The longest-living cat ever verified was Creme Puff, a mixed tabby domestic cat who lived for 38 years and 3 days. Flossie, a cat born in 1995, is the current verified oldest living cat at 28 years old (as of June 2024).
My cat is roughly 13 but I'm just lying to myself and saying she's immortal! She's been literally my only company for over a decade so when the inevitable happens it's definitely not going to be a fun time...
Sometimes I remember that my cats won't be with me forever and I cry and cry and wipe my snotty face in their fur and yet they still love me. I've long decided a long time ago that I'm saving one of my cats ashes to mix with mine so we can be together again after I die. She's my soulmate.
It literally isn't. Jim Davis created it specifically to be predictable and safe, appealing to as wide an audience as possible. I don't fault him for it - it was a very successful tactic, and I liked it as a kid. But creative or groundbreaking art it ain't.
That said, it did spawn Garfield: His 9 Lives, which was anything but predicable and safe.