A woman decided to leave her $2.8m (£2.2m) fortune to her pets after her children did not visit her while she was ill.

Liu, a woman from Shanghai, China, initially was going to leave her money and property to her three children when she drafted her will three years ago.

But when her children did not visit her, contact her, or care for her when she fell sick, she changed her mind.

She said that only her cats and dogs were there for her when she was ill, and insisted that her wealth be used to take care of her animals after her death.

A local veterinary clinic has been designated as the administrator of her inheritance and is in charge of the animals’ care. 

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“We told Auntie Liu that if her children change their attitude towards her, she could always alter her will again,” the official said.

Online, social media users were in support of Liu’s actions, claiming they would have done a similar thing if they were in her shoes.

“Well done. If my daughter treats me poorly in the future, I will also leave my house to others,” a user said.

“How disappointed and heartbroken she must have been to make the decision not to leave anything to her children,” said another.

A third added, “Children will learn their lesson.”