Tell us about your oldest Cat

My longest lived cat was a semi-feral Brown Tabby, she lived to be 23 years old. I know because her pregnant mother was dumped in my block and she was born in my goat barn. I had Momma cat spayed when the kittens were weaned and the kittens before they went to new homes but she always made herself scarce when someone came to look at the kittens. She lived in and around that barn for 23 years, drinking goat milk and eating dry cat food twice a day. I would catch her every 2 years and take her for a check up and booster shots. She would not let me get close to her for months after the trip to the vet.

My longest lived cat was also a brown tabby who lived to be 23! My brother brought her home from a horse stable that he was working at. Her name was Tiger and she was my first cat. She never roamed far from our yard and took every opportunity to tease the dog next door by walking along the top of the fence, just out of reach.

If I may be indulged a little bit, I'd like to tell you my amazing cat story!

I found a kitten in the ditch along the busy highway where our family farm is located in South Dakota, and I begged my Mom to let me have her in the house. The poor dear had 9 kittens when she was only 9 months old. Not quite sure how that happened! Well, I understand the mechanics... Any way, I took her with me when I married, and she had three more kittens — one super smart one named Boots, one lovey-dovey one named Scampers and one slightly odd little guy named Dandy. Some friends talked me out of Boots and then they promptly let him out where he got in a fight and died from his wounds. Then they took poor, goofy Dandy from me (blame the ex-husband!) about the time we moved to Texas.

So I had to leave Muffin at my parents' farm because she was getting too old to travel and that left me with Scampers. She moved with me to Texas, Northern Virginia, consoled me through my divorce, moved again to southern Virginia and then to Florida. She really was my baby! When she was about 8 years old, she died suddenly of a pancreatic abscess. I was heartbroken, so the vet talked me into taking a Siamese that had been abandoned at the vet's office. Her name was Shalimar, but we always called her Fat Cat. She was so tubby because everyone who worked at the vet's office felt sorry for her and fed her treats.

I decided to get a kitten for Fat Cat to play with, hoping she would slim down, but she compensated by eating all of Mikki Kitty's kitten food! When we moved from Florida to Alabama, we needed to stay in temporary housing until we found a permanent place, so we asked the people renting our house in Florida if they would care for the cats. When we would call to check on them, they always said Fat Cat is fine, but we haven't seen Mikki Kitty. I wasn't too worried, though, because she always had spent a lot of time at the neighbor's house. When my husband went down to fetch the boat, the plants and the cats, sure enough, Mikki Kitty could not be found, and I was so sad.

My husband brought Fat Cat out to our new house, took her carrier around to the back of the house and opened the door (the movers were all over the place, and she was a real scaredy cat, so he didn't bring her in the house) and she took off for the trees at the end of the street. I thought she would come back later, but she didn't have anything to come back to. She didn't know I was there, and she was scared of my husband. We never did find her. :-(

So I thought I had lost both of my kitties. But the following day, the movers delivered my husband's little sports car and when he came home at lunchtime to make sure they hadn't damaged it, he heard a squeak when he walked around it. He opened the hood, and there was Mikki Kitty! She had hidden in the hood of the car when the movers came to our house in Florida! She had been in the storage building for more than six weeks and weighed only 1 1/2 pounds. Poor thing! She wouldn't leave my side for days.

Within a few years, she weighed 11 pounds, and she became our new fat cat, but I figure she used up a couple of her lives in that storage building. She lived to be 15 years old when she was killed by a pack of wild dogs. Poor old girl couldn't run fast enough to get away from them any more... It was quite a shock to the whole family.

Any way, that is my amazing cat story! Sorry to be so long-winded!

Wow, these stories are great! I never had a cat that lived so long. I lived overseas from the age of 24 to 38 and had no pets mostly because my ex did not like animals. When I came home I immediately got a cat at the humane society. Her name is Samantha and she is 13and still with me.

A few months after getting her a dear friend of my mom's gave me my beautiful Belle, who was really an amazing cat, very people oriented, talkative, affectionate and really either she really thought she was a human, or she thought her people were cats. She lived to be fourteen but got cancer and survived the operation but died in the incubator, I was heartbroken, that was last summer.

My partner's oldest, meanwhile, decided about two years prior to Belle's death that he wanted a kitten so we got our gorgeous tux, Buzz (named for the loud purr he had as a kitten) and he has been in charge of our house ever since. He and Belle were very close. Now that Belle is gone he plays with Samantha who has really come out of her shell. I want to get another cat at some point but so far my partner has resisted that. I hope Samantha and Buzz live very long lives because they are really wonderful pets.

The story about the cat in the car hood is so amazing by the way! My mom's cat Tina once got stuck in someone's garage for several days and that was bad enough but wow... Six weeks seems more like a miracle!

Ours are indoor only but as a kid I always had indoor/outdoor cats who were very independent, but we lived in the country and it was a different time. I do not think I will do that again.

>5 anna_in_pdx: I agree, re: keeping cats indoors. My last four cats were exclusively indoor cats. My Siamese Yum-yum died at 11 of cancer. If I had it to do over, I would have spayed her young. Her buddy, Moocher, lived to 13, and had to be PTS due to renal failure. He, like Yum-yum, was also a Seal Point Siamese, and a sweeter cat I've never known.

My current kitties are Java, 12, and Moonpie, 11. >3 dkhiggin: Moonpie is my Fat Cat, and Java is my Mikki: Moonpie eats his and Java's food. They both seem to be in good health, playful and annoying. ;)

However, my oldest cat would have been Sam, a tuxedo cat from my childhood. When I got married, he went with me. Sadly, I had to have him PTS at age 14 1/2, after he attacked our 2yo son, unprovoked. I took Sam to the vet to see if there was any medicine that would help, but the vet told me that Sam was in dementia, and there was nothing I could do to prevent another attack. He'd been my best buddy growing up, and it was devastating to lose him.

My current cat, Gin, is an indoor cat, partly due to what happened to my Mikki Kitty and also because I have lousy neighbors. One purposely ran over the smartest, most character-full cat I ever had. Pharaoh was so loving and he had the longest tail ever! I miss him so much...

My seal-point Siamese Dunchattan Cleopatra, aka Loud Noise on Legs, is 19 years and 11 months - eagerly awaiting her telegram from the Queen of the Cats.

Juanda, a feral barn cat my mother managed to lure indoors when I was growing up; she made 15-odd years (possibly a year or two older). The only cat I've ever known whose response to any canine was an immediate, total attack (which proved highly effective). She didn't like children; I was tolerated because I came with the food and shelter. (My chasing her through the house because Juanda had trouble cornering on linoleum, which meant her rear-end would slide around before she got traction, probably didn't help our relations any...)

Zelda had belonged to an elderly lady that passed away. She was 13 years old, she was passed quickly threw 6 different homes. In one she had been cornered under the bed by the resident cats.
I was her 7th and last home I had her for almost 7 years before I had to have her PTS. So she was nearly 20.

>10 Pebblesgmc: poor Zelda, but what a nice relief it must have been to live with you!

>9 BruceCoulson: I wasn't too kind to my first long-term cat, Sam, when I was a child, but we became good buddies when I grew up.

Sam was the only cat I know of that chased full-grown German Shepherds. He did not tolerate them in our yard, and was witnessed at this amazing feat when he was still less than a year old. Sam didn't like dogs, so he was rather upset when we adopted a puppy a couple years later. Pooh Bear and Sam had a truce for years, with only a couple fights, until Sam passed on.

Most cats I saw growing up in my neighborhood were allowed to roam outdoors and didn't live very old, maybe 6-7 years average. Dogs, hunters and a road not too far off being the likeliest culprits.

The big Mama Cat tabby from neighboring retired farmers that often visited us lived more than 15 years for sure though I don't know how much more exactly, as she may have been around a little while before becoming their "official" pet.

One of her daughters who also took to paying daily visits in tow (also that of a young male cat of ours before we had him neutered, we suspected, as far as such things can be determined) also lived to be over 17 year old, a very aristocratic tabby with white throat and mask, and white socks.

Wow, the Mikki Kitty story is amazing. Must have been a few mice there or she never would have survived! But jeepers - 1.5 lbs. Poor darling ...

My oldest cat, Grover, was 14. i wish I had him until 23! He was the best cat ever!! He just was slipping away and had to be put down.

My shortest lived cat was dear Balthazar who developed pericarditis at age 5 and had to be put to sleep very suddenly as he was in acute, agonizing pain from a blood clot to the femoral artery that feeds blood to the lower limbs. It was awful but a kind and caring vet helped me through that experience.

Then I had two little dogs, Julie (Yorkie) who was 15.5 yrs when she had to be PTS and Goldie (Peek-a-poo) who was 17.5. They died within 6 weeks of each other, the youngest going first and then poor Goldie, I am sure died of a broken heart.

And now I have Jean-Luc Moustache, a very handsome tuxedo mustached cat, who came to us off the street when he was about 1.5 yrs old. He just turned 8 which is quite amazing since he is FIV positive(The virus that causes feline AIDS) yet so far remains very healthy.

And I am now owned by another Yorkie, Addie who was a rescue from a puppy mill. She came to me at age 5 having spent her life in a cage pumping out babies. She was pathetically thin, (3.9 lbs) filthy dirty and when I gave her toys and treats she tried to hide them so they would not be taken from her. Now she is about to turn 9 yrs old, is 5 lbs 7 oz, happy and healthy. She has the sunniest personality. And she no longer hides things because she knows they are not being taken from her. She is a delight.

I know some people are either cat lovers or dog lovers. I gotta say, I LOVE them both. When I sit down they are both on my lap at the same time. I love it!!

'Tis funny, a few weeks ago I found papers which confirmed "Lizzy's" birthdate. Nov. 03 1995.
About 2 years ago I worried that her spine had become bony. Well it had, but it's just old age.
I still remember my brick in silk Burmeses from 4+ years ago...

ETA. I hope I don't have to say the obvious...

Just returned from the Vet yesterday.
As I suspected, but didn't want to admit, Lizzy has Kidney problems. Now this can be a death sentence, but doesn't have to be. The blood works showed problems.
Anti-biotics and a treatment I had never heard of - 200ml of water injected under the pelt, to rehydrate her.
It seems to have worked. She pissed a lot more - some of it on me in bed :-) (hey that's what towels are for) and is a bit more alert. The Vet didn't give any promises but I'll be happy for any extra "quality time".

Guido.

Good luck to her.

Robert

>15 guido47: I treated a cat with subcutaneous fluids for a couple of years before his time was up. he needed it once or twice a week, and I was able to do it myself at home (less stress for the cat, who severely disliked trips to the vet). He never loved the experience, but he was the kind of cat who would put up with it, and it was totally worth it for me to keep him comfortable that extra amount of time.

15 and 17: My mom's cat has to have the fluids for kidney failure now too. She hates it but I think she's gotten more used to it.

The fluids can cause immediate relief and are really quite an amazing treatment. I had to give my cat Samantha fluids when she had this weird dehydration effect from a cold that caused sudden and extreme weight loss putting pressure on her liver. So the vet thought her liver was just shot for good. She was all jaundiced (as she's a black cat you could only tell this from her eyes) and the membrane over her eyes actually dried out. The vet didn't know if she'd make it but you could see her comfort level go up right away after each treatment. And after two weeks of daily fluids she was back to normal! Now, about 3 years later, she is still fine.

>15 guido47: and that's what a waterproof mattress pad is for, too. Sheets and blankets can be washed, but mattresses are...well, not very washer-friendly.

I lost my sweet Moocher to renal failure back in 2001. I noticed him licking the water off the shower walls, but didn't realize it was a symptom of kidney issues, or I would have brought him to the doctor sooner.

The vet tried "jump-starting" his kidneys but it didn't work. :(

Our cat, Shelby, just had her 22nd birthday. She was the runt of the litter and only came to live with us because her brother was crying constantly. So Other Half went back and got a second kitten. Shelby is now a cranky old lady who can't hear, but still going strong.

The brother, Jackson, died at eighteen.

guido47 I'll pray for your kitty.

Thanks Group wrt. your kind concern for Lizzy!

The Vet asked me to return today to review Lizzies progress.
When I mentioned that some members (#17, #18) had used that water rehydration treatment for 2 years he was quite surprised. It was just one of his treatments for Kidney problems.

He also suggested Fish oil ( I take 9 gm/day - and MY blood works show it does make a difference)

and Sold me a trial (1 month) of an appetite enhancer "ANAPLEX" - evidently an anabolic steroid.

Guido.

>22 guido47:

I lost two cats to kidney failure at ages 5 and 6 - it was really tough, as they were so young and I had raised them from kittens.

I hope the remaining time you and Lizzie have is filled with happy memories and lasts as long as possible.

>23 Helcura: ((((((((((Helcura))))))))))

Hi Group,

Lizzy will eat ALL the treats I offer her (I even tried 'baby' food) But she just doesn't eat enough She is skin & bone. I'm guessing less than 1.5Kg. I'm hoping the steroids will kick in
eventually. Does any one know how long it takes for the steroids to kick in?

Guido.

> 25

You should see an increase in appetite in 2-3 days.

My oldest in Dante at 20-23yrs old. The shelter and my vet estimated him at 15yrs old when I got him from a shelter 6 yrs ago. Since then, he has used up most of his 9 lives and my vet is sure this cat is immortal. He nearly died from an URI, he had IBD, he had pancreatitis, he has diabetes, and he has almost no teeth left. But he keeps going. And the truly weird thing is he is now gaining weight and his kidneys are fine.

My oldest CAT is 32 years old. Got it new back in 1982. It's been stored in a box for probably the last 10 years but I pulled it out for a running session last week. A few drops of oil on the axle points and it was as good as new. :-)

Wow, 27, that is really incredible.

LOL @28

Old Tig

My sisters’ cat, Old Tig (short for Teegar the Tiger), was the runt of a neighbor’s litter of 6 half breed kittens (alley cat and Siamese). Tig’s inherited portions of the union consisted of basic alley cat coat, Siamese brown behind the ears, Siamese booties, and a full blown Siamese yowl.

My Dad’s job was such that we moved often and we moved far and like the rest of us, Tig found herself having to adapt and adjust to the circumstances of new places. In 1965 we moved into a neighborhood where the houses had reasonable sized lots and no fences. Tig’s first foray out into the backyard of her new surroundings was a memorable one.

It was Saturday and Dad had let her out just before we sat down for breakfast. About 10 minutes into the breakfast hour we heard to most god-awful yowling and hissing we had ever heard Tig offer up to anyone or anything. We jumped up and looked out the back window and saw a very old Scottish Terrier toddling west to east across the back yard. The old boy’s coat was pure white and so thin that it looked like he had a bald region running down his spine from the base of his neck to the base of his tail. Tig was in a high dudgeon but the old boy just kept walking. Finally, about half was across the yard, he stopped, turned his head in the direction of Tig and her uproar, sniffed once or twice, turned his head back and continued across our backyard and on into the next one.

The instant he crossed the property line, Tig’ yowling and hissing stopped, her fur returned to its usual place, and, with tail twitching, she settled down in the sun on the back porch stoop and we resumed our breakfast. About 20 minutes later – pandemonium erupted again. The old boy was back only now the direction was east to west. Again arched back, fur out, yowling and hissing, and again the old boy paused half way across the yard, looked in Tig’s direction, sniffed once or twice, and toddled on. Every morning for the rest of the week saw a repeat of this performance (we asked around the neighborhood and learned that the old boy was indeed very old and, in addition to a thinning fur coat, he had arthritis and poor vision. We also learned his morning constitutional had been a daily event for many years).

The following Saturday we were again seated at breakfast when the Scottie crossed the property line and the yowling and hissing started – but with a difference – not as loud, nor as long, and a lot less enthusiastic. With each passing day of the second week Tig’s protestations grew shorter and shorter and by the third Saturday they had ceased altogether. As for the Scottie, the only change in his behavior was that he no longer stopped to look and sniff. On the 4th Saturday I happened to be out on the back stoop when the Scottie made his appearance, Tig was sitting next to me. She made a deep throaty low volume growl accompanied by vigorous tail twitching and she watched every move the dog made but she didn’t do anything more – and thus it remained for the last two years of the old boy’s life - a Mexican standoff between Siam and Scotland.

What a great story alco261!

One of my Tonkinese cats was with me almost 23 years; she was the smaller girl in my profile picture. Her sister only made it to 14. I had a Maine coon cat for 19 years; he was a big love. He ran into antifreeze as a young cat; so got kidney problems early. We gave him subcutaneous fluid for the next 15 years; for the first four years daily and then 4x/week. He also had the head of his femur removed because of dysplasia at 12 yr; amazingly he was up in trees again 2 months later killing squirrels. I've had several others make it into the 14-18 year range; my oldest boy currently is at least 17 (a shelter boy, who was about a year old when we got him).

>22 guido47: how is Liz doing?

Thanks >33 fuzzi:,

I rehydrated her last week and the vet has put her on 2 weeks antibiotics.
I found she quite likes kitten food but still eats too little.

She seems in good spirits so I just accept her.

Poor Max is confused when she pops up unto my knee when he's occupying it.
She just ignores him and waits till he jumps off to make herself comfy :-(
This would never have happened before.

>34 guido47: Just been reading about Lizzy. My beloved Sabre was diagnosed with kidney failure at 17. As she didn't cope with the kidney flush and rehydration we managed her through a combination of prescription cat food and drugs, although I did indulge her with her favourite foods to keep her weight up. She lived until she was past 20.

Just accepting Lizzy seems like a good plan, and I hope that she stays in good spirits for a while, am thinking of you both.

>34 guido47: why is Max confused?

Hi fuzzi, when I first got Max (ie. he decided to adopt me) he was quite young and wanted to PLAY with Lizzy. Yes, the usual Bum sniffing Male cats like. Lizzy soon scolded/dominated/discouraged him. I did fell sorry for him sometimes. After a while a truce was established. Max had to wait for Lizzy to leave the kitchen. If either cat had snagged "The Guido Lap" it was off-limits to the other cat unless evacuated. The usual Cold War Protocols.

In the Last month since she has showed her "sickness" Lizzy has broken ALL the protocols!

No snarling Paw slaps... if Max comes too near, and Lizzy even JUMPS onto Max's body...

That's why Max is confused :-)

I looked at all the thread titles and couldn't find a better one than this for this link. It is not exactly appropriate, but in the article the writer for the New York Times tells about his life with a cat for nineteen years and reflects on how that long together can make a really close relationship.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/01/a-man-and-his-cat/?_php=true&amp...;

Robert

>38 Mr.Durick:
good article

>38 Mr.Durick: thanks for posting that article

Thanks >38 Mr.Durick: ...A man who is in a room with a cat — whatever else we might say about that man — is not alone. :-)

ETA. I still have Max.

Guido, is Lizzy OK?

Lizzy 03/11/1995 - 30/07/2014

>43 guido47:
Awww...so very sorry, Guido. {{hugs}}

Sorry to hear this, Guido! May her memory always be a warm spot in your heart!

Very sorry Guido, she had a good, long life!

Oh Guido - so sorry to hear. Glad you still have Max! I feel like I knew her too.

So sorry to hear this, Guido. I know it's hard no matter how old they are when they leave you, but she had a long time to soak up your love.

Merlin (July 1996 - July 2014). Merlin was a she, named by my then-three-year-old daughter. She was a brown mackerel tabby, litter mate to Magic (July 1996 - January - 2012).

My kitty, Imsai (1981 - 1997), didn't particularly like my husband or daughter, so when daughter was 3 and asked "Mommy, why doesn't Ai-Yai love me?" we knew we had to get her a kitty. Two to keep each other company when we weren't there.

We also had Coco Chanel (June 1998 - April 2014), alpha kitty extraordinaire.

We now only have Kitty William (1999? - ), who got lost in the 2002 ice storm and found us, and Inara Starbuck (April 2007 -), shelter baby.

My husband says that he wants to be reincarnated as kitty in our house - all are well loved, well taken care of, and long lived.

Guido
There are cats in heaven..
She's having a great time while she's waiting for you and Max.

Lizzy and heaven wait,
tail chasing, cloud watching, content,
her joyous reunion .

Not quiet Haiku but i did try:)

Our most favorite and best loved cat (even by my husband who is a dog person), was B.C. B.C., a long-haired black cat was found loitering around the house for several days. "Look at the pretty black cat," said my then-9-year old daughter, her 4 year old brother, and all the neighborhood kids. "Don't feed that black cat," I said. "Don't pet that black cat," I said. "Leave that black cat alone," I said. "That black cat belongs to someone." A few days later, that black cat walked into the kitchen like she owned the place. "Huh," I said. "Guess I've got myself a black cat." Hence, the name B.C. She had already been neutered, was probably about a year old when she chose us, and was the Queen Bee, who bossed the others around (Tootie, the tom already in residence, tolerated the bossiness surprisingly well; Frankie and Gracie, littermates of a feral who lived under our shed, were completely under her paw). She was diagnosed a few years later with leukemia, given a life sentence, rallied and lived to be about 16 or 17. She had a stroke and we had to put her down Thanksgiving weekend of 2006. I cried buckets at the vet's and had to leave the room and leave it to my husband. To this day, he still admits that B.C. was a really good cat.

Frankie and Gracie were also long-lived about 15-16, and died within a year of each other. Cried at the vet's when Frankie was put down; when it was Gracie's turn, I made my husband do it. Swore there would be no more kitties, but currently have Mr. Big and Jasmine, my daughter's cats, who could not go with them when they moved to Minnesota 2 years ago. They are back in Texas, but still at our house, rather than back with her. Really much happier kitties without the toddlers terrorizing them. I think they are about 10 or so.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my story about Mocha. Mocha belonged to my dear friend Gayle who passed away at age 52 about three weeks ago from cancer. She had two pets, a 12 year old dog and a 19 year old cat, Mocha, a long haired Siamese. Her family took the dog and said they were going to take the cat to the Humane Society. Knowing he was 19 and that he might be euthanized her friends sprang into action and after a couple of weeks staying with another mutual friend, he has come to live with me. He's a very nice cat, in fairly good health although he's very thin, with a huge brush of a tail that looks like a feather duster. He's standoffish with my other cats and my one year old kitten Apollo is kind of freaked out by him, but I think things will work themselves out. He does have a habit of being in the middle of hallways and not moving for people, much to my partner Chris' annoyance... but overall he's a great cat and we think Gayle would be happy that he's being well cared for.

>52 anna_in_pdx: - very sorry for the loss of your friend, and thank you for taking in her cat. I am always sad for pets when their people are gone, and I'm glad to know he has found a good place.

>52 anna_in_pdx: So glad you have given Mocha a home, and I hope he will keep Gayle's memory fresh for you. Condolences on the loss of your friend.