Meet Nutmeg - the world's oldest cat at 31

Meet Nutmeg - thought to be the world's oldest cat at 31.

Nutmeg is still going strong after bouncing back from a serious illness that nearly robbed him of one of his nine lives.

The moggy marvel underwent lifesaving treatment at Westway Veterinary Centre in Newcastle after suffering a stroke.

Nearly a year later, he is still going strong and not showing any signs of slowing down.

Nutmeg is owned by Blaydon couple Liz and Ian Finlay, who say they adopted the former stray 26 years ago when he arrived unexpectedly in their garden.

But the Finlay family feared they were about to lose him when suffered a seizure last September and was taken to Westway’s main veterinaryhospital on West Road in Newcastle, where he was treated by vet Laura Gillis.

Laura said: "His temperature was too low to read on our thermometers. Serious discussions were held with Mr and Mrs Finlay, who decided to give Nutmeg a chance.“It was just as well they did, as he is still going strong all these months later.”

Nutmeg was in a bad way when arrived at the Finlay home in 1990 suffering from an abscess on his neck.

Liz and Ian managed to coax him into their home with food, before taking him to Cats Protection, who estimated he was five.The previous record for the world's oldest cat was Siamese cat Scooter who died just aged 30 weeks after being named a record-breaker by Guinness Book of World Records.