Sisters is home to oldest living cat

Corduroy, a 26-year-old cat, born on August 1, 1989, has spent most of his life roaming the countryside of Sisters. On Thursday, August 13, he was declared the oldest living cat in the world by Guinness World Records.

Sisters Country offers plenty of space for a cat to roam - and so does the 160-acre ranch where Corduroy and his pet parent Ashley Reed Okura grew up.

Okura was 6 years old when she and her 5-year-old brother, Ryan Reed, picked out kittens from a litter. She named her kitten Corduroy, after her favorite children's book, and he named his Batman.

According to Wikipedia, the average life expectancy of a house cat is 12 to 15 years. Batman lived to the ripe old age of 19 and Corduroy just keeps on purring.

"Ryan and I both wanted kittens after watching "Lady and the Tramp,' but since there weren't any available Siamese, my mom found another litter where we both picked out kittens," said Okura. "My sister, Brittany, was only 1 at the time."

Guinness World Records doesn't fool around when it comes to having the right documentation to prove the true age of the world's oldest living cat. It takes a vast amount of documentary evidence to ensure that the age is recorded accurately.

"It took a lot of documents to prove Corduroy's age but luckily, I had veterinary records from his first checkup and photos of us growing up together," Okura told The Nugget.

Corduroy claimed the title after previous record-holder, Tiffany Two, passed away. Tiffany Two lived to be 27 years, two months and 20 days.

"Corduroy is laid back, very charming and friendly. He loves all the extra attention he's been getting lately," Okura said.

Okura moved around a lot after graduating from Sisters High School in 2000, but tried to keep Corduroy with her at all times.

"He lived with me in Portland when I attended the Art Institute of Portland. I graduated with a degree in interior design," she recalled.

Corduroy travels pretty well and he loves to fly. He even has a pet-approved airline carrier when he accompanies Okura on a plane.

The handsome feline has always been an outdoor cat during the day, but kept indoors at night because of coyotes and other predators.

"I believe that part of Corduroy's success for his longevity is allowing him to be a cat with his natural instincts. He loves being outdoors on 160 acres, it's his territory, it gives him enough exercise and then there's that extra protein from hunting critters," said Okura. "Mice are his favorite."

Growing up, Corduroy's normal diet wasn't anything special.

"For the last four years he's been on a special prescription diet for renal health to make sure his kidneys keep up their function," Okura said. "And for the past few years I've gotten his bloodwork done to make sure his levels are balanced."

Corduroy gets regular checkups with Dr. Carl Berg at Sisters Veterinary Clinic.

Last November Okura got married. She met her husband, Aaron, during a seminar in California four years ago.

"Aaron lives in Salt Lake City and now Corduroy and I live there part of the time as well, but we will all be moving to the ranch in Sisters full-time in the near future," Okura said.

The Sisters ranch remained in the family after her parents, Bill and Jan Reed, died in an airplane crash 10 years ago.

"Corduroy has been through all of my life's major events, and I feel blessed he is still healthy and enjoying life. We hope to continue to give him a good life for years to come," said Okura.

Move over, Grumpy Cat, because Corduroy has his own Facebook page under Corduroy Reed and you can also follow him on Instagram @oldestlivingcat.