The world’s oldest cat, sadly, has died at the age of 32 after dying as a result of heart failure.
When Nutmeg the Tabby was first born, Margaret Thatcher was still on the throne and the Queen was just 30 years into her reign.
When he first came to the world’s attention as being a challenger to the mantle of oldest cat in the world he had three teeth, no longer ventured outside, but was still going strong.
His owners Liz and Ian Finlay, who cared for him for a total of 27 years, explained that the secret to their cat’s long life was to spoil him rotten with treats such as tuna, cream and hot roast chicken.
Liz and Ian Finlay had spent 27 years living with Nutmeg before he died (Picture: North News)
His health took a terrible turn for the worst a few weeks before his death on August 29. Liz and Ian admit they have been left ‘absolutely heartbroken’ by his death.
Retired baker Ian, who is 67, stated ‘We both feel like our hearts have been ripped out. He was our little boy. ‘He went downhill so quickly it was unbelievable.
‘He suffered from a bad tooth and he had rasping breath. We knew that when we went to the vets that he wouldn’t be coming home. It was an unspoken solace.
‘We won’t be getting another cat because we don’t think that we will be able to go through this heartbreak again.’
Liz and Ian were introduced to Nutmeg back in 1990 by their other cat Spice, who died in the early 2000s.
RIP Nutmeg (Picture: North News)
Spice kept coming into the house along with Nutmeg, who they realized was a stray. The couple, who don’t have children, decided to adopt the tabby as their own.
When they took Nutmeg to the vet they were informed that the cat was around five-years-old, which makes him 32 this year.
Nutmeg has accompanied Ian and shop worker Liz on their entire journey through life as they have celebrated landmark wedding anniversaries, moved house and mourned loved ones.
They had absolutely no idea they were the owners of the world’s oldest cat until Ian got speaking to a vet from the Westway Veterinary Centre in a supermarket.
Ian stated: ‘Obviously he had such a long and good life – we spoilt him rotten. I would have loved a little more time with him, but that is just being selfish.
‘He just reached a certain age and just knew it was his time to go. He started to get really thin and just gave up. He is probably up there now causing mischief.’
Scooter, who is a Siamese from Mansfield, Texas, had been named as a record breaker at the age of 30 by the Guinness Book of World Records but he also sadly passed away in May.
The average lifespan of any cat is just 15, which means Nutmeg has indeed far surpassed his life expectancy by over 100 per cent.
Our hearts here at The Best Cat Page go out to Nutmeg and his loving humans in this sorrowful time!
Source: metro.co.uk
