Oldest living cat
Scooter, a 30-year-old Siamese cat from Mansfield, Texas, has been named the world’s oldest cat. Scooter celebrated his 30th birthday on 26th March 2016. Edit: It would seem that just days after being named the world’s oldest cat, Scooter sadly passed away.
September 2017 – Nutmeg, the world’s oldest cat, passed away at the ripe old age of 34 this week.
There has not been an announcement yet as to who is now the world’s oldest cat, but Teddy, a 26-year-old cat from Werribee, Australia has been put forward as a contender.
2019 – Rubble, a domestic cat, owned by Michelle Foster of Devon, England, is currently the oldest living cat. Rubble was born in May 1988 which makes him 31 years old.
Oldest cat ever
The oldest cat was Creme Puff, who was born on August 3, 1967, and passed away on August 2005. Creme Puff was owned by Jake Perry of Austin, Texas who also owned Granpa Rexs Allen (below).
Also, deserving mention, Puss, who was born in 1903. Puss was owned by Mrs T. Holway of Devon. Puss passed away on November 29, 1939, one day after his thirty-sixth birthday.
Granpa Rexs Allen (Granpa, for short), a Sphynx cat who lived to the ripe old age of 34 years and 2 months.
Longest fur on a cat
The longest fur measures in at a whopping 10.11 (25.6cm) and belong to a cat called Sophie, from Oceanside, California.
Heaviest cat
Himmy who lived in Cairns, Queensland, is the heaviest recorded cat, weighing in at a staggering 21.3kg (46.8lbs). Himmy, a desexed tabby, died of respiratory failure at the age of ten.
There is a new contender for the world’s heaviest cat. Five-year-old Katy, who lives in Russia, reportedly weighs 20kg. Katy’s owners had hoped to have her recognised as the world’s heaviest cat with the Guinness World Records. However, they are no longer accepting nominations in this category, as they don’t want to encourage pet owners to overfeed their animals.
Lightest cat
The world’s smallest cat is a Blue Point Himalayan by the name of Tinker Toy from the USA. Tinker Toy was just 2¾ inches tall (at the shoulder) and 7½ inches long (about the size of a cheque book) and weighed 1lb and 8oz. Tinker Toy was featured in an article in the August 31, 1993, issue of National Enquirer. (If anybody has a copy of this magazine I would love to hear from you.)
Sadly, Tinker Toy passed away in November 1997. Many thanks to Scott and Katrina for their help.
Smallest cat
Mr Peebles, a two-year-old, domestic cat of Central Illinois, holds the Guinness World Records award for the smallest living cat, weighing in around 3lbs, he is 6.1 inches high.
His small stature is due to a genetic defect.
Cat with the most toes
The usual number of toes on a cat is eighteen. A five-year-old domestic shorthair from Ontario, Canada is in the Guinness World Records for having the most toes. Jake has a total of twenty-seven toes.
Unofficially, Mooch—who lives with his owners Bob and Becky Duval in Maine, USA—is the winner, having twenty-eight toes. Mooch’s owners have submitted evidence to the Guinness World Records; watch out Jake!!!
In July 2010, I was contacted by Rory, who had written an article on Bandit, a cat with twenty-nine toes. You can read about Bandit here.
Cats with more than the “normal” number of toes are called Polydactyl. Poly comes from the Greek word polys, which means many or more than one. Dactyl also comes from the Greek word daktylos or finger. Polydactyls are also known as Hemingway cats.
Most kittens produced by a cat
By 1952, Dusty—a Tabby moggy from Texas—had given birth to a total number of 420 kittens in her lifetime.
Largest litter of kittens
On August 7, 1970, a four-year-old Burmese called Tarawood Antigone, who was owned by Valerie Gane of Oxfordshire, UK, gave birth to nineteen kittens. The surviving fifteen kittens consisted of one female and fourteen males.
Longest cat tail and tallest cat
The longest tail on a domestic cat measures in at 17.58 inches, the cat, a silver Maine Coon named Cygnus lives with his family in Southfield, Michigan.
Interestingly, Cygnus shares his home with Arcturus Aldebaran, a Savannah who currently holds the world record for the tallest cat, standing at 19.05 inches.
Longest cat
Stewie, the Maine Coon, also holds the world record for being the longest cat in the world measuring 48.5 inches (123 cm).Â
Oldest feline mother
Kitty, owned by George Johnstone of Staffordshire, UK, gave birth to two kittens at the ripe, old age of thirty. During her life, Kitty produced a total of 218 kittens. Kitty died two years later. Smutty, a tortie owned by Eileen Martin of Cornwall, produced a black and white kitten at the age of 28.
Most well-travelled cat
A cat by the name of Hamlet escaped from his carrier while on a flight from Toronto, Canada. Hamlet was discovered seven weeks later, behind a panel, in this time, he had travelled approximately 600,000km.
Most expensive cat
An Asian Leopard Cat (ALC)/Domestic Shorthair (DSH ) hybrid, bred by Esmond Gay, is the world’s most expensive cat. Zeus, who is 90% ALC and 10% DSH has an asking price of £100,000.00.
Highest non-fatal fall
Andy, who was owned by a Florida Senator by the name of Ken Myer, holds the world record for the longest non-fatal fall. Andy fell from the 16th floor (200 feet) of an apartment building.
Longest post-earthquake survival
Richest cat
Ben Rea of the UK left his cat Blackie £7 million in his will.
Most number of cats
Jack and Donna Wright of Kingston, Ontario, made their way to the Guinness World Records for having the highest number of cats. According to the Guinness World Records, they have 689 cats.
Fastest cat
The cheetah is the world’s fastest cat, able to reach speeds of 70mph.
Best mouser
The world’s best mouser was tortoiseshell moggy Towser (April 21, 1963, to March 20, 1987). In her lifetime, she caught 28,899 mice, plus numerous other unfortunate creatures, such as rats and rabbits. Towser worked for the Glenturret Distillery. A statue has been erected in the distillery grounds to honour Towser.
Image credit, Bruce Collier
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