The main indicator of whether a cat will live long or not, is if the cat lives indoors or outdoors.
“Indoor cats generally live from 12 – 18 years of age. Many may live to be in their early 20s. The oldest reported cat was 28 years old at the time of death.
“Outdoor cats generally live to be around four to five years of age. Their deaths are typically due to traumas such as being hit by a car or dog attacks. Outdoor cats are also more susceptible to several deadly viruses that are spread by fighting or prolonged intimate contact with an infected cat.”
Tiffany Two is celebrating her birthday today, according to Guinness World Records. Turning 27 years young today, Friday the 13th, Tiffany’s birthday comes just a month after Guinness announced that Tiffany claimed the official title of Oldest Cat Living February 6. Another cat-human duo dispute the title, according to the Telegraph.
Tiffany Two and her human companion, Sharron Voorhees, are thrilled to celebrate the special day together in their San Diego, CA, home.
According to Guinness, Tiffany Two was born on this date in 1988, which makes her 27 in cat years and 125 in “human years.” Tiffany was born with the black and orange fur combination known as tortoiseshell, and her colorization is reminiscent of Halloween.
Six weeks after her birth, Voorhees bought Tiffany for $10 from a San Diego pet shop and gave her the name “as something of a tribute” to a cat she owned previously with similar markings.
Described as a “feisty” cat that’s “had many boyfriends over the years” by her human companion, Tiffany Two and Voorhees have spent every moment together ever since, according to ABC News.
“Tiffy’s just so devoted to me, she doesn’t want to leave me.” Voorhees, 73, said to ABC News. “But I think it could also have to do with her size. She’s only six pounds, and I know smaller dogs live longer than older dogs.”
Voorhees believes that the reason Tiffany has lived so long is because of her small size, and because of the devotion she feels for her feline friend.
Voorhees may be right about Tiffany not wanting to leave her. According Richard Goldstein, DVM, in an interview with the Cornell Feline Health Center, older cats “need more emotional support as they age.” Dr. Goldstein is an assistant professor of small animal medicine at Corbell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“They [older cats] may become more dependent on relationships and require more attention. It may be harder for them to deal with changes,” according to Dr. Goldstein.
Voorhees mentioned that Tiffany Two lives inside, but that she goes outside when she feels like it, according to ABC News. She also says that Tiffany is, “not feeble and still able to go up and down stairs.”
While Tiffany Two is celebrating her birthday as the official “Oldest Cat Living,” another cat companion duo say they should hold the title instead, according to the Telegraph.
Asa Wickberg says she found her feline companion, Missan, in 1985, which would make her at least 29 – and older than Tiffany Two.
The Swedish duo live together in Karlskoga and while Missan suffered from recent illness, Wickberg believes she will easily reach the ripe old age of 30, according to the Telegraph.
Wickberg and some media outlets routinely dub Missan as the “Unofficial Oldest Cat” even though Guinness World Records doesn’t recognize the feline as such. To date, neither Missan’s human companion Wickberg, nor the media have followed up on whether the duo has been able to prove Missan’s age or not.
Both Tiffany Two and Missan are certainly long-lived, but neither cat comes close to the world record for Oldest Cat that ever lived.
That honor goes to Creme Puff, according to Guinness.
Creme Puff, who lived with her companion, Jake Perry, in Austin, TX, passed away at 38-years-and-three-days-old, claimed the Oldest Cat Living title while alive, and after her passing claimed Oldest Cat that ever lived.
Guinness crowned Tiffany Two as the official Oldest Cat Living upon Creme Puff’s passing.
[Photo Credit: ABC News via YouTube]
