lifespan of a cat...

[sammy101]

my cat is going to be 20 in November.Does anyone know the lifespan of a shorthaired housecat?

here's a pic of her

[kimlovescats]

I don't think the life spans are any different between short or long haired kitties, but I do know you have been blessed to have yours for TWENTY years!!!

[Laura's Babies]

TWENTY YEARS?? Hay, can we come to the next birthday party? That would be a honor and a privilage to even see a cat that old!! I have no experience personally on one that old.. The oldest one I knew was 15 and she died at about 16 and she still had a lot of kitten in her at 15, could jump a fence like a spring chicken...

[jazzcat]

Wow!!

My husband's cousin had a cat that lived to be 20 years old and I know her vet was extremely impressed. Punkin didn't look anywhere as good as your cat does. She'd lost most of her hair by then and had to go in for fluids once a week for the last 6 months of her life.

[carole]

How wonderful , I can only hope I am blessed to have both Ash and Lexie for that long, your kitty is a treasure, thanks for sharing.

[rosethecopycat]

Twenty years. Good for her. I hope they are all good years.

The lifespan for Siamese is higher, and twenty is not uncommon, but for a DSH it is very good.

How's her health?

Have you had bloodwork done?

She looks very good for a super senior girl.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Ummm....are you sure Tubby didn't sneak into your house and take a nap? Tubby is 18 and black and looks exactly like your kitty when he's sleeping.

There have been cats known to live to be 30 years old (I think the oldest was 32), but that is very very rare. 18 is old for a DSH and 20 is even older. However, as long as she is in good health, there's no reason to believe she won't be around for many more years to come!

Tubby's kidneys have started to fail, but they've stabilized over the last few years. Now he seems to be getting arthritis in his back legs. So he's in good overall health, but I can tell he's getting old and slow but sure his body is starting to fail. His spirit is not failing though, so I'm sure he'll be bothering Peanut for quite a few more years.

Good luck with your kitty and please tell us more about her and post more pics!