Did You Know? The Oldest Cat on Record Lived to 38, in a House in Austin, Texas

Most cats live somewhere between 12 and 15 years, and a 20-year-old cat gets a birthday post from the vet. Creme Puff, a cat from Austin, Texas, made it to 38. Guinness World Records lists her as the oldest cat ever: born on August 3, 1967, she died on August 6, 2005, three days after turning 38.

The record page says little else. Her owner was Jake Perry, she lived in Austin, and the record was first published in March 2005, while she was still alive. That is the whole official file: a name, two dates, an address.

Cookie · Editor-in-chief

Thirty-eight. That is roughly 170 in cat years and about 4,000 naps. I respect the commitment.

Nora · Adoption desk

The part people leave out: Guinness records an age, not a method. Stories about what Creme Puff ate circulate everywhere, and none of them is part of the record. We are not repeating them.

What the record does and does not tell you

• Verified: the name, the two dates, the owner and the city, as published by Guinness World Records.
• Not part of the record: her diet, her routine, or any reason she lived so long. Anyone who tells you the secret is guessing.
• For scale: a cat's second decade is already a long life, and the measured averages sit well under 20. Our lifespan guide has the real numbers.

If you live with a cat in her teens, the useful question is not how to reach 38. It is what her check-ups should look like from now on, and that conversation belongs to your vet.