At 25 years old Phoebe really is the cat’s whiskers

Nine lives is a good innings in anyone’s language. But this furry feline is set to break a world record after pussy-footing her way to within a whisker of the quarter of a century mark.

Snow-white kitty Phoebe is poised to be crowned the world’s oldest living cat when she turns 25 in August — the equivalent of 117 human years.

And her longevity is all the more remarkable given that she wasn’t expected to live more than a few weeks when she was adopted as a sickly seven-week-old kitten by her proud owner, Caroline O’Riordan, in Brighton in 1989.

Caroline, who now lives in Passage West, Co Cork, with her partner, Sean, said they have already had verbal confirmation from the people at the Guinness Book of Records that Phoebe is the world’s oldest living cat.

“We contacted the Guinness Book of Records more out of curiosity than anything else,” Caroline said.

“They told us that the oldest living cat they have on file at the moment is 22-and-a-half-years old. I think he’s living in Berkshire.

“They have sent us the forms to fill out and we plan to submit those with her birth certificate over the coming days.

“Then it’s just a case of getting it rubber-stamped and made official.”

But the couple are taking the milestone in their stride.

“It’s more exciting for everybody else really,” Caroline said.

“She’s just my cat, and I can see her getting older so we’re not paying much heed to the record. There will be no major celebrations. It will be just like every other day.”

Phoebe, and her brother, Paddy, were adopted by Caroline, to cure her fear of cats.

Phoebe was wasn’t eating, could barely stand, and wasn’t expected to live more than three weeks.

But thanks to tender, loving care, she thrived. She was neutered and never had kittens.

And while Paddy made it to 17, Phoebe outlived him and is about to become the world’s oldest living cat.

“She had no special diet really. I never over-fed her and never gave her scraps,” Caroline said.

“And she spends 80% of her time indoors. I think that was important because she wasn’t exposed to hazards like cat-fights and traffic accidents that other cats would face.”

Phoebe now spends most of her time looking for the warmest place in Caroline and Sean’s house — usually cuddled up in Caroline’s lap.

“She’s in fairly good health now. But she is old and her mobility isn’t what it used to be,” Caroline said.

“But she has been a wonderful pet and companion. She’s more a member of the family now. I think the secret with any animal is to just keep them company, happy and content. And I won’t be replacing her.”

The oldest cat ever is Creme Puff, born on August 3, 1967 and lived until August 6, 2005 — an incredible 38 years and three days.

Creme Puff lived with her owner, Jake Perry, in Austin, Texas, US, who fed her coffee every morning along with bacon, eggs and broccoli.