Life Expectancy for Cats

Today cats live longer than ever. Just 20 years ago the life expectancy of a cat was four to six years; today they live 15 years or more. Life expectancy in cats depends on many things, but the most important factor is whether he is an indoor-only cat or an outdoor cat. Life expectancy varies significantly between the two.

How long your Cat will live depends a great deal on its whether it is an indoor or outdoor cat. Indoor cats generally live from 12-18 years of age. Outdoor cats generally live to be around four to five years of age. Outdoor Cats are exposed to accidents and infectious diseases. Many Vets and Cat rescue groups have adoption requirements that restrict cats being placed in a home where the Cat will be allowed to roam outside.

They say old age creeps up on a person like a thief in the night. This is especially true of your cat. Cats seemingly race through adolescence and adulthood, and suddenly at around 8 years of age, they are entering their golden years. As our cats age, they may have specific needs or problems that must be addressed. The aging process brings about a gradual decline in a cat's physical and sometimes mental abilities. Becoming aware of these issues allows you to provide the best possible care.

Your Cat can't tell you when there is a problem so it is very important to monitor the elderly cat in your home. As your cat ages, the likelihood she will develop various changes in the function of her body systems increases. Some of these will be normal changes due to the aging process, others may be indicative of disease. To be more easily alerted to possible signs of disease early in the disease process:

• Groom, check and clip nails, look for any lumps, bumps, or non-healing sores; are there any abnormal odors, any change in size of abdomen, or increased hair loss?
• Monitor behavior: is there a change in sleep patterns, a tendency to be around people, easily startled, sleeping in an abnormal or unusual position?
  
• Monitor activity and mobility: is there a difficulty with stairs, bumping into things, sudden collapses, seizures, any loss of balance, any lameness or change in gait?
  
• Look for any changes in respiration: is there noticeable coughing, panting, or sneezing?
  
• Provide home dental care: brush your cat's teeth, regularly examine the inside of her mouth; is there excessive drooling, bad breath, are the gums yellow, light pink, or purplish?
  
• Monitor food consumption: how much is being eaten, what type of food is being eaten (e.g.; does your cat leave the hard kibble and only eat the canned?), any difficulty eating or swallowing, any vomiting?
• Monitor water consumption: drinking more than usual or less than usual?
  
• Monitor urination and defecation: note color, amount, consistency, and frequency of stool; note color and amount of urine; any signs of pain while urinating or defecating, any inappropriate elimination (urinating or defecating outside of the litter box)?
  
• Measure weight every 2 months using a mail or baby scale, or the scale at your veterinarian's office
  
• Monitor environmental temperature and the temperature at which your cat seems most comfortable
  
• Schedule regular appointments with your veterinarian

Until he passed away at the ripe old age of 31 in July 2001, the world's oldest cat was chasing spiders without the equivalent of a feline walking cane. Spike, a British ginger and white tom, had been certified as the world's oldest living cat by the Guinness Book of Records in 1999, when the sprightly kitty was just 29.

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