NORWICH, UK – A devoted pet owner is attempting to have her cat officially recognized as the oldest in the world.
Sally Brown, 48, of West Earlham, who lives in Norwich, claims her beloved short-haired cat Henry is 30. This would make her kitty four years older than the current record holder, a tabby from Oregon called Corduroy.
The self-confessed ‘mad cat lady’ has now launched a campaign to have Henry named in the Guinness Book of World Records.
She states: ‘I’m sure that Henry’s the oldest cat in the world. His sight is starting to fail now and he’s had a few teeth out, but in all that time he’s never had any illnesses.’
The mother-of-four, who worked as a veterinary nurse for a total of 24 years, rescued Henry from a centre in Cambridge in 1986. She now helps run a few specialist cat Facebook groups for the local community.
Ms Brown states: ‘I’m known as the mad cat lady of the area. I used to work with large animals like horses and cows and Henry would come along with me and sit in the car.
‘He’s always been a lap cat.’
Ms Brown has a total of 14 other cats, including three which are aged 18, 19 and 24, and all enjoy a diet of imported Swedish pet food supplemented with protein-packed chicken and fish.
She states: ‘I think they live so long thanks to a mixture of their good diet, lots of affection, and my experience.’
Ms Brown added she is trying to throw herself into the record race to raise awareness of the animal groups she work with, and to encourage people to be responsible cat owners.
A Guinness World Records spokeswoman responded Ms Brown would need a vet to prove the age, along with pictures and videos taken throughout the decades, before Henry can be officially recognized.
The average life expectancy for cats today is just 15 years. The oldest cat ever recorded was Creme Puff who hailed from Texas, who died in 1967 aged a stunning 38.
