Everybody knows that cats don’t live as long as we do, so if you are a devoted cat owner then you are bound to own more than one cat throughout your life.
Since cats do live much shorter than we do, there are some people who end up owning more than 10-30 cats through out their life!
Or…even more…
And if you make a habit of always getting a new one when the old one passes away, it can add up to quite the number over the years as you yourself age, more slowly than a cat would age of course…
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What Was the World’s Oldest Cat…Ever?
This is a tricky questions since we can’t possibly track the correct age of every single cat that has walked this earth.
There are quite a few…
But!, there is one cat in particular that holds the renowned title of having been the oldest known cat alive, and this cat was named Creme Puff.
Creme Puff the Cat
Now, who exactly is this old cat with the delicious sounding name?
Well, he sadly passed away in 2005, but he was so old that it did not come as a surprise to anyone who knew him.
Creme puff was a house cat that lived in Austin, Texas with his human, Jake Perry.
It was a “she”, an adorable female cat with white and orange colored fur coat that was sure to turn any heads.
How Old Was Creme Puff the Cat?
The ultimate question….and the answer is… 38 years and 3 days!
This is a very impressive age for a cat to reach and she is still to this day known as the oldest cat ever to have lived.
Even the famous Guinness World Records book featured her in 2010, which is something that many humans dream of achieving and often spend their entire lives trying to get featured in that book.
So, this was a cat that did big things when it lived without a doubt.
Another amazing thing to consider is that if you look at the cat to human years guide, she was actually 168 years in human years!
Amazing.
What Kind of Cat Was Creme Puff?
Since we know that cat breeds matter when determining how long a cat will live, it is interesting to wonder what kind of cat she was.
Did her breed perhaps have anything to do with it?
Creme Puff was a mixed female tabby cat.
What Did Creme Puff the Cat Eat?
Here is what astounds so many when they hear about this remarkable cat.
Creme Puff was on a very unusual diet for a cat, and after you have read about it you may even feel tempted to try giving some of these things to your own cat.
There is no guarantee though that it will work or help your cat live any longer, but it is a cool concept to think about, if this diet helped the cat live for so long maybe even.
She ate regular dry cat food, but it had things added to it that may have had something to do with her longevity.
Things such as turkey, eggs, bacon, broccoli, and…..coffee with cream were added to her diet and daily food.
Jake Perry insists that this peculiar food items for a cat are the main reason she lived for so long, and it is questionable.
But that is not all.
Jake also mentioned something very interesting indeed, but he liked to give his cat “an eyedropper full of red wine” about every two days or so.
Red wine for a cat? Well, in this case it does not seem to have harmed Creme Puff and her owner said the reason for giving her red wine was to keep her arteries healthy.
A cat with fine taste indeed.
An Active Lifestyle
It is also well known that if you want your cat to live as long as possible, it needs to stay active and exercise regularly even when they have reached a senior age.
This was true in this case, as Jake wanted to encourage his cats to stay active so he built steps to climb and jump on into the walls in his home and even created an enclosure in his backyard.
The enclosure was closed which meant that it would be completely safe and wouldn’t put the cat at risk, but it would still be able to enjoy some fresh air and outdoor exercise.
Outdoor cats do live much shorter than indoor cats, but Creme Puff got to enjoy best of both worlds with the enclosure.
Jake Perry also knew it was important to stimulate his cats minds, so he transformed his own garage into a little movie theatre where he liked to show nature documentaries to his cats.
Nobody can argue that he was immensely dedicated to his animals, and maybe that by itself is the secret to their long healthy lives.
Not necessarily what they ate and drank, but having a caring, dedicated, and affectionate human that lets them know that he loves them and puts in the effort to show it.
Rubble the Cat, Another Very Old Cat
Another worthy mention is Rubble the cat, who did not end up living as long as the previously mentioned one, but still lived to a staggering 31 years.
That is 150 in human years!
Rubble was a long haired and very fluffy Maine Coon cat that lived in England with his owner, Michele Heritage who was incredibly devoted and loving.
That is actually what makes this second case of an old cat so interesting, but Rubble’s owner was extraordinary in her care of the pet cat, and mentioned caring for Rubble as if he were her own son.
Heritage said she had gotten Rubble when she herself was 20 years old, from a litter of cats when he was just a tiny little kitten.
She did not end up having any children of her own but she spoke about treating Rubble as if he were a child and with a lot of care and devotion.
Rubble was known for being a sweet loving cat, but a bit grumpy when he reached his old age inevitably.
But seeing how both of these oldest cats had abnormally caring “human parents”, it makes one realize how important it is to treat your cat right and respect it’s unique needs.
Is Rubble the Cat Still Alive?
Sadly no.
Rubble was known as the oldest cat alive, or currently alive for quite some time now but passed away this year in 2020.
Rubble the cat would have turned ancient almost, or 32 years old had he lived to his birthday which would have been in may that year. But he did not.
Why Do Some Cats Live That Long?
It is not a single thing that makes some cats live so long, and there are many different factors that come into play when trying to determine why some can reach such an abnormally high age.
It may seem unfair, but genetics play a huge role in this and also the breed of the cat.
It is well known that some cat breeds live much longer than other ones and if you have a specific breed then you can have a pretty accurate idea of their lifespan in mind and how long they will stay on this planet.
Some cat breeds such as the Burmese can live on average 16 to 18 years, while Sphynx cats live 15 years on average.
Mixed cat breeds are known to be more healthy on average as they don’t inherit many of the same health issues that purebred cats so often have.
And, speaking of just that, but Creme Puff was a mixed tabby cat which may have played a role in it being so strong and healthy, but it is difficult to say.
On average, indoor cats tend to become more than 17 years of age if you take good care of them but you can read all about that in our fun article about how long cats live, here.