Could this cat become a record breaker?

2 March 2011, 06:00 | Updated: 8 March 2011, 12:39

Over the last two weeks Smokey the 12 year old British shorthair cat has become an international sensation.

Not only has her owner Ruth Adams been interviewed by Heart, but media in Australia, American and Canada want a piece of her and Smokey the cat.

And it’s all because of Smokey’s purr

Smokey’s purr has been incredibly loud ever since The Adams family, from Pitsford near Northampton, rescued her three years ago.

Ruth Adams has been telling Heart:

“We’ve had a decibel reading and they’ve given a comparable rating to a hairdryer or a lawnmower. The one people seem to like the best is the Boeing 747 coming into land a mile away.

“We’re sort of immune to it now because it’s a constant noise in the back ground. But it’s annoying when we’re watching films and it gets in the way but most of the time we don’t notice it.”

The next step for Smokey is to see if her purr can put her in the Guinness Book of World records.

Ruth’s told Heart they’ve already applied to see if Smokey can become a record breaker:

“We have applied with the Guinness Book of World Records. The decibel rating they are looking for is 75 decibels. We’ve measure Smokey between 80 and 92 decibels but there’s a lot of paper work to be done before they award the certificate.”

A spokesperson for Gunness World Record has confirmed to Heart that the owners Smokey the Cat has made an application on her behalf for the record of the loudest purr.

The minimum to set a new Guinness World Record is 75 decibels.

Smokey is now an ambassador of the Northampton Branch of the Cats Protection League to help them spread their message about re-homing and neutering cats.

The family have two other cats - none as are loud as Smokey.