Britain's oldest cat turns 24

Quentin Shaw, 49, who has owned her since 1987, said the cat has even outlived three of her own litters along the way, The Sun reported.

"I've had her since she was just a few weeks old. I was 25 when I got her and her brother and it feels like 100 years ago. She had a black spot on her head and her brother had a brown spot, so we called them Black and Tan," Quentin said.

"She doesn't hunt any more, she can't see in the dark and if you try to brush her she usually falls over, but she's very determined and still going strong."

Her brother Tan was killed aged five when he was hit by a car, but Blackie has battled on to reach a mammoth age.

"I took her to the vets a couple of weeks ago and they told me she was the oldest cat they had ever seen. She's had three litters and I think she's probably outlived all her offspring," Quentin said.

Blackie lives with Quentin, his fiancee Kim and her children, Scarlet and Tom, both 11. The couple are now registering Blackie with the Guinness Book of Records.

"There is no current holder of Britain's oldest cat, so we will be very interested to hear from Blackie and his owners," a Guinness spokesman said.

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