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World’s Oldest Cat: Guinness World Records Officially Recognizes 30-Year-Old Siamese Cat As The Oldest Surviving Feline

By Alap Naik Desai
Published on: 05:26 PST, May 12, 2016

Guinness World Records has officially recognized a Siamese cat as the world’s oldest living feline. A 30-year-old cat named Scooter living in Texas was accorded the title.

Scooter was born on March 26, 1986, and is one of the rarest living members of her species from that time period. He was born during the Ronald Reagan’s administration and witnessed the anxiety of his owners during the Cold War. Scooter inherited his title from another cat named Corduroy. A resident of Oregon, Corduroy was 26-years-old.

The Siamese cat is living her unusually advanced years in Mansfield, Texas, with his owner Gail Floyd, stated the release from Guinness, which acknowledged the record. Floyd has owned the feline since his first day. The kitten grew up in the loving care of his owner for more than 30 years. Despite his age, Scooter is quite active. In fact, the owner attributes the cat’s remarkable longevity to always staying active and inquisitive.

“He still has a very curious personality and likes to see new places. He also likes people. Scooter’s social nature is perhaps helping him stay young,” shared the cat’s owner, reported USA Today.

The oldest living cat keeps busy by traveling, reported Yahoo News. To date, the cat has visited 45 states in America. He often visits the nursing home where Gail’s mother resides. However, the cat has gone through some of her nine lives throughout his 30-year lifespan. The feline had an especially nasty accident in October 2014. The Siamese cat broke one of her legs and still has to undergo regular treatment. However, the injury and the weak leg hasn’t hampered the feline’s active lifestyle. The cat keeps himself busy with new experiences with his owner.

The cat’s veterinarians said, “Scooter is quite an amazing cat, with a strong will to live.”

Each morning, Scooter wakes his owner like clockwork at 6 a.m. The duo’s routine involves the cat “talking” and jumping around and is always waiting by the door when she arrives home from work, reported the Mirror.

In human years, the cat is over 137-years-old. With age, quite a few of the cat’s typical traits have undergone a substantial alteration. For instance, the majority of the cats can’t stand water apart from drinking it. Usually, cats despise any water bodies and steer clear. Many owners have narrated a horrific tale involving scratches and injuries whenever they have attempted to bathe their cats. But unlike the majority of the cats, Scooter loves bath time. She bathes without fuss and even enjoys being blow dried afterwards, added Floyd.

The previous record holder of the world’s oldest living cat was Corduroy. Born on August 1, 1989, the cat had her title briefly whisked away after Guinness World Records crowned an older cat named Tiffany Two. But after the cat died at the age of 27 years, 20 months, and two days, the title of the world’s oldest cat passed back to Corduroy, who is 26. Interestingly, both Corduroy and Scooter live in Texas, hinting the state might be a good place for cats to live out their old days. Corduroy will now have to be content with being the second oldest living cat.

Although Scooter is over 30-years-old, the cat still has a long way to go before he is crowned the longest living cat ever. That title belongs to Creme Puff. Born in 1967, the oldest living cat ever, lived for 38 years and three days. Astonishingly, Creme Puff too, hailed from Texas, reported Discovery News.

Domestic cats have an average lifespan of not more than 15 years. However, many perish earlier due to the primal instincts that drive them. Cats routinely risk their lives by engaging in dangerous activities and cut short their lives.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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