At The Possible Age Of 31, Nutmeg May Be The World’s Oldest Cat!

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on October 4, 2016

Nutmeg the tabby was found as a stray, and now, he’s in the running for the Guinness World Record title of World’s Oldest Cat!

The kitty’s humans, Liz and Ian Finlay, are working with Guinness World Records to gather and verify information regarding his age.The tricky thing about Nutmeg’s situation is that, since he was rescued, there is no concrete way to tell exactly when he was born. But they do have a pretty good idea.

Back in 1990, the then-stray tabby befriended the Finlay’s other cat, Spice. They decided to welcome him into their family, and took him to the vet. There, the doctor told them that the tabby was around 5 years old, which would make him an incredible of 31 years old today!

According to the the Mirror, even if they could only confirm that Nutmeg was “an adult” at the time of his first vet visit–meaning he was at least 2 years old–he’d still be an impressive 28 years old, and would still earn the title of World’s Oldest Cat. The current record holder is 27-year-old Corduroy, who regained the title when 30-year-old Scooter passed away shortly after claiming it. The Oldest Cat Ever is still Creme Puff, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge after an astounding 38 long years.

If Nutmeg is found to be the oldest living cat on the planet, they’ll have earned some serious bragging rights. But age aside, the most important thing is that this family and their feline have enjoyed many wonderful years together.

“We have loved him and taken care of him ever since [adopting him]. He only has three teeth left but he loves chicken so much he stands at the fridge door when he wants to be fed,” they explained in the story by the Mirror. “He comes and lies on your knee when it is time to go to bed. He is not our cat, we are his humans and he never lets us forget that. Maybe that is the secret to his long and happy life.”

Despite a close call last year when Nutmeg suffered a stroke,  the tabby seems to enjoys life with his humans so much that he simply can’t leave them.

“Serious discussions were held with Mr. and Mrs. Finlay, who decided to give Nutmeg a chance,” veterinarian Laura Gillis from Westway vet said in the story. “It was just as well they did, as he is still going strong all these months later.”

The Finlays make sure to love and appreciate Nutmeg every single day as he progresses through his Golden Years.

“He is spoilt rotten. He comes in every morning at five am from his bed next door and we get up and feed him. Then he goes back to bed,”Mrs. Finlay said in the story. “We have no children so he is our baby. Even if we go away, we have people come in and look after him. He had a lovely brown coat when we got him and now he is going grey, but he is doing well for his age.”

Good luck to Nutmeg and to the Finlays!

(h/t: Mirror)