OkcPets Magazine September 2023

12 OKC Pets • September / October 2023 Y our own cats are the greatest — and perhaps the biggest, oldest, or most distinguished. But some kitties really are record breakers. Towser, a longhaired tortoiseshell, was born on April 21, 1963, and is in the Guin- ness Book of Records as the world mousing champion. She lived at Glenturret Distillery near Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, which produces Famous Grouse whiskey. Towser’s job was to kill mice, which are attracted to the grain used in distilleries. She annihi- lated an estimated 28,899 mice before her death on March 20, 1987, at almost 24 years. A bronze statue of Towser stands at the Famous Grouse Experience Visitors’ Centre at Glenturret. Creme Puff, 38, the oldest cat whose age has been verified, was a tabby mix from Austin, Texas. She was born on August 3, 1967, and died on August 6, 2005. The oldest cat now living, verified by Guinness World Records, is Flossie, 27, a United Kingdom tortoiseshell. She was born on December 29, 1995. Litty (aka Kitty), of Staffordshire, En- gland, born in June 1957, was the oldest re- corded feline mother. She had her final two kittens in May 1987 at almost 30 years old, bringing her number of babies to 218. She died in June 1989, just before turning 32. Dusty, a tabby from Texas, holds the re- cord for the most kittens. In June 1952, she had her last litter at age 18, and her total count was 420 babies. Note: These staggering statistics about Litty and Dusty illustrate the importance of neutering and spaying. Himmy, an Australian cat, reached the Guinness heavyweight record of 46 pounds 15.75 ounces before his death in 1986. Joseph, a tabby who weighed more than 48 pounds, surpassed that record. The attendant at the ladies’ lavatory at Paddington mainline railway station in London, England, adopted Tiddles, a stray six-week-old kitten, in 1970. The tabby tuxedo cat became so popular with the staff and public that he had a refrig- erator stocked with rich food that people mailed to him. By 1982, Tiddles weighed 30 pounds and was the London Fat Cat Champion. He later gained to 32 pounds and was 30 inches long. Sadly, overfeeding and inactivity caused health problems for Tiddles, necessitating euthanasia in 1983. A ginger tabby named Catmando (aka Cat Mandu), born in 1995, is probably the only feline to have held political office. He and his owner, Alan (Howling Laud) Hope, tied in an election for leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the United Kingdom in 1999 and were declared joint leaders. After Catmando’s death in a traffic accident in 2002, the party proposed cat crossings on all major roads. Possibly the most well-traveled cat was two-year-old Felix, who flew nearly 180,000 miles and visited 29 countries in the cargo hold of a Pan American jet for 29 days in December 1987 and January 1988. She was recaptured at Heathrow Airport in London and was returned to her owners in California. Smudge (c. 1970–2000), a black-and- white cat, was probably the only feline member of any labor union. She worked in rodent control at the People’s Palace in Glasgow, Scotland. Your kitties might not match these re- cords, but you can be sure they are the most loved and the best cared for. Remember — don’t overfeed them, and don’t allow them to overpopulate! FOCUS ON FELINES Towser (1963–1987), of the Glenturret Distillery staff in Scotland, holds the record for world champion mouser, with a tally of 28,899. A statue at the distillery honors her achievements. Photo courtesy of Scotchwhisky.com. For the Record Champion Cats Hold World Titles by Rowena Mills