House Cat Worth $140,000 in Real Estate Deal

The Perceval family of Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia, sold their home at auction for $2,060,000. But before the final paperwork was done, they got a better offer: real estate agent Glen Coutinho said the new offer asked for the inclusion of the Perceval’s cat Tiffany.

Mr Coutinho, of RT Edgar, said that a child of one of the bidders had fallen in love with Tiffany during the inspections of the home.

“Tiffany decided she would sit on the couch,” Fran Perceval told the Herald Sun.

“People would come through, and she’d observe them and be patted.

“She loved all the attention — she does look a bit ornamental,” she said.

Ms Perceval had even jokingly suggested to Mr Coutinho that Tiffany could be included in the sale, because after all “she believes the house is her property”.

But then the bidder offered to buy the home for $2.2 million — as long as Tiffany was included in the deal.

The Percevals did the math, and since the cat is worth an extra $140,000 to the buyer, Tiffany will stay in her home with the new owners. The cat actually belongs to the Perceval’s 19-year-old son Sam, who stands to get a cut of the profits. Would you give up your cat for that kind of cash? Keep in mind that the new owners would be devoted to her, and the cat gets the house, so to speak. It’s possible that the “cat clause” might be a way to get around the terms of the original auction, but I am not well-versed in Australian real estate laws. -via reddit

(Image credit: News Corp Australia)