mention of any funds for her great grandchildren either. It seems the ‘queen of mean’ Helmsley had trouble getting along with anything with two legs. Nonetheless, the court reasoned that Helmsley was possibly a mentally unstable individual and has counteracted the will, slicing into the dog’s fortune, despite the dog’s lawyers being in hot pursuit, arguing that it infringed on the dog’s rights. The pooch seems happy enough; he is served his dinners by hand, has round the clock servants who pander to his every need and will be buried next to his mistress in the family mausoleum when he passes.

9. Gigoo the Hen

Images: LA Times Blogs

Is there a luckier hen than Gigoo? You would think she laid gold eggs for her master judging by the infinite prize she will seize. The British publishing Mogul Miles Blackwell changed his will following his wife Briony’s death back in 2000 so that Gigoo will entitle $10 million. It seems true when they say birds of a feather flock together, Mile’s beloved hen will be well looked after for life, and be able to afford the finest chicken feed and the most splendid of chicken coops. One thing’s for sure, Gigoo will definitely be top of the pecking order!

Since Shirley Temple graced the screens of the 1930s, lifting the hearts of her global audience, child prodigies have been greatly adored the world over. Who can forget the cheeky smile of the young Macaulay Culkin, best known for his spirited role in the box office smash Home Alone. His success, not to mention his bank balance has been immense, raking in millions from his legendary roles.

Many child stars of today enjoy extraordinary wealth that their elder counterparts can only dream of, they have become airbrushed symbols of perfection as well as role models to their besotted fans. With so much riding on such young shoulders it’s no wonder the media is teeming with stories of children and teens that have not been able to withstand the pressures of fame and fortune. But as we can see from the glossy images of these filthy rich children, there’s nothing but bright white-teethed smiles in our gallery of the world’s richest kids.

1. Miley Cyrus

Images: Taylor’s Entertainment News and Hannah Montana Zone

Miley Cyrus is a money making machine. At the tender age of 15, her repertoire draws envy from stars twice her age. As an actress, singer, model and presenter the Disney darling has reportedly raked in an astonishing $12 million due to her phenomenal success. She receives a reported $1 million per week from her concert tours and earns a percentage of the $1 billion takings from her Disney alter ego ‘Hannah Montana’ brand. It is reported she will be a billionaire by her 16th birthday and has recently been officially recognised as the richest kid in the world; quite an achievement. Despite her success, which evidently shows no signs of slowing down, her mother reports she is well-grounded and puts most of her money away in investments, while her dad only allows her $150 a week to spend, which shows she hasn’t got too big to disobey her parents.

2. Daniel Radcliffe

Images: Monster Movie Mall and Matthew Blaney

The face of Daniel Radcliffe is recognised the world over for his iconic role in one of the highest grossing film series of all time (currently top ten), Harry Potter. The Harry Potter brand is absolutely everywhere, and so is the actor bearing his signature glasses, wand and lightning bolt scar. Beginning humbly as a child actor in various small time British BBC television programmes, Daniel hit the big time when chosen to play the coveted role. The 19-year-old will have reportedly amassed a fortune of £70 million by the time the Harry Potter series has finished filming, making him Britain’s richest teen, and remarkably even richer than the British princes William and Harry, who have personal fortunes of £28 million.

3. Abigail Breslin

Images: Medium Dreams and Just Jared Jr

The plucky 12-year-old has the honour of being the 5th youngest star to be nominated for an Oscar for her highly acclaimed role in Little Miss Sunshine, at the age of 10. She is also known for other captivating performances such as playing ‘Bo’ in Signs alongside Mel Gibson and Raising Helen with Kate Hudson, who she is rumoured to have stayed good friends with. The young talent has won 11 other awards in her short career, including being ranked #8 in Forbes Magazine’s list of “Young Hollywood’s Top-Earning Stars”, having earned $1.5 million in 2006. Apparently, Abigail states if she wasn’t an actress she would want to be a veterinarian or a fashion designer. She is known by the stars she has worked with as having a great deal of professionalism and bringing a unique intensity to the roles she plays, we haven’t seen the last of this young actress.

4. Tyler James Williams

Images: Celebrity Wonder

As the youngster so candidly says of himself: “I’m good for three things,” “Making fried-baloney sandwiches, picking out good movies and making money”.” He’s got that right; Tyler draws in $1.2 million per season for his role in Everybody Hates Chris a popular sitcom created by Chris Rock, playing a young Chris Rock. In 2007, Williams won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Having received the prize at age 14, he is the youngest person ever to receive this award. The young actor says he has the perfect line to deter bullies in the playground: “I make more money in one week than you’ll ever make in your life. It’s probably not true but they won’t know”.

5. Dakota Fanning

Images: Anthony Citrano and via The Insider

After Dakota’s moving role in I am Sam alongside Sean Penn at just 7-years-old, in 2001, the highly gifted young actress shot to fame. She now makes a massive $4 million for big films; not bad for a 14 year old. “She can open movies”, says a cast agency of her exceptional talent. “She performs at the box office”. She has also modelled in ads for Gap and Marc Jacobs, and has starred in countless films since I am Sam, including War of the Worlds, Cat in the Hat, Uptown Girls, Hide and Seek and Nine Lives, and has performed voices for characters in new film Coraline and Lilo and Stitch II. She ranked #14 on Forbes list of richest young superstars and has recently been tackling some more challenging roles in films, such as Twilight: New Moon and Hounddog, determined to break away from her ‘sweet’ image, and be taken seriously in more controversial roles.

6. Angus T Jones

Images: LiGadoemSerie and Yahoo TV

This talented comedy actor, known for his performance as Jake Harper alongside stars such as Charlie Sheen in the sitcom Two and a Half Men has made a whopping $1.2 million per season, securing him as one of the richest half men in the world, aged just 16. He has also appeared in various films, such as Bringing down the House opposite Queen Latifah and Steve Martin, and his abilities have meant he was honoured with the 2006-2007 Silver Icon Award from Travolta Family Entertainment, not to mention countless Young Artist awards for his role in Two and a Half Men. Angus made his film debut at the age of six in the feature film See Spot Run, and since then has been going from strength to strength. One thing is for sure, the 16-year-old must have an enormous piggy bank.

7. Allyson Ames

Images: Review St Louis and EON Business Wore

This child sensation really does stand out from the rest. Unlike the other rich kids showcased in our gallery, this inspiring young lady has made her money from shrewd business sense. At the age of 19, Ames had already established her own business, a bakery called Wonderland, in the sunny Californian district of Newport Beach, creating a fantasy land of cupcakes, cookies, artistic cakes and whimsical gifts. She has also written a bestselling children’s book based on the ‘Wonderland Bear’ and is preparing for the Wonderland brand to go global. Ames started baking at age five, was named The Best Young Chef in America by the age of 17, and was honoured in 2008 with the California Business of the Year Award. Her clients include Barack Obama and Whoopi Goldberg. Is it not clear how much her empire is worth, but estimations are around $1.5 million, a tidy sum for someone so young. She is testimony to all that can be achieved with drive and ambition, and has evidently not let her age stand in the way of success.

8. Vanessa Hudgens

Images: High School Musicals and La Couturier

The 18 year old beauty shot to fame when she starred as ‘Gabriella’ in the phenomenally successful High School Musical film alongside her on and off screen boyfriend, Zac Efron. Although she starred in films Thirteen and Thunderbirds prior to this, High School Musical was the film that put her name on everybody’s lips, and the series of films has earned her a cool $1.6 million. She has since been constantly emblazoned across our screens as the face of Neutrogena, and has launched her own solo career, which was moderately successful. Unfortunately her squeaky clean image got a little bruised after not one, but two sets of racy pictures of her were leaked on the internet, but despite this she still remains a huge teen idol and her fortune, including a $2.75 million mansion in California, emphatically reflects this.

9. Jonas Brothers

Images: Girl.in.the.Green.Scarf

The sensational three piece band are a global powerhouse, and the hottest teen band in America, going down a storm in the US with their music and appearances on TV and film, including the Disney film Camp Rock. Consisting of three band mate brothers 15-year-old Nick, Joe 18, and Kevin 20, the trio have managed to pull in about $12 million in 2007 from album sales of 1.2 million, touring with Miley Cyrus, merchandising and appearances, reports indicate they should have doubled that figure this year. Although they have been rumoured to be considering to purchase a $10 million mansion in New Jersey, the brothers are dedicated to charity work and donate 10% of their earnings to Nick’s charity – Change for the Children Foundation as well as making regular charity event appearances. The boy’s squeaky clean boy band image has earned them multitudes of fans of every age and there’s no doubt about it, we haven’t heard the last of the Jonas Brothers.

10. Maria Sharapova

Images: alphababy and Chris Gampat

Russian beauty and tennis star Maria has accumulated a fortune of $23 million since her teen years, due to endorsements and of course her high-profile tournament wins. As well as being the richest female tennis player in the world at just 20, she is also widely regarded as being one of the most beautiful. Maria Sharapova won an estimated $3.8 million last year in prize winnings, ranking as the second largest amount of money ever won on the women’s tour. Maria brings in the big bucks through her impressive line-up of sponsors, including Nike, Canon, Motorola, Colgate, Palmolive, and has recently added Pepsi to this incredible list. Maria has been quick spending the cash, and has purchased a Range Rover and a beautiful house in Manhattan Beach in California when she was only 18; she has also added another beautiful home in Florida to her property ladder just recently. Young, filthy-rich and beautiful, she remains the envy of many.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7