IT was March 24, 1988.

Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, Kylie Minogue was top of the charts singing I Should Be So Lucky – and Mollie the cat was born.

Twenty-one years on the tabby is still going strong, having just turned 100 in cat years. So is she the oldest cat in town?

Owner Pauleen Fowler, from Crosland Hill, said: “She’s still quite active and she’s in good health. The only time I take her to the vet is for her annual vaccinations.”

Pauleen got Mollie from an animal sanctuary near Bury six years ago. But she only found out in the past few months just how old her pet is.

Pauleen said: “The people at the sanctuary thought Mollie was about 11 when I took her, so I thought she was about 17 this year.

“But then I found Mollie’s first vaccination certificate from when she was six months old. It said she was born on March 24, 1988. I was shocked to find out she was coming up to 21.”

Pauleen, who lives at Quarry Hill, believes Mollie’s diet could be the key to her longevity. She said: “Mollie enjoys human food, I wonder if that’s the reason she’s lived so long.

“She likes to eat my quorn and vegetarian sausages and she’ll eat curry and chips if she gets a chance. I also gave her a bit of her birthday cake.”

And Mollie makes sure Pauleen’s five other cats understand who’s in charge.

Pauleen said: “As far as Mollie’s concerned, she’s the queen of the house.

“Her age doesn’t stop her swiping the other cats round the ear when she thinks it’s necessary.”

Domestic cats tend to live between 12 and 16 years.

The first two years of a cat’s life are equivalent to the first 25 years of a human life. Each human year after that equals four cat years – meaning Mollie is 101 years old.

Britain’s oldest moggy is believed to be Cornish cat Mischief, who turned 27 in December.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest cat ever was Texan moggy Creme Puff, who died on August 6, 2005 – just three days after her 38th birthday.

Do you have a cat that’s older than Mollie? Contact us on 01484 437711.