Kitty Question.....

[joanofark]

I have a Question that some of you Certified Cat Crazy Ladies might be able to answer. It's something I've been wondering for a while now and well it's something I should know, haha.

But Enough rambling my question is, What is the normal life span of a Kitty? Whats an average they live? And if dogs go by dog years, do cats go by cat years? Haha

Stupid Question, I know... But I'm just curious!:)

[K & L]

On average, an outdoor cat’s life span is roughly 5 years. By contrast, an indoor cat, which is much less likely to face these threats, has an average life span of about 16 years.

[Miss Z]

I think that there are 6 cat years to every human year approximately but it is greater than that in a cat's first few years of life. not entirely sure though will have to check:)

[Abby&Buddy'sMom]

I had a kitty (indoor only) that lived to be 16. :) I had her from when I was 5 till I was 21yrs old. Boy I miss her :(

[catmandu]

I think that that depends quite a deal on the Cats genes.
Pouncer passed on early at nine.Partly due to the fact that I gave her too much Human Food.
Mr Scrappy went at 15,Smokey was 23,Smoke was 14.
Munchkin sadly went at three.
BJ passed on at 10.
It depends on the food and care they recieve,but with the Food that they have now Your Indoor Cat should be able to reach 15 or 16.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I just read a brochure on elderly cats that mentioned the "dog years" method of determining age and said it wasn't applicable to cats. They said that a one year old cat is similar to a 16 year old human and a 2 year old cat is similar to a 21 year old human, and after that it's approximately 4(?) "cat years" for every human year - but don't quote me on the last part. ;)

I know there are cat age calculators on the internet, but I don't have the address to any of them off the top of my head. Google could help immensely here I'm sure.

I belive what K & L said is accurate, although I had heard only 3 years for an outdoor only cat. Tubby was 18 1/2 when he died and right now Peanut is 17, but I also know 14 year old cats that have died of old age, so I think 16 is a pretty "life span" age with some living longer and some not living quite as long.

[moosmom]

I think Gary is right. It all depends on the cat's genes. I do know that indoor only cats have a tendency to live longer because they're not exposed to the elements.

On the otherhand, there are the two girls I feed every morning that come in our yard, Fluffy and Midnight. Believe it or not, both have been living outdoors their entire lives. Midnight, the mama of Fluffy, is 16 years old. Fluffy is around 15. So go figure. I've been trying to get pictures of them and will try again this weekend if the weather is nice.

So, I think that proves Gary's theory that it has to do with genes.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest living cat is 29 years old. Here's the link:

http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=3032

The oldest recorded cat of all time was 34 years old and died in 1957.

[K & L]

Yes, all depends on many things. The numbers I read were just an average and "if's". We have ferals in the park going on 8 years now. This is not the average, but they aren't near busy roads, are getting fed regularly, are fixed so they're not out wandering for the opposite sex or food, etc. Outdoor cats that live near busy streets, have predators such as coyotes or large birds of prey, usually have a life span between 1 - 2 years.