swns.comJust weeks after being officially named the world's oldest living cat by Guinness World Records at the age of 24, Poppy the kitty has gone to the great, big cardboard box in the sky. It used to be a fancy, expensive cat bed in the sky, but then the cat god discovered that all the angel kitties were only interested in the box it came in.
Also dibs on Cat God for our children's novel!
Poppy was born in Bournemouth, England, in 1990 and was with the West family since 1995. She's lived through five British prime ministers, the rise and fall of boy bands, the birth of the Internet and is survived by four other cats, a hamster, a rabbit and her adoptive mother's two sons.
"We knew she was old but it's still very upsetting," owner Jacqui West told the Daily Express "We knew it was going to happen but we're all still completely devastated. It's only just starting to sink in. It's great she managed to get the World Record before hand; it's almost like she was purposely hanging in there because the process took months."
She added: "We've buried her in the garden now, alongside all of the other pets we've had that have passed away."
Coincidentally, Poppy passed just two days before the world's oldest man, Alexander Imich, died at 111 years old.
At the time of her being recognized as the oldest living cat, Poppy was described by Jacqui as "the top cat" of the house and "still quite feisty." As for the secret to her longevity, her owner simply guessed it came down to "a good diet and lots of exercise."
R.I.P., Poppy. May your cat heaven be full of catnip, red lasers to chase and infinite cat trees to climb on.
P.S. June is Adopt-a-Cat month, so if you're looking for an adorable kitty, check out PetFinder to rescue your next best friend!