Guinness World records named Tiffany Two as its officially sanctioned Oldest Living Cat after the death of previous record holder Poppy, who passed away shortly after receiving the honored status last year. While there are a few cats whose petparents say they are as old as Tiffany Two, or older, those pet owners have not presented the irrefutable documentation Guinness requires.
Guinness Records made an official announcement naming Tiffany Two as their current recordholder for Oldest Cat Living on Friday, February 6, 2015.
U-T San Diego did a feature story on Tiffany Two Thursday to mark the venerable cat’s upcoming 27th birthday and her place in the record book. Tortie cat Tiffany is still a beautiful girl who does not look her age. She will turn 27 in March.
Sharron Voorhees, a 73 year old retired lawyer and lifelong animal lover who lives in Point Loma, California, paid $10 for Tiffany Two when she saw her in a pet store in 1988. Sharon says she felt an immediate connection with the cute tortoiseshell kitten when the little one looked up at her in the store.
The kitten reminded Sharon of a beloved pet who’d died from cancer at just a year old. Sharon had the original tortie cat Tiffany in the 1970s and and named her for “those glass lampshades of many colors” found on the antique Tiffany and Co. lamps.
The new kitten became Tiffany Two.
“Sometimes I wonder if she’s Tiffany One come back to live a second life. Two lives in one,” Sharon told U-T San Diego.
Sharon contacted Guinness after her sister saw the record held by Poppy, who was born in 1990. She filled out an online form and submitted proof of age, including photos, medical records, calendar notations, and records from her groomer, who has been seeing Tiffany Two since she was a baby.
Sharon was pleasantly surprised when Guinness records named Tiffany Two as the world’s oldest living cat. “Who wouldn’t be? I mean good gracious, you know?”
Other than a touch of arthritis, somewhat diminished eyesight and the need for daily blood pressure medication, Tiffany Two is healthy and still going strong. She shares Sharon’s home with two dogs and two more cats.
Sharon said she hadn’t given much thought to a birthday celebration for her recordholding cat, other than giving her some extras of her favorite foods, chicken and turkey.
As to her cat’s longevity, Sharon said: It’s love. “l always say it’s just that she doesn’t want to leave me.”
Photos (with the exception of the polaroid of baby Tiffany Two): Nelvin C. Cepeda / UT San Diego
About Author
