As a kitten he was dumped in a skip ... now Edmund, 24, could be oldest cat in the UK

EDMUND the black and white cat may be 24 years old – that's 120 in cat years – but he is "feline" fine on a daily diet of fish and love.

The veteran moggy, who survived being the runt of the litter and dumped in a skip at two days old, is celebrating his 24th birthday today.

He belongs to the Buxton family from Borrowash – and they are wondering if Edmund is one of the oldest cats in the country.

Henry Buxton, who at 12 is just half Edmund's age, is very proud of his cat.

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He said: "My mum has had Edmund since he was tiny and weighed just 2oz.

"She worked as a foster carer for the RSPCA, which had found Edmund in the skip with the mother cat and two other kittens.

"My mum took them straight home and managed to rehouse the mum and the two kittens but kept the smallest who she called Edmund – and the name stuck."

Henry, who is a pupil at Trent College, Long Eaton, says his friends are impressed by Edmund's age.

He said: "I have a friend with a 15-year-old cat and he loves to come and see Edmund. Between us we have been trying to find out about what age the oldest cat in Britain is and wondered if it could be Edmund."

Edmund is less active than he used to be, according to Henry, and he is now quite deaf.

He said: "He spends quite a lot of time sleeping and sometimes he can be ill, but overall he does very well.

"He gave us a scare a couple of months ago when he seemed very listless one morning, but soon perked up after a visit to the vet's.

"Staff there say they haven't got an older cat on their lists. We give him plenty of love. He enjoys fish every day and will only eat expensive varieties of cat food."

A spokeswoman for Guinness World Records said there was no official record for the UK's oldest cat, but the world's oldest feline lived to the age of 38.

The spokeswoman said: "The oldest cat ever is Creme Puff, who was born on August 3, 1967, and lived until August 6, 2005 – an amazing 38 years and three days. Creme Puff lived with her owner, Jake Perry, in Austin, Texas, USA."

Animal experts in Derbyshire say Edmund is one of the oldest cats they have heard of.

Vet Stuart Campbell, of Ashfield House Veterinary Surgery in Long Eaton, who treats Edmund, said: "It is rare but we do see cats in their 20s. Edmund is generally in pretty good health for his age, too."

Helen Wood, manager of Derby Cats Protection, said: "I couldn't say whether Edmund is the oldest cat in Derbyshire but 24 is a very good age. His owners should be very proud."