This Adorable Elder Cat Has Celebrated Her 27th Birthday
Interview With Owner
Usually, we are the ones outliving our pets due to their shorter lifespan; however, that is not the case for Sweetpea.
This truly old cat was born in 1995, making her 27 years old, equivalent to an impressive 124 years in cat years. Surpassing all expectations, this elder cat might even soon reach the age of 28. While Sweetpea might not hold the record for the oldest cat recorded yet, her age is still staggering and rather unusual.
So, today we invite you to meet Sweetpea and learn her story below.
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Meet Sweetpea, a 27-year-old cat who has outlived her first owners
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Bored Panda reached out to Sweetpea’s current owner, Michelle, to learn more about her and her story. We were curious about how Sweetpea came into their lives. Michelle shared: “Sweetpea came into our lives along with her original owner Vicci who became my unofficial stepmother and moved in with my father around 2005.”
When Sweetpea lost both of her owners at the mature age of 22, it was suggested she be put down since cats usually live up to 12 – 18 years
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
We asked Michelle to share a bit more about Sweetpea’s previous owners. She wrote: “My stepmother and father, her previous owners, were quirky and characters themselves, like Sweetpea. They loved her a lot and thought she was very special. They talked about how she seemed to understand English and could sound like she was saying some words. (She didn’t have much voice left when we adopted her, so we didn’t really get to experience that.) They were elderly and in ill health for several months before they passed away within two months of each other when Sweetpea was 22. They would be happy that she has continued to thrive and that she is getting this attention. Guinness World Records actually reached out to us after seeing her story video on YouTube, but we don’t have enough of a paper trail to submit her for the World’s Oldest Living Cat record. I’m just happy to share her story with the world.”
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
However, her new family decided differently, and she now lives with two other cats who are each a decade apart
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
As it turns out, Sweetpea came along with another cat, Tutzi, as a new addition to Michelle’s family. We were wondering how her other cat accepted two newcomers. “Tutzi was adopted by Sweetpea’s original human parents/owners. So we adopted both Tutzi and Sweetpea after their human parents died. They had lived together for a little while and bonded. They have a sweet, caring relationship. We brought both Tutzi and Sweetpea into our home with our baby Fumar who was 12 and was used to being an only cat. I’ve had Fumar (Fu for short) since he was a kitten, and we were worried about bringing in not just one but two strange cats. He had a really hard time adjusting. Things were a bit more complicated too because Sweetpea and Tutzi both had ringworm, and they actually ended up having two different kinds of ringworm, so we had to keep the cats separated so they wouldn’t spread it to each other. They get along for the most part now. Fumar still gets intimidated by Sweetpea. We can’t blame him because she’s not a regular cat. It took her a while to learn to give him some space, and, to this day, she is a speedy beast when food is involved, so she’ll snatch anybody else’s treats right out from under them. She still tries to give Fumar little friendly (mostly silent) meows,” shared Michelle.
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Over Sweetpea’s lifetime, she has lived in Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Living with quirky owners, Sweetpea seems to have picked up some of their quirky traits herself. “Sweetpea is a little character. She lives up to her name. She is really sweet, the sweetest of Peas, as we like to say. She’s also really tough. She adapts to situations and her limitations as she ages, and not a lot seems to bother her. She is a happy, friendly cat and also a fighter with a lust for life. In the past year or so, she gets a bit more confused, but she still struts as quickly as she can when it’s mealtime,” shared Michelle.
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Though she lived with a smoker for most of her life, was probably not fed the best food, and was both an indoor and outdoor cat, she defied all expectations about her age
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Since Sweetpea is an elder cat, we were wondering what kind of care and attention she requires to maintain her health and well-being at such an old age. Michelle wrote: “Sweetpea requires some prescription medications, subcutaneous fluids, easily digestible food, and vet visits regularly. Due to her advanced age, she has urinary and fecal incontinence. Since diapers aren’t a possibility, we have to use puppy training pads to protect our floors, and we need to clean up a lot. She needs to be cleaned with wipes and groomed daily. We’ve had to adapt our living environment to accommodate her limited capabilities due to her arthritis and mobility issues. She’s amazing and we want her to be as comfortable as possible. If you would like to help through donations, please visit our linktr.ee/meowynuggs.”And lastly, Michelle added: “Senior cats are awesome! Now that it’s summertime in Chicago, she’s been enjoying some outside time with us.”
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
After she was rescued by Meowy Nugget Society, Sweetpea had severe arthritis, seizures, ringworm, and other parasites
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Luckily, she was treated and got back to a healthy baseline
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
No one expected her to live much longer, but Sweetpea has successfully beaten the odds
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
Image credits: meowynuggetsociety
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Genetics. You can do it all right and they won't live that old you can do it all wrong and look at Sweetpea.
Genetics. You can do it all right and they won't live that old you can do it all wrong and look at Sweetpea.
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