How old does a cat live? Learn how to extend your pet’s life
The life expectancy of cats varies **between 12 and 18 years. Learn which breeds live the longest, which is the oldest cat in the world and how to extend your pet’s life.
Knowing how old a cat lives is a common question among feline tutors. After all, we want our kitten to live with us for many, many years.
This information is also interesting for anyone who wants to bring longevity to their pet, as taking good care of their health and giving them a lot of affection can increase the animal’s life expectancy.
Do you want to know how many years a cat lives and how to take care of it so that it lives as long as possible in good health? See now!
How many years does a cat live
The life expectancy of cats varies between 12 and 18 years. The 15-year average is true for all breeds, including SRD cats. It is interesting to say that this forecast takes into account healthy animals, without infectious, chronic or genetic diseases, and even cats that live indoors, without access to the street.
This is because stray cats or stray cats tend to die more quickly, due to the risks of:
Getting lost and without daily care;
contracting diseases;
Run over;
Mistreatment and others.
In this case and in the case of cats with genetic diseases, life expectancy drops to 3 to 10 years.
If you are curious about how many years a cat lives, keep in mind that this number is a statistical prediction and your pet can live much more or less than that.
How old is the oldest cat in the world?
To prove to you that this expectation is just a prediction, let us tell you that the historical record for the age of a cat was 38 years and 3 days.
That’s right! The cat Crème Puff , pet of Jake Perry, from Austin, USA, entered the Guinness Book, the book of records, as the cat that lived the longest. She was born in 1967 and lived until 2005.
And the list of cats that lived over 30 years is long. There are more than 15 kittens that have reached this mark, most of which have unfortunately passed away. Today, it is still discussed which is the oldest cat in the world and which is still alive, as the English kitten Rubble, died at the age of 31 in July 2020.
How long does a neutered cat live?
The life expectancy of neutered cats is the same as that of healthy cats , around 15 years.
The big issue with castration is that it can increase the lives of some pets, as it helps prevent diseases such as breast or prostate cancer in cats.
Castration is still very important to reduce the population of animals in the streets and, therefore, to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases.
Which cat breed has the longest life expectancy?
Although controversial, experts believe that breeds such as the Burmese Cat, Siamese Cat, Persian Cat and Burmese have the highest life expectancies.
On the other hand, Ragdoll, Abyssinian and Bengal cat breeds seem to have less longevity.
At the top of the list of cats with the greatest resistance are mixed breed cats, the so-called “mutts”, which seem to live longer than purebred cats.
How to give your cat a long life? main precautions
Now we come to the most important point of this text. More relevant than the question “how many years does a cat live”, is knowing how to prolong your kitten’s life.
See the main care you should have with your pet so that it lives healthy for many years:
Install screens on windows and balconies
As we said, cats escaping to the streets can greatly reduce their life expectancy. Especially in urban centers, walking through the streets can be quite dangerous. Either because of the excess of cars, but also because of the contact with other animals that may have diseases, feces of other animals, garbage cans and others.
All of this can be contaminated and harm your pet’s health. Besides, if he runs away he might not be able to get back home. And that makes him lose all the comfort you give him at home.
Stimulate feline instincts
While it’s important for your cat to stay indoors, that doesn’t mean they should stay indoors. On the contrary, doing physical exercises, playing, jumping, climbing, “hunting” and other instincts must be maintained so that he is happier and out of sedentary lifestyle.
Cats without stimulation can become obese and develop illnesses. On the other hand, cats that have different toys, scratching posts and interaction with tutors to play can live well for longer.
give a good ration
A balanced diet is also very important for your pet’s health. Premium and super premium feeds are the most suitable, since they have all the nutrients your cat needs, in addition to easily digestible proteins.
If your cat drinks little water, it may also be interesting to replace dry food with wet food (the famous pates or sachets), which have 80% water in their composition, in addition to all the nutrients.
This helps your pet stay hydrated, which is important for immunity and preventing kidney disease, for example.