Nine lives or one…it has certainly been long for these cats!
Cats tend to live on average around 12 to 15 years, if they’re lucky and they are looked after well. The following 30 cats listed below are an exception to the norm. The youngest cat in this round up is a staggering 26 years old!! Now that is rare for a cat to live that long!
Just like us humans, cats age. It’s true that there are good things and bad things about every age.
Cats are considered to be in a “middle-aged” state between the ages of 8 and 10, a transitional period during which they continue to participate actively in their environment and their own development without showing any signs of significant physical or mental decline.
Cats begin to show signs of ageing around the tail end of middle life.
#30 – Hobo – 26 years
Hobo was a cat who lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. She lived to the great old age of 26 years old.
Hobo’s owner, Collie Rouyer said this about her while being interviewed on a local TV station..
“”She is 26 today which is equal to 121 in cat years. It’s rare for a cat to live this long. She’s doing really good though. Still gets around.”
#29 – Corduroy – 26 years
Born on August 1st 1989, Corduroy and his owner Ashley Reed Okura (USA) had been companions since he was a tiny kitten and she was just seven years old. He lived till the age of 26 years old. Considering the typical lifespan of a domestic cat is 15 years, this is quite a feat.
He was in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest living cat in 2014.
#28 – Kataleena Lady – 27 years
Kataleena Lady was a Burmese cat who lived in Melbourne, Australia. Kataleena Lady was born on March 11, 1977 and lived to the very old age of 27 years.
#27 – Banjo – 27 years
There’s a very interesting story with Banjo.
He was dumped at a rescue home for cats in West London. When they scanned him for a microchip, they discovered that he was first registered back in 1991, which made him, at the time, 27 years old!
The vets were astounded when they scanned his microchip and found out he was a whopping 125 in cat years.
Beverly Leavy at RSPCA Southall cattery said this at the time: “Banjo must have used up all of his nine lives by now.
“He is such a charming sweet old man, he is eating well and enjoying life in the cattery. He takes everything in his stride and has won all of us over. It’s amazing to think he was born decades ago – we think he must be the oldest rescue cat in the country.”
#26 – Wadsworth – 27 years
Wadsworth, marked his 27th birthday on March 6 2013. He was thought to be the oldest cat in the world.
Waddy, as he’s more often known, is named after a popular British beer. Since 1986, he called Bedfordshire, England home, where he lived with Ann Munday, his owner. She took him in as a kitten who had been abandoned by his previous owners when he was just four weeks old.
As a result of always going to the same vet, Waddy has documentation of his age, which made verification easy.
#25 – Tiffany Two – 27 years, 70 days
Sharon Voorhees paid $10 at a local pet store for 6-week-old Tiffany, a black and orange tortoiseshell born on March 13, 1988 in San Diego, California.
Voorhees’s first cat, also a tortoiseshell, was named Tiffany before she passed away in the ’70s, and thus Tiffany Two was given that name.
In October 2014, barely seven months before she passed away, Tiffany Two was recognised as the oldest living cat by the Guinness Book of World Records.
#24 – Minky – 27 years
Minky was an unknown breed to cat that lived at an animal hospital in Korea. Judging by her flat face and small nose, she could have been an Exotic Shorthair or Brown Coated Persian.
Minky was born in 1991 and sadly died in 2021.
#23 – Soot – 28 years
Soot was a black cat that lived in Toronto, Canada. He was born in 1987. He died aged 28 years old.
#22 – Cola – 28 years
Cola was a 28 year old (140 in cat years) black, female cat from Orpington, UK. She was owned by Mary Goldsmith. Born in 1985, Cola’s long life was put down to “a lot of love and attention and just being looked after”.
She enjoyed eating a range of foods including chicken, tuna, milk and cream, but her favourite food was haddock.
#21 – Tattie – 28 years, 350 days
#20 – Margo – 29 years 1 month 14 days
Margo (aka Margo Margopants) was a 29-year-old cat who found her loving human companion 20 years ago when their family brought her home to foster.
She was once the cat of a restaurant owner, who could no longer look after her. She was adopted by Emmu Lah’s mom.
They reached out to Margo’s original owner to find out how old she was. “She told me she got Margo in 1991, and that she was ‘probably under a year old’ when she got her,” Emmu said. “I picked a birthday—March 13th—and we started counting years from there.”
#19 – Squeak – 29 years
#18 – Missan – 29 years
Missan was a Swedish farm cat that died shortly before his 30th birthday.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Poppy from Britain was listed (at that time) as the world’s oldest cat at the age of 24.
Missan was abandoned as a kitten in 1985, with the family dog quickly adopting her as one of her own.
#17 – Scooter – 30 years
Scooter celebrated his 30th birthday on March 26. He died shortly after. He had died by the time Guinness confirmed his title as the oldest cat in the world. He was a Siamese cat that loved getting blow-dried after baths and snacking on chicken every other day.
#16 – Henry – 30 years
Henry was a ginger tabby, owned by Sally Brown. She rescued him from an animal shelter in Cambridge back in 1986.
She puts his long life down to a healthy diet including regular treats of fresh chicken and fish several times a week.
#15 – Whiskey – 30 years, 41 days
Whisky was a black and white cat from Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire. She died at the age of 30 after equivalent of 138 human years alive!
#14 – Nutmeg – 31 years
The Queen was just 30 years into her reign when Nutmeg the Tabby was born, and Margaret Thatcher was still in power. Nutmeg died from heart failure at the grand old age of 31.
The secret to Nutmeg’s long life, according to his owners Liz and Ian Finlay, who looked after him for 27 years, was to indulge him with delights like tuna, cream, and hot roast chicken.
#13 – Rubble – 31 years
Rubble was a Maine Coon who lived in Exeter, England. He shared his home with three Persian cats. His owner claimed that as he aged, he started acting a little cranky.
His old age was attributed to the fact that Foster (Rubble’s owner) never had her own children and pampered him like her child.
#12 – Spike – 31 years, 2 months
Spike was a ginger and white tom, that lived in Bridport, Dorset (UK).
He passed away in his owner’s arms.
The Guinness Book of Records officially recognised his claim to fame.
After only 19 years, the cat almost lost his life after being mauled by a dog.
In 1970, Spike was purchased for the first time at the Brick Lane market in London for two shillings and sixpence.
Mrs Elkington attributed Spike’s long life to the aloe vera gel she had been putting in the cat food for 10 years.
#11 – Kitty – Just short of 32 years
Kitty wasn’t just one of the oldest cats that have ever lived, but she was also the oldest recorded feline mother; giving birth to a litter of 2 kittens at the age of 30.
#10 – Tiger – 32 years
Tiger was a cat from Illinois, USA. He was adopted by his owners back in 1996. He loved to lounge around outside in the sun.
#9 – Sasha – 33 years
This 33-year-old female cat lived in the Northern Irish countryside. Sasha had gained some fame for her long life, but she didn’t always have it so good. In 1991, while walking by a stable, Beth O’Neill overheard a frightened cat. The cat was hobbling around, weak from an old injury, and scared of the stables’ dog. Beth brought Sasha home, and the two of them have had a long, happy history together.
#8 – Miez Maz – 33 years
One of the oldest domestic cats ever, Miez Maz, was put to sleep at the age of 33 after being mistaken for a sick stray by a veterinarian.
She was picked up by a passer-by after escaping from his home in Tagerwilen, Switzerland.
#7 – Sarah – 33 years, 6 months
Sarah was a cat that lived in Christchurch, New Zealand.
She passed away, only three days after receiving a Guinness World Records form that, when completed, would have surpassed the previous record-holder for the oldest cat.
#6 – Granpa Rexs Allen – 34 years, 2 months
There’s an interesting story with this old cat.
On January 16, 1970, Jake Perry adopted Grandpa Rexs Allen from the Humane Society of Travis County (Texas).
Later on in the year, a lady by the name of Madame Sulinaberg called him and said that it was her cat.
Perry ultimately decided to keep the cat, and Madame Sulinaberg provided him the paperwork proving his birthdate of February 1st, 1964.
Sulinaberg claims that the back door was left open while she was away, which is how he managed to escape.
He was a Sphynx and Devon Rex cross, that loved eating broccoli for breakfast.
He was also a show cat who won many many awards in his time.
#5 – Ma – 34 years, 5 months
Ma was a female tabby cat, who lived with Alice St George Moore, in Drewsteignton, England. She was one lucky cat, who probably used up all of her 9 lives.
As a kitten she got caught in a gin trap and just about survived the ordeal.
Ma’s owner said that fresh meat and the relaxed atmosphere in their home contributed to her long and happy life. Ma was put to sleep on November 5, 1957.
#4 – Great Grandma Wad – 35 years
Grandma Wad was discovered by the Wanna family when she was a kitten living in front of their grandmother’s home. The cat’s caregiver was the daughter, who was just 3 years old. In Thailand, Grandma Wad resided in a home situated on a fruit orchard.
Throughout her entire life, she only produced one litter. She had four kittens, but she lived longer than all of them. The Wichien Maat cat was twice attacked by dogs toward the end of her life, which left her with mobility issues.
#3 – Puss – 36 years, 1 day
Very little is known about Puss. He was allegedly born on November 28, 1903, in Devon, England. One day after turning 36, on November 29, 1934, this male tabby passed away.
#2 – Baby – 38 years
Baby was a black cat that lived in Duluth, Minnesota, USA.
Baby had been rescued after children tossed it in a trash can along with firecrackers.
Baby’s owner, Al Palusky, had concrete evidence of Baby’s age, as he had a photo of him when he was 3; the photo is dated 1973.
#1 – Creme Puff – 38 years, 3 days ( The Oldest Cat That Has Ever Lived )
Creme Puff, who was born on August 3, 1967, and survived until August 6, 2005, a remarkable 38 years and 3 days, is the oldest cat ever.
Creme Puff resided with her owner, Jake Perry in Austin, Texas, USA.