10 Longest-Living Pets Ever Documented

Most pet lovers hope for their furry friends to live as long as possible so that they can spend many happy years together. Sometimes, a family gets extra lucky and a pet lives for much longer than expected!

So, just how old have the longest-living pets gotten? Today we’ll take a look at 10 of the longest-living pets and rank them according to how many years they stayed alive. We’ll also learn some fun facts about each one and their background!

10. Snowball

  Source: leicestermercury.co.uk

Many Guinea Pigs are limited to lifespans of four or five years but can live for up to eight years on average with careful care. That means that Snowball lived to nearly double the average maximum life expectancy for Guinea Pigs at almost 15 years. Snowball must have had an abundant life to reach the age that he did before passing on in 1979!

Did you know? 

Guinea Pigs tend to live longer when housed with another Guinea Pig as a companion.

9. Radar

  Source: facebook.com

Radar was unusually well-traveled for a pet Chinchilla since he was born in Germany and moved to the United States with his owner, Christina! Misinformation is common, and people who adopt Chinchillas should be aware that they have different requirements from those of hamsters or pet mice. Christina must have done her homework, because Radar reached the ripe old age of 29 years and 229 days before he finally passed away in 2014!

Did you know? 

The lifespan of the Degu, which is the Chinchilla’s closest relative, only averages at around five to eight years.

8. Bluey

  Source: imgur.com

Bluey the Australian Cattle Dog was adopted in 1910 and had a fulfilling 20-year canine career working as a herding dog! Most dogs tend to reach a maximum lifespan of around 15 years, and those who surpass the average are usually tiny breeds. However, Australian Cattle Dogs were found to average at a lifespan one year longer than other breeds in their same weight class. That taken under consideration, Bluey’s age was still beyond impressive!

Did you know? 

Bluey worked with both cattle and sheep during his herding days.

7. Methuselah

  Source: wikimedia.org

Methuselah, a white collared dove, was born in 1975 and, true to his name, surpassed everyone’s expectations for his lifespan. He was first documented in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Oldest Caged Dove in September of 2003, and was examined again in 2004. In the wild, collared doves usually only live for around three years, with 17 being the most impressive record.

Did you know? 

This dove’s Biblical namesake, Noah’s grandfather, was said to live to 969 years of age.

6. Creme Puff

  Source: wikimedia.org

Creme Puff was verified by the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-living cat. Her owner, Jake, also owned Grandpa, another cat with an astonishing lifespan of 34 years and 2 months! Several people have speculated on what Jake must be doing right to have such long-lived pets, and often wonder if it isn’t a matter of diet: He feeds his cats odd foods, including asparagus, turkey bacon, and eggs.

Did you know? 

Jake used to give Creme Puff and Grandpa a small syringe of red wine every two days.

5. Goldie

  Source: goldfische.kaltwasseraquaristik.de

The Evans family won Goldie at a fair in 1960, and he actually wound up outliving Pauline’s parents! She inherited Goldie when they passed away and his fame skyrocketed when the former oldest goldfish, Tish, died as well. Goldie’s fame earned him a nice sum of money from his TV appearances, and the Evans family used it to get a fish tank for the Vranch House School and Centre so that the disabled children could appreciate aquatic life too.

Did you know? 

The Evans family said that their home felt empty without Goldie, but had no plans to get a new fish.

4. Old Billy

  Source: alchetron.com

Born in 1760, Old Billy is still famous as the longest-lived horse ever documented! The average lifespan for a horse falls between 25 and 30 years, making Old Billy’s lifespan more than twice as long as expected! Old Billy worked as a barge horse, using his great strength to pull barges up and down his canal route for Mersey and Irwell Navigation.

Did you know? 

When Old Billy passed away, his skull was put on display at the Manchester Museum.

3. Gregoire

  Source: wikimedia.org

Gregoire spent more than 40 years of his life in a bare, solitary cage at the Brazzaville Zoo, which has distressingly low animal rights ratings. However, he was rescued during a civil war and transported to much healthier, happier conditions. He formed a pair bond with another chimp named Clara, and was known for his bright and childlike personality.

Did you know? 

Gregoire lived out his golden years in Jane Goodall’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center before passing on in 2008.

2. Charlie

  Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Peter Oram originally bought Charlie for his pet shop in 1965, but was soon compelled to personally adopt her because her frequent swearing was driving away customers! Charlie’s profanity came with a strong political message as well, in the form of colorful speeches against Hitler and the Nazis. Charlie spent most of her time at Mr. Oram’s Reigate garden centre after her adoption.

Did you know? 

Charlie was said to have originally belonged to Winston Churchill, but his daughter refuted this claim.

1. Adwaita

  Source: dashofchillum.wordpress.com

Adwaita was the longest-living tortoise pet ever documented. He belonged to Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, and outlived all the other tortoises in his garden. In fact, he also outlived his owner and lived out the rest of his days in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata! Adwaita fell ill for a few days and was then cremated after his passing.

Did you know? 

The name Adwaita means “the one and only” in the local Bengali dialect.