What Cats Hold the Record for Oldest of All Time? The Interesting Answer
By Kit Copson
Updated on
We all know the old saying “cats have nine lives,” but for some cats, this seems to really be true. According to Cats Protection in the U.K., the average cat life expectancy is approximately 12 to 14 years, though some live up to 20. For some cats, life is only just getting started in their twenties! Some of the oldest cats are Creme Puff and Baby, who both lived to be 38!
In this post, we’ll introduce you to the felines reported or rumored to be among the oldest of all time (though some of the cats’ ages are estimates, so the order may not be 100% accurate) and reveal the oldest living cat as of this year.
Guinness World Record Holder for Oldest Cat Who Ever Lived
Creme Puff
Creme Puff, an American female tabby mix, holds the record as the oldest cat that ever lived. She was born on August 3, 1967, and passed away on August 6, 2005, making her 38 years and three days old at the time of her death.
Creme Puff was born in Texas and belonged to Jake Perry, who is famous for raising cats that live to old age and has claimed that he feeds them a diet of commercial food, turkey bacon, eggs, broccoli, coffee with cream, and a splash of red wine a day (don’t try this at home).
Current Oldest Living Cat: Officially Verified
There is only one cat that is officially verified by the Guinness World Records team.
Flossie
Flossie was confirmed to be the oldest living cat at the ripe old age of 28. She lives in the U.K. with her owner, Viki. Though she is deaf and has poor eyesight, she still enjoys a good quality of life, according to her owner. She is a big fan of cuddles, napping, and munching on her favorite food.
Other Incredible Old Cats: Unverified
The cats on this list have either been surpassed by the current record holder (Creme Puff), unverified by Guinness, or their owners did not apply for their cat to be verified. Regardless, we still think they need recognition!
1. Baby
In second place behind Creme Puff and, possibly, Flossie, is a black domestic shorthair male called Baby. Baby was also from the United States, was born in 1970, and lived for 38 years. Baby’s owners were a lady called Mabel from Duluth, Minnesota, and her son, Al Palusky.
2. Puss
Puss was a tabby cat from Devon in the U.K. born in 1903. He belonged to Mrs. T Holway and lived to the ripe old age of 36 years. In a strange twist of fate, Puss died a mere day after his final birthday.
3. Great Grandma Wad
The next entry hails from Thailand—a traditional Siamese cat (Wichien Maat) called Great Grandma Wad. Great Grandma Wad was born in 1987 and is still going strong today at the age of 36. A woman named Wanna Kodkarisa claims to have taken in Great Grandma Wad as a kitten after she was born a stray outside her home.
4. Ma
Ma was an English domestic shorthair tabby female born in 1923. She died in 1957 at 34 years old. Ma was a cat that had a rough start in life, having fallen victim to a gin trap as a kitten.
The resulting paw injury continued to plague her as she got older, but her owner, Alice St. George Moore from Drewsteignton, took great care of her and fed her butcher’s meat throughout her life. Ma’s long life has been attributed to her relaxed environment and her owner’s dedication.
5. Granpa Rexs Allen
A male Sphynx-Devon Rex from Texas by the name of Granpa Rexs Allen comes in at number six. This astonishing young man was adopted in 1970 from a Texas shelter by Jake Perry, who also owned the world’s oldest cat, Creme Puff.
Perry later learned that Granpa Rexs Allen had previously belonged to a woman from Paris, and the records she provided showed he was born in 1964. Granpa Rexs Allen died in 1997 at the precise age of 34 years, two months, and 4 hours. However, there has been a dispute about Granpa’s final age.
6. Sarah
Sarah, a house cat from New Zealand (breed unknown) was born in 1982 and died in 2015 at 33 years and 6 months of age. Sarah was sadly put to sleep due to heart failure at the time her owner was applying for her to be recognized by the Guinness World Records, so she missed the chance to be acknowledged as the world’s oldest cat.
7. Patata
Patata is an Italian cat who lived to be over 33 years old. She was known for guarding a tree that stood in the garden of her first elderly owner, who died when Patata was 13. The details about Patata’s passing are unclear.
8. Miez Maz
Miez Maz was a tortie male from Switzerland. He is thought to have been born in 1979 and, according to reports, was mistakenly put to sleep by a vet who thought he was a stray in 2012 at 33 years old.
Up to this point, his home was a train station where he was looked after by locals and station employees. Miez Maz had been much loved by the locals who were reportedly infuriated when he was euthanized.
9. Sasha
Northern Irish tortie Sasha was born in 1986 and is said to have died in 2019 (though we couldn’t find verification of this) at 33 years old. Sasha was taken in by Beth O’Neill in 1991 who found her as a stray in a pretty bad condition. A vet estimated her age at the time to be 5 years old. In 2017 at 31 years old, it was reported that Sasha was still very much enjoying life and was mostly spending her days sunning herself in the garden and snoozing.
10. Rubble
Rubble, a male Maine Coon from Exeter in the U.K. passed away at the age of 31 in 2020. Rubble was born in 1988 and he came to be with his owner, Michele Heritage, on her 20th birthday when he was still a kitten. His owner said that she had no interest in applying to have Rubble recognized in the Guinness World Records.
Conclusion
Learning about the longevity and life stories of all these miraculous cats has only served to confirm what we already knew—that felines are seriously remarkable! We were also pleased to learn that these cats were (and are, in Flossie’s case) still very much enjoying being pampered in their old age and were so loved throughout their lives.
Featured Image Credit: Nadiia Rotman, Shutterstock
