La La likes the outdoor life. He’s already spent far too much time in the sun (skin cancer on the ears)

This is a nasty business for La La and for all white cats.

White cats suffer from sunburn especially in the ears, because the fur is thinner in the ears. Sunburn is bad enough but here in Melbourne, skin cancer is a common and constant danger.

People can put some sunscreen on their cat, but it’s better to keep the cat indoors when the sun is at its most punishing. And that’s a good 4 months of the year in Melbourne. Winter sun can easily give you cancer too, we have that hole in the ozone layer.

White cats usually have blue eyes or odd coloured eyes. They’re also prone to hearing problems or deafness and the side that has the blue eye is usually the side that has the problem.

La La is a friendly old chap despite his troubles. You can find him most days down at the Ecocentre in St Kilda, greeting visitors and generally making himself useful.

Tiger is a sprightly 18 year old, adopted from a shelter in Oklahoma when he was a few weeks old.

He stays on top of the latest trends by hanging out with his anipal, Murphy, who is three years old.

That’s the secret to staying young, have younger friends!

Amber was a fully grown stray when she took up residence with Diane Sleeman in 1978 and it’s thought that the frisky feline is now approaching 30. This would make her almost five years older than the current record holder.

Researchers from the Guinness World Records say they need more evidence to consider Amber’s claim.