The World’s Oldest Cat Is 24 and Eats KFC

The average cat lives just a dozen or so years, and Poppy, a tortoiseshell cat in England, is twice that old. The cat was just named the world’s oldest feline at the ripe old age of 24.

What happens when you live double your species’ lifespan? Well, Poppy is blind and deaf, but she’s still pretty active, says her adoptive mother Marguerite Corner. And what’s her secret? “I guess she has a good diet and lots of exercise,” Corner says. But every diet needs some treats: “We sometimes give her a bit of KFC chicken, fish and chips and even the odd bit of kebab meat.”

Another key to longevity is not letting anyone mess with your turf. “Poppy is definitely the top cat and she is still quite feisty,” says Corner’s daughter Jacqui. “If one of the other cats tries to eat her food she will bite them on the ear.”