Rescued Kizzy laps up life at grand age

FELINE FIT . . . 20-year-old Kizzy with owner Kathleen Butterworth and Kathleen’s grandsons Benjamin Oddie (left) and Luke Lancaster.

Pet cat is feline great at 20

WHEN little black kitten Kizzy was found thin and starving in a cardboard box by children on a school playing field her future looked bleak.

But 20 years on, and after a life in the lap of luxury, the story couldn’t have been more different for what is thought to be one of Oldham’s oldest cats.

Owner Kathleen Butterworth, of Grasscroft, said: “My daughter was eight at the time and wanted a kitten, but what we got wasn’t the little ball of fluff you would expect.

“Her fur was flat, her ears didn’t fit her, she had mites and she was really thin, but she became part of the family from the beginning.”

The grandmother of seven says that the much-loved companion, who was the only surviving kitten from the five found, has become, without doubt, a posh pet.

“The cat flap is as though it’s a bit below her and she will always wait to use the door.

“When the grandchildren were young it was like she was a dog and if they were crying she would come and get you to see if they were ok.”

Kizzy, who celebrates her landmark 21st birthday in November, recovered from her tough start in life to have her own litter, one of which the family kept until it died two years ago at the age of 16.

“She was a great mum and always bathed her kittens. When she was finished she would give them a bat on the head every time.

“She is very special to us, part of the family and it will be a very sad day when we don’t have her around. She really is a lovely pet.”

However, the fit feline, who now sports a sleek black coat, could still have a long life still ahead of her.

The world’s oldest cat, Creme Puff, was born in Texas in 1967 and died at the age of 38 in 2005.