Cat Turns 24—and That's Not the Only Reason They're Celebrating
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
An Abyssinian cat named Felix has defied all odds by reaching the remarkable age of 24 years, despite his countless health scares, several disappearances, and fighting every animal on the block throughout his life.
A viral TikTok video shared on Thursday under the username @meowitsfelix, captured Felix, who suffers from arthritis, slowly strolling around in his backyard as he enjoys the warm spring sunshine.
"My 24-year-old cat realizing he made it to another spring (his favorite season)," the poster writes in the clip. "Sweet sunshine boy," the caption continues.
Born in 2001, Felix now spends most of his days indulging in his favorite activities, begging for food and tummy scratches while lying on his fluffy blankets. Most cats who reach this impressive age sleep for the majority of their day.
VCA Animal Hospitals explain that cats age about four times faster than humans, and they are usually considered to be "seniors" around 11 to 14 years, which is the equivalent of a human "senior" between the age of 60-72 years old.
After turning 14 years old, cats become "geriatric" and are comparable to humans around 76-100 years or more. As they grow old cats have less energy, and begin having mobility problems, they also sleep more. Senior cats can sleep as much as 20 hours in one day.
Signs that your cat is becoming a senior include a decreased sense of smell, impaired vision or hearing, muscle mass and bone mass decrease, digestion issues, immune function decline, and loss of elasticity.
They can also experience a cognitive decline and display similar symptoms of dementia, including inappropriate elimination outside the litter box, aimless wandering, staring, crying, and altered sleep-wake cycles.
A stock image shows an Abyssinian cat enjoying the sunshine in the yard.
A stock image shows an Abyssinian cat enjoying the sunshine in the yard.
getty images
The video quickly went viral on TikTok and it has so far received over 26.4 million views and 5.1 million likes on the platform.
One user, Lilcat, commented: "I did the math and your kitty is roughly 112 years old in human years. what a feat!! I hope he enjoys his spring."
Zacharyganoe said: "My cat made it to 22, got him when I was a teen. he passed in December 2023 few weeks before Christmas. it was a Wednesday he waited for me to come home from work. I'm chocking up writing this."
Thieves Saint Laurent wrote: "I think its funny how old animals have their own 'old people' walk."
Newsweek reached out to @meowitsfelix for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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