The oldest cat in the world: Who and how old?

Who on Earth is the oldest cat in the world, and how old did the feline get? How did she live so long, and has she ever been rivaled? Let's find out...

You won't believe how long the oldest cat in the world lived for!
You won't believe how long the oldest cat in the world lived for!  © 123rf / Mvolodymyr

It's always wild when you hear about a cat that lived so long that she was around during the Reagan administration. Well, sort of. It's complicated as the cat isn't "around" anymore. Who holds the world record of oldest cat, though, and how old was she before she died? We've got you covered!

The Guinness Book of World Records is not only dedicated to human records, but animal world records as well. So, we've decided to take a look at the oldest cat ever to tell you what you should know about her.

Who is Creme Puff, the world's oldest cat?

Creme Puff was the oldest cat in the world before she died on August 6, 2005. Since then, no other cat has overtaken her as the oldest, though a few cats have also made it into their 30s. She lived her entire life in Austin, Texas.

This little kitty was raised by Jake Perry, who brought her into his home as a house cat, where she lived out her days since being born all the way back in 1967. In the nearly twenty years since she passed away, no other cat has even come close to her Guinness World Record. Well, except for one other...

Granpa the cat lived until he was 34 and, funnily enough, was raised by Jake Perry as well. Wild, right? Well, according to an interview he gave with Atlas Obscura in 2015, it is all down to the food he feeds them.

According to Perry, his cats live on not only dry commercial cat food, but "a home-cooked breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, broccoli, coffee with cream, and—every two days—about an eyedropper full of red wine". Now that's one hell of a diet...

How old is the world record oldest cat?

The oldest cat ever recorded, Creme Puff, lived to be 38 years old. She was born in 1967 and died in 2005, only three days after her birthday. Of course, while she is the oldest cat in living and recorded memory, this is only according to the Guinness World Records. So, we can't 100% guarantee that an older cat never lived...

Who is the oldest living cat in 2022?

It is not entirely known who the oldest cat is at the time of writing this article, but there are some theories. Right now, the Guinness Book of World Records has the oldest living cat siblings confirmed as London kitties Pika and Zippo. They are twins, both alive at 21 years old.

Guinness World Records also claims that Corduroy, a kitty from the US, is the oldest living cat in the world right now, at the age of 26. However, this has been disputed.

Other than that, it is relatively unknown, though the last ancient cat to die as the oldest in the world left us back in 2020 at the age of 32. His name was Rubble and he also hailed from Great Britain. Living in Devon with his owner, Michele, he was pampered right until the end.

Fun fact: Michelle also had another cat who lived to the ripe old age of 25. What's her trick? Those cats really struck the jackpot with her!

What are the oldest cat breeds?

Balinese cats have a particularly impressive life expectancy!
Balinese cats have a particularly impressive life expectancy!  © 123rf / Pasiaflora

Some cat breeds tend to grow old, while others tend to die young. It's just the circle of life, after all. Age is not the only thing influenced by the breed of cat, as other factors such as diet, husbandry, and genes also playing a significant role.

That being said, some cat breeds do indeed tend to grow older. Here are a few examples:

  • Ragdoll
  • Persian Cat
  • Bombay
  • Siamese
  • Birman
  • European Shorthair
  • Russian Blue
  • Burmese
  • American Shorthair
Cat owner proves skeptical shelter wrong after heartwarming adoption
Cats Cat owner proves skeptical shelter wrong after heartwarming adoption

This is not an exhaustive list, as there are hundreds of different cat breeds that live to be quite old. Ask your vet and pet shop owner for their advice if you want to know more.

How many human years is the oldest cat?

With cats generally living around 18-20 years, a 38-year-old cat is pretty darn ancient! According to an online cat age converter, Creme Puff was the equivalent of 168 years old. That's like if your grandma was born in 1854, had lived through both World Wars, and 32 presidencies...

Comparatively, Rubble would have been 144 years old when he passed away in 2020. That's still an impressive age, and both cats' owners should be incredibly proud of doing such a great job of caring for their feline friends.

There is currently no record of who the oldest living cat was before the Guinness Book of World Records was established in 1955. For all we know, there could have been a 50-year-old (sorry, 216-year-old) cat out there at some point... Yeah, probably not!

Cover photo: 123rf / Mvolodymyr

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