Lifespan of a cat is one of the first concerns that anyone who truly becomes fond of cats has.
Maybe you are a new cat parent and you want to know how long your new fur baby is going to be with you, and how you can take better care of her.
In our A2A, we received a lot of cat care related questions.
You asked us on cat’s diet guidance whether foods like bananas and chocolates are good for cats or not.
There were many other questions which I am going to cover in subsequent posts.
But one of those questions that I found quite interesting was based on lifespan of a cat.
Although this question on cat average lifespan was not asked that frequently. But I don’t decide writing posts just on the basis of number of times it is asked.
But also how relevant that question is with respect to cats.
So let’s go ahead and answer various aspects related to,
Cat Average Lifespan : What’s The Life Expectancy Of A Cat ?
If you want a short answer, a cat’s lifespan is relatively large when compared with other pets.
The average lifespan of a cat is anywhere around 15 years.
Having said that finding teenage cats more than that or sometimes even in twenties is not an uncommon sight.
However, I don’t want you to be satisfied with the short answer because I want to use this as a question to give you an insight into cat’s health.
So that you are a little bit more conscious in raising your cat.
I decided to go ahead and look into various factors such as cat’s diet, cat’s health and environment that may depict the average cat lifespan.
A Little History On Evolution Of Cats
In previous post on selecting the best scratching post for our cats, I went into how cats have evolved from wilderness to our domesticated environment.
And the process of doing that how they have carried forward certain aspects from their wild nature into our households.
As far as cat health and lifespan of a cat is concerned, it’s important to bring into light once again a cat’s evolution because it will highlight how cat body from breed to breed has evolved and from environment to environment grows to live for different years.
Just like dogs were domesticated by our forefathers for their and their cattle protection from other wild animals. Cats were brought into domestication to protect grains from rodent attack.
Eventually, humans fell in love with these weirdos and started adopting them as parents.
It’s not known in absolute terms where the true origin of cats is but they are said with sufficient evidence to originate from Eastern countries.
They gradually spread across the world and then cross and selective breeding came into light to raise cats for certain specific traits and breeds.
Primarily cross breeding happened with cats from the Mediterranean, Arabian Sea, South Asia and Western Europe.
So different breeds have different anatomical structure owing to them carrying different genetics.
So how long will a cat live will depend on what genetics she is carrying. It’s not that it is the only factor that determines lifespan of a cat.
But it is one of the most prominent factors.
Relationship Between Cat Breeds & Lifespan Of A Cat
While a lot can be predicted about lifespan of a cat looking at its breed but we need to understand that it is just a prediction.
Some cat breeds such as the Siamese cats and Burmese cats are known to have an average lifespan of around 15 to 20 years.
And then there is Manx that are recorded to have a lifespan anywhere from 8 to 12 years.
Again it all comes down to certain other factors that we are going to discuss here in a moment.
Both purebred and domestic mixed breeds have been recorded having average cat life expectancy of more than what was expected.
Nutrition And Lifespan Of A Cat
Cat derive most of their nutrition from meat. They are essentially carnivores in nature and therefore their diet must be maintained as such.
Now it may seem like a long time but in terms of evolution of cats from wilderness to domestication it is still not that long.
So this means nutrition needs to be on point with cats. You just can’t be ignorant and indifferent with your cat’s nutrition requirement or it will have a direct impact on the lifespan of a cat.
Don’t worry a lot of research has gone into dietary requirements of a cat and therefore the food option available to cat owners are more than sufficient.
Having said that there are certain things that we need to understand about cat food.
Adult cat diet should not contain carbohydrates and lactose in excess amount as they can’t digest them.
Their foods must be rich in proteins owing to there unique digestive mechanisms.
An average weighted cat needs somewhere around 20 grams of proteins every single day.
A Cat’s Ecosystem And It’s Effects
Now you may have a well domesticated indoor cat that is very accustomed to the surroundings.
Having said that, it isn’t the only ecosystem that cats are subjected to. There are our indoor cats, there are outdoor cats and there are cats that are alternately oscillate between the two.
I have three cats that come to my door every morning and evening. They come they eat and they go on their merry ways. One of them is pretty feisty but I love all three of them.
But since the outdoor cats are not a subject of the care indoor cats receive one may think that the lifespan of an outdoor cat may be cut short from the average life expectancy.
To an extent that is true, but that also depends on what are the surroundings in which the cat is existing.
Most risks to outdoor cat may involve accidents, hurt by other animals, ingestion of toxins, and infections which may contribute to lessening of their life expectancy.
Indoor cats on the other hands are subjected to regular vaccination and protection of well sheltered walls. So due to these facilities one may expect the lifespan on an indoor cat to be more than than an average outdoor cat.
Fun Trivia : Guess What Might Be The Age Of The World’s Oldest Cat ?
Since we are covering lifespan of a cat from so many different perspectives.
Why not conclude the post with a fun fact. The recorded maximum age for any cat is 38 years and 3 days.
Why Creme Puff reached such a mature age has no specific reasons and that right because as we discussed lifespan of a cat is a combination of so many factors.
And probably creme puff was the right combination of genetics, dietary habits and the ecosystem in which she existed.
In conclusion this is what I wish to say to everyone that want’s to know how long do cats live.
We don’t know. Lol :D.
Nobody knows. Yes, we can make an educated prediction around the general age a cat may have but life will continue to surprise us.
Who knows may be your house will house a new Creme Puff.
What is important is to understand that cats or any pets that you may have are our family.
And that to the best of our abilities let’s provide them the best environment that we can provide them, the things that we just discussed above and enjoy every second by being absolutely involved with them.
That’s true with family that’s true with pets and everyone that you love without worrying about what will happen in the future.
On that loving note, I take my leave.
I request you to take great care of yourselves and your cat.
And I am going to see you in the next one.
Namaskaram _/\_ :).
