A study using Vets Now data found that autumn is the worst season for cat road traffic accidents , with young, male and crossbred cats most at risk. Some of the most common causes of death in cats in the UK include trauma particularly road traffic accidents , kidney disease and cancer. Cats are great at hiding illness so owners should pay attention to any changes in behaviour.
Changes such as moving around less, difficulty jumping as high and weight gain or loss could be put down to ageing but they could also be a symptom of illness. Just like humans, cats may experience different health issues at different stages of their lives. Kittens may be more at risk of certain diseases until their immune system is fully developed and cats under five are significantly more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents than older cats. As they enter the more mature stage of life they may be more susceptible to weight gain and eventually decrease their level of activity as they relax into their senior years although cats love playing at any age.
Need Help? Related: 5 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Cat. They require more attention, more distractions, and must be encouraged to get sufficient exercise to avoid obesity. Fortunately, attentive cat owners provide all of those things.
The numbers varied widely among all the sites we visited, ranging from 14 to 20 years. Based on the numbers we chronicled, the average lifespan of an indoor cat is A number of challenges tend to limit the average cat lifespan of an outdoor cat. Do you live in an urban, suburban, rural or remote location? How many neighbors have outdoor cats? Do you live in a place with an abundance of predatory wildlife? Are there feral or stray animals nearby?
Is the weather amenable year-round to an outdoor lifestyle? How close do you live to roads and thoroughfares? These are all limiting factors, as are increased exposure to fleas, ticks , and other parasites and illnesses. Outdoors, cats can also get into cat fights and scrapes with other cats and are at increased risk of accidents.
However, they also have the freedom to explore, mark out favored perches and get natural exercise. Because there are so many more unpredictable variables, the numbers are generally not good, and cat lifespan ranges much more widely, anywhere from three to 10 years.
The average cat lifespan outdoors is 5. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the oldest recorded cat age was attained by Creme Puff, a cat who passed away in Austin, Texas, at 38 years and three days old, a truly grand, almost incomprehensible age.
In the last decade, the average oldest living cat is Who is the current record holder? Rather than risk our own obsolescence, we suggest that you check with the Guinness site. Tell us: How long have your cats lived? We want to hear how old your cats are!
Share your stories and memories in the comments! She would rather be outside then inside. My cat, Taffy is going to be 21 this year!! Taffy is a southern cat also, coming up to New York from Arkansas. In the last couple years of her life, she went deaf and then blind. When you researched, did you find any sources you could share? This is especially pertinent now, with roughly 20 percent of cats in the US estimated to be 11 years or older.
Anyone with a cat in their life will know that they're probably going to stick around for a while, with the average lifespan of indoor house cats these days hitting an impressive 12 to 15 years.
This has increased dramatically over the past few decades, with the average cat living to just seven years in the early s , and just over nine years in And who knows, maybe yours will rival Creme Puff , the oldest known cat, who lived to a ripe old age of 38, enjoying a rather sophisticated diet of bacon and eggs, asparagus, broccoli, and coffee with heavy cream. For every year thereafter, each cat year is worth about four human years. Using this formula, a year-old cat is similar age-wise to a year-old person, a year-old cat to a year-old person, and a year-old cat to a person of Both purebred and domestic mixed-breed cats have the potential to surpass the average lifespan of the species.
Cats primarily eat meat , so they are considered obligate carnivores, and this should be reflected in the food we feed them. A lot of research has been done to determine the dietary needs of a house cat, so the food options that are available to cat owners are plentiful. But not all foods are created equal. Adult cats cannot digest large amounts of carbohydrates or lactose, so these are unnecessary ingredients in their food.
Carbohydrates can even decrease how much protein is digested, so they are, in fact, harmful to a cat. Proteins, on the other hand, are very important to a cat. Cats require a large amount of protein when compared to a dog, due to their unique digestive system. Adult cats should receive at least 5. This means the average eight-pound cat needs to consume at least 20 grams of protein each day and often much more. Essential amino acids are also very important to a cat.
Some diseases have long term effects on cats and may also shorten their lifespan. Poor genetics, immune-compromised cats, and cats that have compromised organ functions might not live as long as healthy cats. The daily risks that outdoor cats take are much higher than those of an indoor cat, so the lifespan of an outdoor cat is often cut short. The more time a cat spends outside, the greater the risk is of an injury or illness from that environment. Indoor cats are not exposed to as many risks since they are sheltered inside a secure home.
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