Normal Life Span of a Cat

How long your cat will live depends on many factors including the quality of care and medical attention it receives, the diet it is fed and the sort of lifestyle it leads. Domestic cats treated well can commonly live to 15 years or older. According to a study published in the journal "Proceedings of the Nutrition Society" in 1995, the average life expectancy of a male domesticated cat was 12 to 14 years, with females living a year or two longer.

  1. Diet and Exercise

    • Just as for humans, a cat's lifespan is affected by how much and what it eats and how much exercise it gets. Overfeeding your cat can shorten its life as it is more likely to become afflicted with health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, breathing difficulties and heart and liver disease. While it is not possible to make your cat do anything, least of all exercise, encouraging play can contribute to keeping it healthy, according to lapcat.co.uk. Elderly cats in particular may benefit from gentle play.

    Indoor vs. Outdoor

    • Indoor cats generally live longer than those that spend a lot of time outdoors. Traffic is a big danger for outdoor cats, as are other animals such as dogs. Outdoor cats may also be at risk from pesticide poisoning or diseases caught from feral cats.

    Genetic Makeup

    • According to lapcat.co.uk, selective breeding can make some breeds genetically prone to certain diseases or ailments, shortening the average life span. Regular cats with a more varied genetic make up are thus more likely to have a longer life span than purebreds.

    Vet visits

    • Cats taken to a vet for regular check ups are likely to live longer, as health problems can be detected and treated early. Having cats neutered or spayed provides health benefits, as males are not able to develop testicular cancer while females won't develop uterine or ovarian cancer. In addition, males who are not castrated will often receive injuries while defending their territory, which in turn can cause future problems and shorten their life span.

    Oldest cats

    • The 2010 Guinness Book of World Records names the oldest cat as Creme Puff from Texas, who was 38 years old and three days at the time of her death in 2005. An article published in the Burnley Citizen, the local paper of Burnley, United Kingdom, in May 2011 lamented the death of another cat, Tizzie, believed to have been 38 at the time of passing.