There’s a nice story in the online media about a Swedish cat who will be aged 30 this spring. Her name is Missan. She lives in southern Sweden. Her caretaker, Åsa Wickberg, says she found her as a kitten in 1985. She contacted Guinness World Records because she had read an article about another cat who was supposed to be the oldest in the world. Perhaps she was referring to Tiffany Two, in San Diego, California who is much younger at 26 years of age. Then there is Poppy from Bournemouth, UK, a British cat who was named the world’s oldest living domestic feline who died at the age 24.
It is likely that Missan will reach the age of 30 and beyond because she is still quite healthy. She’s a loner and a bit shy but likes dogs. She’s a farm cat and maybe there is something in that lifestyle terms of longevity. It is a very natural life for a cat. Perhaps the best kind of life because you get the best of both worlds: naturalness and some care from the guardian.
Guinness World Records will award Missan the title of the world’s oldest cat once it has been proven. But how do you prove it? There are no birth certificates for cats unless the cat is a purebred cat registered with a cat association.
The only way you are going to get evidence regarding the age of the cat is in a statement, perhaps an affidavit (sworn statement), from the cat’s caretaker or perhaps from the cat’s vet’s records. There may be other people who also know the age of the cat from personal experience. However, these are all bits of evidence from people who may have a vested interest in their cat becoming the world’s oldest. I am not suggesting that this is happening on this occasion. It is a general problem with the process.
In addition, it may be impossible to disprove what the owner says and therefore the adjudicator has to decide on the veracity of the statement, acting like a judge. The point that I am making is that the process is very difficult and therefore I would guess that it is often inaccurate. Perhaps Guinness World Records will not allow a record to stand unless they can verify the age from independent records.
There’s another aspect to this which is that many people live with very old cats who could well be the world’s oldest but do not come forward because they are disinterested in the process or have no knowledge of it.
Therefore, we have to conclude that the title of the Guinness World Records oldest cat is a bit of a joke, if I’m being brutally honest.
Source of Missan story: Telegraph online.
I wouldn’t even be able to guess Missan’s age based on these two pictures that look more like paintings than photos to me. I searched around and couldn’t find any others anywhere.
Since I don’t find the pics to be very realistic, I tend to find the claim about Missan’s age suspicious.
In my opinion, a cat even half of Missan’s age should have more white facial fur than what I’m seeing. I would, also, expect to see quite a bit of muscle mass loss and not the robust form in the pic.
Nice point about muscle mass loss. Definitely correct Dee. Very old cats become quite frail just like people. Almost anyone can claim that their cat is 29 years old. I don’t see that this Guinness record is viable. It should be dropped like the world’s fattest or smallest cats (I believe this has been dropped too).
Vet records would be good as independent proof of age for most cats. Especially in the case of people whose cats were neutered/spayed or vaccinated as kittens.
Missan looks remarkably well for 30. I agree with Dee’s comments regarding the lack of grey facial hairs and muscle mass. My own cats have tended to develop grey hairs in the muzzle area when they were around 15. Their coats thin out too. Keeping weight on an older cat isn’t easy as they’re often suffering chronic health problems such as kidney disease, heart conditions etc. The eyes seem to dull with age and sometime cats develop brown freckle like flecks or the iris looks slightly mottled.
Yes, I agree Michele vet’s records would be decent way of getting somewhere near the age provided the cat was neutered and/or vaccinated. This is not bad but it does leave the door open to misrepresentations because a percentage of cats are not neutered or vaccinated. Or perhaps the cat is a rescue cat with incomplete medical records. Perhaps Guinness WR demand sound third party evidence before awarding the title. Thanks for this and I have made a small amendment to the post to include it.
Honestly, looking at the photo’s doesn’t seem that “MISSAN” is a 30 year old cat as she looks much younger. But then, don’t some of us humans defy time and age through cosmetic surgery, healthy living habits and wealth !Seeing the pop singer Madonna no one would believe she is in her late 50’s.Getting back to the topic of cats it seems it would be difficult to accurately judge the age unless modern scientific methods like “bone Density” are used as in humans.If 30 years of age then “Missan” is a poster for health longevity and good looks, rare in cats as well as humans.
I’d bet that Missan is genuinely almost 30 but I’d also bet that Guinness World Records get some fraudulent claims. In the era of the celebrity cat it would be a good money spinner to have the world’s oldest cat. You can see the motivation.