When figuring a cat’s age into human years, the math goes like this—at the end of their first year, your cat will be equivalent to 15 human years old. The second year of life adds approximately ten years, so at two years old, a kitty is roughly twenty-four or five in human years. From here on, you’ll add four years to every one cat year to figure your total. That means a four-year-old cat would be roughly thirty-three in human years.
So, by those calculations, at almost 27 years old, Flossie the cat would be about one hundred and twenty in human years. Wow. That’s one old kitty. And Guinness World Records agrees, verifying Flossie as the oldest living cat!
So Purroud of Flossie
When cat mom Vicki Green adopted Flossie from Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough & District Cats Protection, she thought she was bringing home a “grandma.” Little did she know her new super senior bestie was about to become a celebrity. And upon meeting Flossie, the cat lovers at the Cats Protection branch in Royal Tunbridge Wells, UK, were astounded to learn her age, with Branch Coordinator Naomi Rosling sharing, “We were flabbergasted when we saw that Flossie’s vet records showed her to be 27 years old.”
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Naomi reports Flossie to be the oldest cat she’s ever known, and working in the rescue field, that’s an impressive thing! And because they’re so proud of her achievement, the Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough & District Cats Protection branch shared news of Flossie’s honor on Facebook, writing, “Not only did she find the most wonderful forever home but has become a little superstar.”
“As old as Windows 95 and older than Facebook, Flossie is 26 years old and has been officially named as the Oldest Living Cat by Guinness World Records.”
Technically, Flossie is broaching on her 27th birthday, as she was 26 years and 316 days old when the honor was bestowed. And during those almost three decades of life, Flossie has known a few homes.
The Long Tale of Flossie
In December of 1995, a Merseyside hospital worker adopted an adorable kitten from a colony of community cats near the facility. Ten years later, Flossie’s first person passed away. Flossie found her new home with her previous owner’s sister.
Fourteen years later, Flossie outlived her second mom and needed a new home at the age of twenty-four. For three years, she stayed with her last mom’s son. In the end, though, he knew he couldn’t give Flossie the life she needed as a geriatric feline, so he turned to Cats Protection for help.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Naomi. “He sought our help when it was in Flossie’s best interests. Responsible cat ownership is when someone thinks about an animal’s needs above their feelings.”
And after being in their care for a while, Vicki and Flossie found each other. And as a mom to four previous senior cats, Vicki knew just how to spoil sweet Flossie, providing her with delicious eats and lots of comfy napping spots.
“I’ve always wanted to give older cats a comfortable later life,” Vicki shared.
“She’s so affectionate and playful, especially sweet when you remember how old she is. I’m immensely proud that Cats Protection matched me with such an amazing cat.”
“Our new life together already feels like home for Flossie, which makes me so happy,” said the happy cat mom.
And that Flossie has found Vicki to live out her golden years makes us so happy too. Senior cats often stay in shelters for long periods of time as people tend to seek younger cats. But as Flossie proves, adopting a senior cat brings both cat and cat lovers a rich and rewarding experience.
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Congratulations, Flossie!
Feature Image: Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough & District Cats Protection/Facebook