Of schemes to get cats, and estates after you're dead

From a conversation a week ago...

Me : I think I'm dying of heatstroke. You can have the cat and my computer as my dying wish.
Neil: Actually, as your husband, I get those anyway, along with everything else.
Me : (reviving from apparent heatstroke) I'm dying of heatstroke and you're scheming for the cat! Do my relatives get anything?
Neil: As your husband, I'm your closest legal relative. It would be more complex if we had kids, but we don't, and also, by the way, we're less than half a block from the apartment now, so I think I can revive you.


I wasn't sure if his logic applied in New York particularly, and I decided to look into this scheme to get my cat. Apparently, the internet agrees with Neil, and he does actually get everything while we live in New York (or if we lived in Boston), but "spouse gets all" isn't universal; in California, for example, my parents would get half, too.

So, married friends of mine, if you're interested to see what happens if you die without a will in your state, check out the intestacy calculators at My State Will