Kitty Question.....

[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.