When I was in my 20s, I adopted an adorable, year-old brown and black tabby named Fergie. She was the first cat I'd owned as an adult, and I remember thinking, as she took her first exploratory tour of my apartment, that there was a good chance I'd still have her when I hit 40. At the time, 40 seemed like a long way off, but now it's just a few years away and Fergie is 12. She's definitely a senior - a veterinarian I talked to for this story told me the average life expectancy for indoor cats is 15 - but I learned from last year's Oldest Living Cat Contest that she has a chance of surpassing that milestone by many, many years.
Of the 161 contest entries for 2007, 29 cats were in their 20s, and two were 30 or older. I talked with a few of their owners and veterinarians to try to uncover the longevity secrets of last year's oldest cat winners.
**Get the August 2008 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article.**