PEPPER the pussycat from Weymouth is “feline fine” after it was revealed she is within a whisker of being named the world’s oldest cat.

The cat’s owners, Anne and Malcolm Bosomworth, say their cat Pepper celebrated her 22nd birthday at the start of June, which could see the cat crowned as the oldest feline in the world after the previous world record holder, Poppy, from Bourne-mouth, died at the start of the month.

A spokesman for the Guinness World Records has confirmed they are investigating who is currently the world’s oldest cat.

To back up the family’s claims, they still have the vaccination record of Pepper when she had her first vaccinations in September 1992 at Fielding and Cumber Veterinary Surgery, with the age given as 13 weeks, which would put her birthday at June 9, 1992.

Animal experts agree that the first two years of a cat’s life are equal to 25 human years, and after the first two years, every three months is said to be a year. This means that Pepper would be 105 years old in human years.

Anne Bosomworth said: “A day in the life of Pepper is she wakes up between 5.30am and 6am and then waits at the bottom of the stairs for us all to wake.

“As you’re walking down the stairs, she meows but it sounds like she is saying hello.

“She’ll then hover around until you feed her, and after her breakfast she usually has a bit of a walk around the house before going to her special little place to sunbathe for the rest of the day.

“She used to go outside a lot and always used to bring mice in, but she doesn’t go out as much now, all she does is sleep and eat. She is a lovely cat and is very affectionate.”

Pepper is a year older than Mr and Mrs Bosomworth’s youngest sons, twins Matthew and Kieran who are 21, and she has been an integral part of the life of Kate, 35, Jennifer, 31, and Andrew, 30, Mr Bosomworth’s children from a previous relationship.

But beneath the calm exterior, Pepper is not as laid back as it seems.

She currently rules the roost at the Bosomworth’s, keeping in check a German Shepherd called Xena and a Collie called Merlin, even occasionally stealing their food.

Mrs Bosomworth added: “She is not on any special diet, she might eat some of the dog’s food every now and then, possibly a bit of chicken but she is just a normal cat.

“She’s definitely not scared of the dogs, if anything they are a bit scared of her.”

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: “We are yet to identify who the next oldest living cat is after Poppy’s passing and are currently exploring potential candidates.”

  • The former world record holder was Poppy, from Bournemouth, owned by Jacqui and Andy West. She was named as the oldest cat in May at the ripe old age of 24. Poppy died on June 6.

The world’s oldest ever cat was Creme Puff, a female cat who lived in Texas, USA. She was 38 when she died.

  • Pepper has lived through four British Prime Ministers and four Presidents of the USA.

She was alive when the modern European Union was created in 1993 following the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, and also saw the creation of the modern football Premier League.

The moggy has seen England lose four penalty shoot-outs in major competitions, and she is also six years older than Google, nine years older than Wikipedia and 10 years older than Facebook.