Many of the world’s oldest living people are Japanese. Whether it’s down to a healthy diet, good healthcare, or simply the support of friends and family, we can’t say for sure, but all those things certainly help. And now it turns out that even Japan’s kitties are living long lives—Japan’s oldest cat, Ai-chan, has recently celebrated her 27th birthday, and she did it in style!
As a lifelong cat owner, I’ve been lucky enough that three of my beloved feline friends have made it to the big 2-0. But it’s still a really sad fact of life that our treasured pets have much shorter lives than we do. All we can do is hope for as much time together as possible and that they’re happy, but Ai’s owners must be delighted that their puss is now pushing 30!
Ai’s owner posted a tweet in celebration of her birthday, stating that Ai was born in Showa 63 (1988) on September 15. And it appears Ai-chan’s had a happy and healthy life, as their owner also reports that she’s never suffered with any major illnesses or injuries.
[あいちゃんのお誕生日]
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 14, 2015
あいちゃんは昭和63年9月15日生まれです
今日で満27歳になりました。
これまで大きな病気や怪我もなく今日無事に
27回目のお誕生日を迎える事が出来ました。
皆さんありがとうございます。 pic.twitter.com/sphjsgg2Hz
So let’s take a look at what life is like for 27-year-old Ai, and perhaps we can get some clues as to how she’s managed to reach such a positively ancient age!
Since loneliness is said to be detrimental to a long life, we’re not surprised to see that Ai has a little doggy pal, Char-kun, to keep her company at all times.
昨夜はあいちゃんご挨拶の後は
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 20, 2015
二人こうなったようです(✿ฺ◕ฺ‿◕ฺ)ウフッ♥https://t.co/3NfxhNUpcb pic.twitter.com/D2FGO7S0V2
Char-kun and Ai-chan are long-time cuddle buddies!
パパの代わりにわたちたちがご挨拶します
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 20, 2015
あいちゃんはちゃーくんがお出かけで
とっても寂しかったけど帰ってきてくれて
ホッとしました。今夜は孫ちゃんたちが
泊まっているのでパパは明日も忙しそうです。
あいとちゃーが代わりにおやすみなさい pic.twitter.com/UGxJvHB7al
Plenty of strokes also help to keep cats feeling safe and loved.
[朝のあいちゃん]
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 23, 2015
今日もパパのお膝のところでくつろぎ中~
朝ごはんを完食し体調は良さそうです。 pic.twitter.com/pvWUuGcPNL
Ai also gets lots of shut-eye, since napping is basically essential to feline health and happiness.
[朝のあいちゃん]
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 9, 2015
パパ~はずかちぃ~~~!!!
写さないでฅ(´・ω・`)ฅ -ニャー pic.twitter.com/4ogbDO8GyS
In fact, since cats sleep around two-thirds of their lives away, doesn’t that mean that Ai-chan’s really only around nine years old? That’s positively sprightly!
[あいちゃんからのお礼]
— ちゃーパパ (@charkun9) September 15, 2015
あいですฅ^•ω•^ฅニャー
今日はみなしゃんありがとう
わたちねo(*º▽º*)oこんなに嬉しい
お誕生日は初めてだよ嬉しかったฅ^•ω•^ฅニャー
また明日から頑張るから宜しくね
パパこれでいいかい? pic.twitter.com/J2Iukugxeh
The oldest cat who ever lived was Creme Puff, who passed at the positively ancient age of 38 years. Ai still has a way to go before she hits that number, but we reckon she’s done well to get this far. The current Guinness World Record-holding oldest cat alive, however, is Corduroy who only just turned 26, so doesn’t this make Japan’s Ai-chan the oldest kitty in the world?
Source: Hamusoku
Main Image: Twitter/@charkun9
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