ENGLAND – This cat could very well be the oldest in Britain and has recently found a quiet retirement home.
Banjo is believed to be approximately 27 years old – that’s 125 in human years – by workers at the RSPCA’s Southall cattery in west London.
They’re not quite sure what his background is or why his previous owners abandoned him, but they do know that he was microchipped in 1991 at the age of two.
Michelle Do Camo, clinic manager, cuddling Banjo (Picture: SWNS)
So far, he has lived through two Gulf Wars, five prime ministers, and a total of four US presidents.
‘Banjo must have used up all of his nine lives by now,’ centre manager Beverly Leavy stated. ‘He is such a charming, sweet old man, he is eating well and enjoying life in the cattery.’
What a sweetie (Picture: SWNS)
Aneel Odhwani, who is the animal care assistant who has been taking care of Banjo, explained that from his Googling Banjo could be the oldest living cat in the country – and he’s applied to Guinness World Records.
‘He’s friendly and laid back, very undemanding. He loves his food and he loves being groomed – the ideal cat to rehome,’ Aneel noted.
‘We’ve had people asking on our Facebook page, “How do you know old he is? Because he looks so young!”
‘We don’t even know if the [previous] owners know his real age, he could have any story.’
No one knows why he was abandoned (Picture: SWNS)
Rescuers contacted the owners on his chip by telephone but they never heard back.
Fortunately, this dapper elderly gentleman has found a new home he will move into at the end of the month if he remains unclaimed.
‘For older cats, we look for a quiet home where they can relax and enjoy his retirement – somewhere a bit more chilled out and quiet,’ Michelle Do Carmo, who is the clinic manager, stated.
What a gent (Picture: SWNS)
She went on to add that staff has no idea why someone would abandon a cat at such a late stage in their life.
‘It could be a number of reasons, as everyone has got different backgrounds,’ Michelle concluded. ‘Most of the time it’s money issues or they’ve got evicted or are moving home.’
