Feline fine at 24!

BEST of friends . . . Derrick and Winston

Is Winston Oldham’s oldest cat?

THREE-legged moggy Winston used up most of his nine lives after being hit by a car when he was only a few months old.

But the feisty feline lived to tell the tale and is now believed to be Oldham’s oldest cat after reaching the grand old age of 24.

Owner Derrick Cockcroft found the cat — named after former Prime Minister Winston Churchill — near the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1986.

He had been run over by a car and had to have his leg amputated.

The pair have since enjoyed a long and happy relationship at Derek’s home in Grampian Way in Crompton.

And although Winston is showing some signs of slowing down, he is still relatively healthy.

Derrick (62) said: “I see Winston as my guardian angel. I give him a lot of love and I get the same back. He is a bit slower on his three legs now and he sleeps a lot but he is generally very well to say that, in human terms, he is over 100-years-old.”

Derrick has picked up many stray cats at the Queen Elizabeth Hall gardens over the years and still looks after Tyson (17) and Kitty (13).

He added: “I believe Winston is the oldest cat in Oldham.

“The staff at Briar Dawn Vets in Shaw say they have never dealt with an older cat than him.

“I can’t bear to think about him dying.

“The way he is going it will be me that goes first and I have plans in place to make sure the cats are looked after if that happens.”