Fact Check: Is Nutmeg, the world's oldest cat, still alive?

Fact Check

The claim is false.

NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found many articles published in 2017 that said the world's oldest cat Nutmeg died at 32.

A Daily Mail report from 4 September 2017 said that a cat thought to be the world's oldest died at the age of 32 - or 144 in human years. Nutmeg was taken to Westway Veterinary Group in Newcastle upon Tyne with breathing difficulties, but vets were unable to save him after he suffered heart failure.

Another report by people.com had also published an article on 20 September 2017 titled "R.I.P. Nutmeg: World's Oldest Cat Dies at 32 (That's 144 in Feline Years)".

The report had stated that the Finlays, who have no human children, considered Nutmeg their son. They said they had no plans to get another cat, as the heartbreak of losing one again was just too much. The report had also shared a post by Westway Veterinary Group.

On 9 March 2018, Daily Mail had shared a video on its YouTube channel. According to the description of the video, "Nutmeg was taken to Westway Veterinary Group in Newcastle upon Tyne with breathing difficulties, but vets were unable to save him after he suffered heart failure. His heartbroken owners Liz and Ian Finlay, from Blaydon, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, say the death of their beloved pet has left a massive hole in their lives."

The couple adopted Nutmeg after finding him in their garden in 1990. They took him to Cats Protection, where vets told them he was at least five, making him 32 when he died.

Nutmeg passed away in September 2017 at the age of 32. The posts that are currently being shared are old. Hence, the claim is false.