Nutmeg suffered heart failure at the age of 32 (Picture: North News)

The world’s oldest cat has died at the age of 32 after dying as a result of heart failure.

When Nutmeg the Tabby was born, Margaret Thatcher was still on the throne and the Queen was just 30 years into her reign.

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When he first came to the nation’s attention as being a challenger to the mantle of oldest cat in the world he had three teeth, no longer ventured outside, but was still going strong.

His owners Liz and Ian Finlay, who cared for him for 27 years, said that the secret to their cat’s long life was to spoil him rotten with treats such as tuna, cream and hot roast chicken.




His health took a turn for the worst a few weeks before his death on August 29. Liz and Ian admit they have been left ‘absolutely heartbroken’ by his death.

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Liz and Ian Finlay had spent 27 years living with Nutmeg before he died (Picture: North News)

Retired baker Ian, 67, said: ‘We both feel like our hearts have been ripped out. He was our little boy. ‘He went downhill so quickly it was unbelievable.

‘He suffered from a bad tooth and he had rasping breath. We knew that when we went to the vets that he wouldn’t be coming home. It was an unspoken solace.

‘We won’t be getting another cat because we don’t think that we will be able to go through this heartbreak again.’

Liz and Ian were introduced to Nutmeg in 1990 by their other cat Spice, who died in the early 2000s.

Spice kept coming into the house with Nutmeg, who they realised was a stray. The couple, who don’t have children, decided to adopt the tabby as their own.

RIP Nutmeg (Picture: North News)

When they took Nutmeg to the vet they were told that the cat was around five-years-old, which makes him 32 this year.

Nutmeg has accompanied Ian and shop worker Liz on their journey through life as they have celebrated landmark wedding anniversaries, moved house and mourned loved ones.

They had no idea they were the owners of the world’s oldest cat until Ian got speaking to a vet from the Westway Veterinary Centre in a supermarket.

Ian said: ‘Obviously he had such a long and good life – we spoilt him rotten. I would have loved a little more time with him, but that is just being selfish.

‘He just reached a certain age and just knew it was his time to go. He started to get really thin and just gave up. He is probably up there now causing mischief.’

Scooter, a Siamese from Mansfield, Texas, had been named as a record breaker at the age of 30 by the Guinness Book of World Records but he passed away in May.

The average lifespan of a cat is just 15, which means Nutmeg has surpassed his life expectancy by over 100 per cent.