More than 20 years ago, something unusual happened in the small town of Dixfield, Maine. A lady named Barbara Thorpe had left almost all of her money—$200,000—to benefit the cats of her hometown.

A cat lover tried to leave a fortune to her town's strays. It almost didn't work out When Barbara Thorpe died in 2002, she left almost all of her money — $200,000 — to benefit the cats of her ...