How Long Do Cats Live: Cat Lifespan General Guide

How Long Do Cats Live on Average?

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the average lifespan of cats is 13 - 17 years. However, some cats have been known to live up to 20 years or more. According to the Guinness Book of World Record, Creme Puff -a cat from Austin, Texas- lived 38 years of life.

The life expectancy of a feline varies in reference texts; in some texts, it’s 10 - 15 years, and in other statistics, it’s 7 - 14 years. The numbers may seem low, but they represent the average lifespan of healthy, well-cared-for cats, unfortunate individuals who died due to disease or accident, and everybody in between.

Generally, an animal’s longevity is proportional to its size, and in the case of cats, they live quite a long time for their size. And also, they are much older than they look.

How Long Do Indoor Cats Live?

The average lifespan for indoor or domestic cats is 10 to 15 years. Provided with proper care, diet and medication needs will ensure your cat can have both an enriched life and protection from environmental hazards.

While it may be risky to let your indoor cat go out, it is important to have an outdoor exposure of a few hours a day. However, you need to make sure that your feline doesn't go unattended and you accompany them the whole time they are outdoors.

How Long Do Outdoor Cats live?

Outdoor cats have 2 to 6 years of average lifespan. This number is much smaller than the indoor cat’s life expectancy since outdoor cats are at a high risk of many facts. They have more exposure to life-threatening diseases, thieves, injuries, hunted or mauled by dogs.

Similarly, the answer to the question ‘How Long Do Cats Live in the Wild?’ is they live an average of 2 to 5 years. They are exposed to environmental facts, get attacked by other animals, or get into an accident and many other dangers.

Life Stages for Cats

Cats usually go through 6 life stages during their whole life span.

1. 1. Kitten (0 - 7 months)

   The beginning of life and the best stage to introduce your cat to almost everything, i.e., household noises, socialization, and training. You can also socialize them with your other pets and your children as well. During this period, you’ll observe the most rapid growth spurt in your pets.

2. 2. Junior (7 months - 2 years)

   During this period, the cat reaches its full size and sexual maturity. At this stage, the felines have learned about life and know how to survive it, most of the tricks, and how to behave nicely around people.

3. 3. Prime (3 years - 6 years)

   The prime stage of life comes when a feline is completely mature physically and behaviorally. During this time period, they are usually healthy and active, looking shiny and sleek, making the best life.

4. 4. Mature (7 years - 10 years)

   In this period, the cat is equivalent to a 40 -50 years old human. This means that your pet has entered the old age group and started to slow down. There are high chances of gaining weight during this period, so it’s important to keep an eye on your pet’s calorie intake.

5. 5. Senior (11 years - 14 years)

   11 - 14 years of a cat is equivalent to 70 years old human beings. This means that they become old and need more mental stimulation than before to be happy and active. To make sure your cat has a healthy and happy senior year, enrich their environment with healthy food and activities.

6. 6. Geriatric ( 15 years or more)

   Many cats reach this, and some of them never show a sign of old age. However, most cats slow down during this period and enjoy sleeping the day away on their favorite pillow. Like humans, cats need extra care and a healthy diet to have a sustainable life at this point of age.

Here is a summary of the cat’s life stages:

How to Convert Cat Years to Human Years?

As cats look much younger than their actual age, it is hard to predict a cat’s age from her appearance. Cats experience life at a much more accelerated rate than people do. However, the general rule of working out a cat’s human age depends on the life stage, growth, and development.

Refer to the chart given below if you want to calculate the human age of your cat.

Moreover, you or your vet can easily predict your cat’s actual life stage age by looking at the following ten things:

1. Eyes
2. Ears
3. Teeth and gums
4. Behavior
5. Body condition
6. Size
7. Weight
8. Medical history
9. Blood work
10. Physical examination

How Long do cats live in Human Years?

Cats age differently than humans, and with age often comes behavioral and physical changes. The below chart shows all the stages of a cat's life and also the equivalent human age. Cats do not look the same as their age, so this chart will let you appreciate how old the cat is inside, which is not very obvious from the outside.

Factors That Impact Life Expectancy of a Cat

Many factors can influence a cat’s life expectancy. While the average lifespan for cats is 13 - 17, most of them do not even reach 10. On the contrary, some can live up to 20 years or even more than that. However, it all depends on how healthy and safe a life a cat is privileged to have.

The main key factors influencing a cat’s life are size, age, weight, health, and lifestyle. Many other factors can play a role in increasing or decreasing some years into or from your feline’s life. However, all the factors that contribute to a cat’s life expectancy are defined and discussed below.

• Weight

  Obesity is an accumulation of excess body fat. Extra body weight means extra body fat that eventually leads to obesity in cats. Obesity shortens the life of a cat and increases the chance of developing diseases. Even being moderately overweight can also reduce the cat’s life expectancy.

  According to a study, a cat’s average lifespan is reduced by 6 months for every 1 kg increase in the adult’s body weight.

• Cat Breed

  Ever wonder if there is a difference in the average life expectancy between beautiful cross breeds or a purebred feline?

  Well, it turns out that there is. Genes play a vital role in deciding how many years your feline will keep you company. Mixed breed cats often have a longer life expectancy than their purebred counterparts. Since the mixed-breed cats have a broader gene pool with less risk of inherited disease.

  According to a study funded by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), crossbred cats live 1.5 years longer than purebred cats.

• Dietary Routine

  Diet is another factor that plays a huge role in increasing or decreasing a feline’s average lifespan. Therefore, to increase your kitty’s life, it is important to provide her with healthy and high-quality cat food.

  

  Essential fatty acids, antioxidants blend with nutrition, and a prebiotic can increase the healthy life of cats. Make sure your cat has access to clean and fresh water all the time. Good nutrition is not about just feeding enough, but it is about providing high-quality, fresh, and species-specific food that helps the pets feel their very best.

  Cats who receive inadequate or poor nutrition while they are young and growing may develop severe health problems. Likewise, cats who are overfed are as unhealthy as malnutrition cats. So keep track of the food intake and treats you give to your feline to prevent obesity and other health conditions.

• Exercise

  Adequate exercise and a healthy lifestyle go hand in hand. Appropriate exercise or other physical activities is one way to increase the health of your cat. Some cats are notoriously lazy, i.e., outdoor cats require more exercise than indoor cats. It is essential to know the appropriate exercise needs of felines to maintain good physical and mental health.

  

  If you are seriously committed to your feline’s health and want her to accompany you for many years, consider spending some quality time with her playing around the yard. Buy some interactive toys like battery-operated toys or some wands with feathers to get your cat moving. Different forms of exercise like walking or swimming can also benefit your cat and increase the chances of a long healthy life.

• Suitable Medical Care

  Health care is critical to a cat’s well-being. Cats do not complain when they do not feel good. In fact, you won’t likely notice anything until things get worse and it's too late for effective treatment. Therefore, routine medical care and vet checkups are so important to help your feline have a healthy life.

  In addition to veterinary care, preventive measures and vaccination are important to ensure that your cat is not dealing with any health condition. When a disease is diagnosed at early stages, there are high chances of successful treatment.

What is the Average Lifespan of Popular Cat Breeds?

The average lifespan of cats remains the same for both popular and non-popular cat breeds. However, if you are specifically looking for a popular cat breed’s average lifespan, the list given below will help you.

Which Cat Breeds Have a Shorter Lifespan?

Despite the 13 to 17 years average lifespan, most cat breeds cannot even reach 10 years of age. As discussed above, cat breed is one of the factors that tell about the average life expectancy of the cats. The following cat breeds are known to have shorter lives.

Which Cat Breeds Have a Longer Lifespan?

While most cats cannot even live for 10 years, others can live up to 20 years, and some can even live more than that. There are many cats breeds that stand-out as long-lived companions. However, no one can ensure that your feline will live 20 years or more as nature and nurture are determining factors.

But choosing a cat with a long life expectancy and taking great care of your kitty can improve your odds of having a loving feline for many years. Here are some of the longest-living cat breeds.

Why You Should Choose Cats as Emotional Support Animals

Dogs may be our best friends, but cats are vying for the title as well. Cats are the second most common pet in the US and undoubtedly hold a special place in many people’s lives. An emotional support cat can indeed be a great companion.

There is a variety of animals ranging from rabbits to horses to be chosen as ESA. However, dogs and cats are the most common animals people choose as emotional support animals. Though it may be a dog world when it comes to service animals or ESA, cats are becoming as popular as dogs. They play the same role as service or ESA dogs play for people suffering from mental or emotional issues. 1

Cats can indeed become great emotional support animals as they can provide love and affection to their owners in the same ways the dogs can. Cats not just bring comfort for their owner but help them cope with mental illness like stress, anxiety, etc.

Here are the top 10 benefits you get from an ESA cat:

1. They help in sleeping better, reducing loneliness, and lowering stress levels.
2. They’ll encourage and motivate you for exercise, which eventually improves your mental and physical health.
3. They create a sense of companionship and wellbeing.
4. They help you cope or deal with emotional breakdowns.
5. They provide comfort and assistance to their owner.
6. They help with depression and reduce post-traumatic stress.
7. Many cat breeds are perfect lap cats, so if you love to cuddle with your pets, you can have a fluffy ball enjoying cuddling with you.
8. You’ll have a calm, intelligent, and affectionate companion providing you a soothing and comforting presence.
9. They’ll help you enhance social engagements and interactions.
10. They provide many therapeutic benefits like normalizing heart rate and blood pressure.

These ten benefits are a few of the reasons why you should choose a cat over any other animal to be your ESA. Cats are ideal candidates for those in need of emotional support and care. If you experience any type of mental illness, get yourself a giant fluffy feline to help you deal with the problem. Ask your doctor to provide you an ESA letter that clearly states your mental disability and why you need an ESA.

Or you can just contact RealESALetter.com to get a real and authentic ESA letter.