The Met Gala’s Most Anticipated Guest? Karl Lagerfeld’s Cat, Choupette

“She was his baby,” said Françoise Caçote, Choupette’s caretaker. A former housekeeper for Mr. Lagerfeld, Ms. Caçote, 50, has been Choupette’s nanny since 2012 and inherited the cat permanently after her boss passed away. “He would say, ‘In my life, my priority is Choupette, and then everything else.’ ”

Mr. Lagerfeld often talked about how much he adored Choupette, and treated her to multicourse meals on Goyard dishes and supplied her with two maids. She has her own agent, coffee-table books, a skin-care collaboration and social-media followers spanning the globe. 

Lucas Berullier, Choupette’s agent, said the cat received an invite to the event and maintained “a lot of people want her there.” He wouldn’t say whether Choupette would be attending, citing confidentiality agreements. 

To date, a cat has never walked the Met’s red carpet, although security dogs have been spotted on the sidelines. In 2021, a particularly photogenic golden retriever was said to have stolen the show.

The Gala is known for keeping plans about the extravaganza under wraps, and whether the feline will be the furry belle of the ball is still fuzzy. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Museum of Art wouldn’t comment on the guest list, and a representative for Condé Nast, which sponsors the event, and whose Vogue editor Anna Wintour is the gala’s co-chair and key fundraiser, also declined to let the cat out of the bag. (A few weeks ago, the Met’s Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton said in Interview magazine that he had tried to convince Ms. Wintour to make Choupette “an honorary chair” of the gala.)

Kim Kardashian posted a photo shoot with Choupette on Wednesday, where she mentioned she was visiting the offices of Mr. Lagerfeld’s eponymous fashion line to get inspiration for the Met Gala, and fueled speculation the cat would be her date. Ms. Kardashian declined to comment.

“l can imagine you walking down the Met Gala with little sunglasses on and the paparazzi starts to say ‘CHOUPETTE! OVER HERE, BEAUTIFUL!’” one fan purred on the cat’s Instagram recently. “Please go! Your outfit is already the most fabulous one!” another wrote.

Ms. Caçote, Choupette’s caretaker, who doesn’t travel without the cat, also declined to share if she was attending but said the cat walking the red carpet would have brought Mr. Lagerfeld joy.

“Knowing how Karl spoke of the influence of Choupette, I know Karl would have been proud to have her at the event,” Ms. Caçote said.

Choupette used to accompany Mr. Lagerfeld on his private jet, prancing freely around the aircraft, but Ms. Cacote said she hasn’t taken Choupette on a plane since Mr. Lagerfeld’s passing.

Choupette originally belonged to a model friend and muse of Mr. Lagerfeld. The late designer agreed to cat-sit for two weeks, during which he became attached and decided to keep her, according to “Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld,” a book by journalist William Middleton.

Mr. Lagerfeld told Women’s Wear Daily in 2012 that Choupette enjoyed a high-protein diet of meat fresh from the butcher, and took her meals at a table, out of crystal bowls he designed. He said he had hired a maid and butler, who recorded her schedule in a notebook when Mr. Lagerfeld was out of town and would cue up late-’90s Madonna songs for her too.

Mr. Lagerfeld shared photos of the cat on his Twitter and Instagram and fans loved seeing the notoriously sharp-tongued designer, known for his long ponytail and signature sunglasses and leather gloves, be tender with an animal. 

Choupette has graced the covers of British Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia and German Vogue and has posed with fellow celebrity catwalkers Linda Evangelista and Kendall Jenner. Most recently, she starred with Naomi Campbell in a May photo shoot for American Vogue. In 2015, Mr. Lagerfeld told New York magazine that Choupette had earned 3 million euros from two modeling gigs.

In 2018, Mr. Lagerfeld told Numero, a French magazine, that he had left some money for Choupette in his will, which sparked rumors and some catty talk that the feline would inherit a fortune. But Ms. Caçote said she hasn’t received any money from the estate, and that the situation with Mr. Lagerfeld’s inheritance is complex. 

 Ms. Caçote said she takes care of Choupette with her own money and does so happily, as it was Mr. Lagerfeld’s wish. She and Mr. Berullier said they are setting up a feline-focused charity in the cat’s name.

Choupette is content at Ms. Caçote’s Paris apartment, she said. The cat likes to wake up early, and her fur is brushed multiple times a day. Choupette relishes walks on the balcony and treats herself to the catnip planted outside. Choupette’s favorite toys are Chanel paper bags and Chanel ribbons, Ms. Caçote said.

Choupette doesn’t have butcher-fresh meat anymore, but Ms. Caçote said she puts out multiple plates of cat food, which consist of “small croquettes and some pâte.” Choupette drinks filtered water and still eats at a table.

“She is a princess,” Ms. Caçote said. 

Mr. Berullier, who has worked with Choupette for four years, believes the cat has a similar personality to Mr. Lagerfeld. 

“She’s very sophisticated and elegant,” he said. “She has a strong character and does not like to be disturbed, or be forced to do anything. But when she walks into a room, everyone turns their heads to see her. She stops time.”

Muriel Zvellenreuther contributed to this article.

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Write to Chavie Lieber at [email protected]