The Oldest Cat In The World?

On Jan 9, 11:39*am, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
wrote in message

... MatSav wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...st-cat-in-the-....

My friend Stef (Angus's human) just sent me this story. My reaction to
it was, is this really a current photo of her? Very elderly cats are
usually pretty thin and frail, and their fur is matted with neglect.
This cat is so well-groomed, and well-rounded, too. If she's really that
old, that's pretty amazing.

Although I do believe them about her age if they've researched it, I also
would be amazed if that was a current photo.
As you say, very elderly cats are usually thin & frail with matted coats as
they are unable to self-groom. *KFC certainly was.

I've also seen several very elderlies in the vet's waiting room and they all
looked like that; *like no-one fed them or cared about them. *One came in
while I was waiting *with Boyfie once and a gasp went up from the room. *I
made a point of going up to his owner to say loudly "what a lovely old
ginger boy you have, I have an old ladycat who looks like he does..how old
is he?"
He was 21.
We then discussed how thin they can get through CRF, tips on how to tempt
the appetite and how difficult it is if a very old shorthair will not allow
grooming as they do look so dreadful.

Rusty (RB) was skin and bone at the end. Even though he was
(mis)diagnosed
with renal insufficency year before his trip to RB, subsequent blood
tests
results indicated his kidneys were fine. He had pancreatitis and
probably IBD.
These 2 diseases probably prevent him from absorbing nutrients despite
eating well on a prescription diet. He was eating expensive
hypoallergenic
cat food made from duck his last year. It helped to minimize his
vomiting.
I don't get to eat duck every day myself even though it is one of my
favourite food.



It was my turn then so I don't know what happened with him. *I didn't get
the impression that they were there for the ultimate decision and I know my
vet is up for supporting very elderly dogs/cats until he thinks they have no
quality of life.
Despite their appearance. *Unfortunately appearance was all in KFC's case.
I found out eventually where KFC had lived before, from a kitten and that's
why I was confident about her age.
If this cat is 39, may she live longer but I do have my doubts whether the
photo is up to date. *Definitely an older cat but I will eat my hat if
that's a 39-y-o in the pic

Tweed

On Jan 9, 12:26*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
ingold1234[at]yahoo[dot]com (Gandalf) wrote in message

...

On Sun, 9 Jan 2011 09:18:36 -0000, "MatSav"
wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...st-cat-in-the-....

If only the normal lifespan of cats was 35 to 40 years, instead of only
15 years. *Sigh*

Think about it. * You'd only be able to have one during your life. *If your
cat died when you were 50 you would not dare to have another.
Tweed

Exactly. I am over 50, and have no plan to get another cat now that
Rusty has gone to RB. I spent $$$ on vet bills and prescription food
over the years. Now I need the $ to spend on my own health expenses
which is going up as I age. Insurance only covers a portion of my
expenses.

On Jan 9, 12:21*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

...





wrote in message
.. .
MatSav wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...st-cat-in-the-....

My friend Stef (Angus's human) just sent me this story. My reaction to
it was, is this really a current photo of her? Very elderly cats are
usually pretty thin and frail, and their fur is matted with neglect.
This cat is so well-groomed, and well-rounded, too. If she's really that
old, that's pretty amazing.

Joyce

Why would you assume an elderly cat would be matted due to "neglect"?

Jill

Self-neglect. *Short haired cats groom themselves all their lives and look
pristine so many owners do not get them used to it. *When they get very
elderly they do not do it and you might be surprised how matted they get and
how much they resist you doing it because it's alien to them.
I learned this the hard way.
One of the reasons put forward for KFC's euthanasia was "she had hair
missing"
Yeah, because I had just plucked her mats out once again with the help of my
lovely friend June who is the only person who dared to hold her while I did
it.
She was a fierce semi-feral kitty and would not allow me to groom her, so
start early with yours for when they get old,
lest their appearance leads to their death if they wander.
I will never forget what happened as long as I live. *I will harp on about
it for years, as many years as I remember her tinyness (is that a word?)
how brave she was about moving out from a bad home to wait 7 years in my
garden until she noticed all my dogs had gone to RB and then knock on the
door. * How she had no meow, her mouth would open but no sound came out..

She weighed 4lbs but had the courage of a tiger.

Rusty was skin and bones at around 6-8lb. I can just image how KFC
looked
at 4 lbs. Even though I started brushing Rusty as soon I adopted him,
he
never got used to it. He complained loudly and he was a very quiet
cat. Rusty tolerated teeth brushing much better, probably because
it
was over much sooner than grooming. I accumulated quite an assortment
of
pet grooming supplies over the years.

"Lesley Madigan" wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 9:21 am, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
..
One of the reasons put forward for KFC's euthanasia was "she had hair
missing"


That;s a pathetic excuse about the worse I have ever heard. Didn't
they think "Elderly cat, doesn't groom, looks like someone has made an
effort to remove matts therefore has a caring person and isn't a
stray"?
She was thin too. Of course.
Pointless to dwell on it, but I will. Poor girl lost her life looking for
me when I got admitted to hospital.
It's unexcusable for a vet to put her down when then do not check locally
that she has a vet of her own. Which she had.

"Winnie" wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 12:26 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
ingold1234[at]yahoo[dot]com (Gandalf) wrote in message

...

On Sun, 9 Jan 2011 09:18:36 -0000, "MatSav"
wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...st-cat-in-the-...

If only the normal lifespan of cats was 35 to 40 years, instead of only
15 years. *Sigh*

Think about it. You'd only be able to have one during your life. If your
cat died when you were 50 you would not dare to have another.
Tweed

Exactly. I am over 50, and have no plan to get another cat now that
Rusty has gone to RB. I spent $$$ on vet bills and prescription food
over the years. Now I need the $ to spend on my own health expenses
which is going up as I age. Insurance only covers a portion of my
expenses.

You might be able to foster an older cat long term from a shelter who will
pay for the vet bills. You are a good cat meowmie, Winnie. Some shelters
do that here.
Tweed

jmcquown wrote:

wrote in message
...
MatSav wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!


http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...t-in-the-world


My friend Stef (Angus's human) just sent me this story. My reaction to
it was, is this really a current photo of her? Very elderly cats are
usually pretty thin and frail, and their fur is matted with neglect.
This cat is so well-groomed, and well-rounded, too. If she's really that
old, that's pretty amazing.

Joyce

Why would you assume an elderly cat would be matted due to "neglect"?

Jill

My reaction as well! Although none of mine were ever THAT old, I have
had cats who lived well into their twenties, and so long as they were
healthy, they continued to groom themselves effectively. Also, they may
have BEEN "frail", but they seldom appeared so, and were never "thin"
unless they were ill and had digestive problems that prevented them
eating adequately.

On Jan 9, 3:58*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"Winnie" wrote in message

...
On Jan 9, 12:26 pm, "Christina Websell"



wrote:
ingold1234[at]yahoo[dot]com (Gandalf) wrote in message

...

On Sun, 9 Jan 2011 09:18:36 -0000, "MatSav"
wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...st-cat-in-the-....

If only the normal lifespan of cats was 35 to 40 years, instead of only
15 years. *Sigh*

Think about it. You'd only be able to have one during your life. If your
cat died when you were 50 you would not dare to have another.
Tweed

Exactly. I am over 50, and have no plan to get another cat now that
Rusty has gone to RB. I spent $$$ on vet bills and prescription food
over the years. Now I *need the $ to spend on my own health expenses
*which is going up as I age. Insurance only covers a portion of my
expenses.

You might be able to foster an older cat long term from a shelter who will
pay for the vet bills. * You are a good cat meowmie, Winnie. *Some shelters
do that here.
Tweed

I read about shelters like that. But I need to do more traveling to
see my
family. It is not justthe vet bills. I don't drive and often had
trouble even getting
a cab to take Rusty to the closest vet.
Plus I found taking care of an elderly cat quite tiring.
I am not young anymore with boundless energy and I have health issues
that come with aging. I need to slow down.
Just taking care of myself takes a lot of time and effort.
I will leave the roles of cat meowmie to younger folks, and just share
my
experiences with Rusty

wrote:

I mean self-neglect. Most old cats I've known were too arthritic, or
maybe just too tired and apathetic, to be very fastidious about their
grooming.

Joyce

Well, my Melisande has rather severe arthritis (probably stemming from a
badly broken left hind leg when she was young). She often seems to find
it awkward (and probably painful) easing down into a reclining position
on the floor, but she's still perfectly limber when it comes to grooming
herself.

wrote in message ...

jmcquown wrote:


wrote in message
...
MatSav wrote:

Well, KFC was a grand old lady - but here's a claim of a dame who
is claimed to be 39!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851885-...t-in-the-world

My friend Stef (Angus's human) just sent me this story. My reaction to
it was, is this really a current photo of her? Very elderly cats are
usually pretty thin and frail, and their fur is matted with neglect.
This cat is so well-groomed, and well-rounded, too. If she's really that
old, that's pretty amazing.

Joyce

Why would you assume an elderly cat would be matted due to "neglect"?

I mean self-neglect. Most old cats I've known were too arthritic, or
maybe just too tired and apathetic, to be very fastidious about their
grooming.

-----

Which describes Miss Pooh Bear to a tee. She's scruffy looking. She'll be
17 soon. She walks kind of hunched like now too. But her cat bed is on a
chair in the kitchen (nearest to a heating vent) and she jumps up and down
just fine. She's scruffy, but she's got big, huge gold eyes that still
sparkle. My dad says as long as the eyes sparkle, they're doing okay. But
that's just Dad's two cents on the matter!!

God bless my Pooh bear...

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Laurie
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸ ·.·

*~*LiveLoveLaugh*~*

All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
~Abraham Lincoln


Joyce

--
The Internet is on computers now! -- Homer Simpson

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
...


wrote:

I mean self-neglect. Most old cats I've known were too arthritic, or
maybe just too tired and apathetic, to be very fastidious about their
grooming.

Joyce

Well, my Melisande has rather severe arthritis (probably stemming from a
badly broken left hind leg when she was young). She often seems to find
it awkward (and probably painful) easing down into a reclining position on
the floor, but she's still perfectly limber when it comes to grooming
herself.


but is she 20 years old plus? That's when they seem to not bother.

Tweed