UK's 'oldest cat' turns 27-years-old

A cat from Bedford in England has just celebrated his 27th birthday, amazing his owners.

            Waddy was a "very poorly" kitten when he was chosen by owner Ann Munday from a veterinary surgery in 1986. With the vets' help, Mrs Munday said she nursed him back to health and from then "he has gone from strength to strength".

            The surgery which still treats the cat has verified his age as 27-years-old.

Record-breaking cats

            It's unusual for cats to live into their 20s.

            In 2007, a cat in Shropshire called Pussywillow, aged 26, was claimed to be the oldest in Britain, but the world record for the oldest cat ever, was set by Creme Puff who lived with her owner in Texas, USA, until her death in 2005 at the age of 38.

Match the words below to their definitions

celebrated / claimed / record / surgery / verified / veterinary

publicly acknowledged a significant or happy day or event

place where you go to ask advice or receive treatment from a doctor

proved that something exists or is true

said something was true without proving it

most extreme or remarkable example ever

connected with taking care of the health of animals 

True or false?

1.  Waddy is male cat.

2.  There has never been a cat that is older than Waddy.

3.  A cat named Shropshire lived until the age of 26.

4.  Cats don't often live past 20.

5.  Creme Puff lived in Britain.

6.  Anne Munday owned Pussywillow.

7.  The oldest cat was American.

8.  Anne Munday is married.

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

1. amazing

a) the same as worrying

b) the same as confusing

c) the same as astonishing

2. unusual

a) the same as common

b) the same as unfortunate

c) the same as rare

3. poorly

a) the same as sickly

b) the same as cheap

c) the same as bad

4. chosen

a) the same as bought

b) the same as selected

c) the same as found

KEY

celebrated             publicly acknowledged a significant or happy day or event

surgery                  place where you go to ask advice or receive treatment from a doctor

verified                  proved that something exists or is true

claimed                 said something was true without proving it

record                   most extreme or remarkable example ever

veterinary              connected with taking care of the health of animals

True or false?

1. True

2. False

3. False

4. True

5. False

6. False

7. True

8. True

Which word or phrase means the same as the one in italics?

1. astonishing

2. rare

3. sickly

4. selected