Average lifespan of indoor female cat that's spayed?

Thirteen is getting up there, I think....Some cats live longer than others.  My cousin had a cat that lived to be 22..One of ours was about 16..........What does the vet say?  Time for a checkup?????

They usually live to be about 15 to 20 years but slowing down probably doesn't mean much.

I agree with catgirl.
My gentle lived to be about 17.

Creme Puff lived to 38.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_Puff_(cat)

There`s a 10 minute documentary on Jake Perry down at the bottom of the wiki.  It`s pretty cool.

Strange coincidence Jake perry owned cream puff and grandpa Rex the two oldest ever cats. I do not believe 38 and 34 years.

Hi guys, 

Mmm hard to say what the average lifespan of a cat is. 
Cats that die of old age probably reach about 15 years:

http://www.onaverage.co.uk/age-averages/25-average-lifespan-of-a-cat

I lost my Heidi of 22 years a week ago Feb 4th of natural caused at home in my arms with no sign of any suffering. Like a spring that just wore down very slowly. Having a very hard time coping with this horrible nightmare of missing her when I should be thankful (and I am) to have had the honor of  so many quality years with her that so many other 'PARENTS' could only dream of. Shame on me! Sorry. I wanted to say to the post regardung the 25 year lold cat how amazing that is...so cool! To all that love cats and all animals in general I Love you.

god help us all that are in pain this is for my Heidi, missing you.

Dad.

I had a female that was spayed at 4 months and she lived to be over 15. She has turned 15 a few months before. She also slowed down a couple years before  but had no health problems. I think she just died of old age.

  T.

HeidisDad said:

I lost my Heidi of 22 years a week ago Feb 4th of natural caused at home in my arms with no sign of any suffering. Like a spring that just wore down very slowly. Having a very hard time coping with this horrible nightmare of missing her when I should be thankful (and I am) to have had the honor of  so many quality years with her that so many other 'PARENTS' could only dream of. Shame on me! Sorry. I wanted to say to the post regardung the 25 year lold cat how amazing that is...so cool! To all that love cats and all animals in general I Love you.

god help us all that are in pain this is for my Heidi, missing you.

Dad.

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She's beautiful, I'm sure that sweet look shows a sweet spirit. So, so sorry for your loss.

I lost my Smoky February 2 quite suddenly. He was 18.5 years old and deteriorated rapidly over a 24 hour period. He was a fixture in my life, faithful friend, always even tempered, followed me everywhere he could. One of his nicknames was "puppy boy".

bugmankeith said:

What is average lifespan for an indoor female cat?

My cat is 13 and dramatically slowing down. My families very first cat was put to sleep at 12 because of major health issues he had for years, so ive never had an otherwise "average" cat, this is our first. I don't know about old age in animals so that is partly why I ask, I hope her slowing down doesn't mean she doesn't have long to live

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As everyone else has said, if this worries you get another vet opinion.

And realize that they can't stay kittens forever no matter how much we, or they, would like them to.

I lost Alison my sweet girl at about 17.5 years. Smoky just passed recently at nearly 18.5 years. Bandit, the last of that litter is hanging in there and will be 19 come end of August 2015.

Older cats, in my experience, sleep more, are very laid back and want to watch the world go by. Smoky was a good one for playing up until about 15, then he just became really mellow. Alison was playing every now and then, even in her last year, but it wasn't the energetic concentrated type of play, more like when the mood struck her. 

Bandit used to play a lot, but kittens entered this household about ten years ago and she got a bit huffy about it and didn't like being run over by them - at all. She would play if I isolated her in one of the bedrooms and put the time in to interest her, but the last year she hasn't been really interested, however loves getting a good grooming with a medium bristle brush.

Let your cat guide you as to what they want and how often. After all, they know their own interests best. 

Well, indoor cats usually do live longer than outdoor cats or indoor/outdoor cats as they are not exposed to the elements. I have one cat that will be 21 yrs old in May but that's my first cat that has lived this long.  Most of my other cats that have passed away for various reasons were 10-15 yrs. I know keeping them healthy by feeding only good quality food that has no additives & preservatives & is all natural plus keeping them up to date with reg. yearly exams & I'm a true believer in doing blood work every year & sometimes more often if need be as that blood work can tell you a lot. Remember an ouch of prevention is a pound of cure. I, also, give my cats vitamins & supplements to boost their immune system & making sure they get a dental every year as well.

The two indoor spayed females we've had lived to age 17.  They each had kidney disease (CKD) at the end.

The original post is over a year old, so I don't know what happened.  But in general slowing down is common I would think.  Some cats in their teens remain playful and very active longer than others, but typically they will not be the same as in their younger years.

HI all.  When you guys say "slow down" what does that mean.

The reason I ask is because since the year 2000 there have always been at least 5 cats in my house.  I had two put two of my kids to sleep because of cancer that was untreatable(carcinoma).   They were both young guys and I missed them tons . They were 10/11.  Ugh. I wish I could have done something but the vet told me there was nothing I could have done to prevent it.  

The mother of one of my babies who has passed is still with us.  She is going to be I want to say 12/13 or so (she was a stray when we took her in so we don't know her exact age) but still is very active.  What signs did you guys see?

Thanks in advance.

Well, my Rachel will be 21 yrs old in May & still hanging in there, GOD bless her soul. She pretty much just eats & sleeps but does quite well getting around for her age & can even still jump onto the couch or jump from couch to chair, so I guess her eyesight is still quite good. She is the only cat I have had that has lived this long & I'm so very grateful to still have her. I do give all my cats a lot of supplements to boost their immune system & feed only good, quality organic food which I think has helped tremendously. However, my other cats passed away a lot younger but maybe up to 15 yrs at the most. Rachels' actual brother Sammy (same litter) passed away many years ago & we still miss that boy. In fact, we had them cremated & they are in our bedroom with their pictures & they will always stay in my heart & soul. I dread the day I will lose Rachel or any of them as it never, ever gets any easier & just writing this, makes me tear up. All I can say, is take care of them  & try to keep them as healthy as possible & enjoy & love them each & every day.

cats5 said:

 
Well, my Rachel will be 21 yrs old in May & still hanging in there, GOD bless her soul. She pretty much just eats & sleeps but does quite well getting around for her age & can even still jump onto the couch or jump from couch to chair, so I guess her eyesight is still quite good. She is the only cat I have had that has lived this long & I'm so very grateful to still have her. I do give all my cats a lot of supplements to boost their immune system & feed only good, quality organic food which I think has helped tremendously. However, my other cats passed away a lot younger but maybe up to 15 yrs at the most. Rachels' actual brother Sammy (same litter) passed away many years ago & we still miss that boy. In fact, we had them cremated & they are in our bedroom with their pictures & they will always stay in my heart & soul. I dread the day I will lose Rachel or any of them as it never, ever gets any easier & just writing this, makes me tear up. All I can say, is take care of them  & try to keep them as healthy as possible & enjoy & love them each & every day.

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I was just wondering what supplements you give to boost their immune system. Peaches is my first cat as an adult, I had cats as a child but we lived in the country and back then cats were not fixed and ran free. Most died at a young age either being hit by cars or diseases among other ways but won't get into that. I think the longest we had any animal when I was a child was a couple years.

I actually suffer from PTSD because of what I saw happen to animals as a child. I now do what ever I can to help animals but when something happens to one I have horrible flashbacks and wish I could have saved my pets as a child,

My cats growing up had different life expectancies depending on their habits.

Pretty only lived to 8 (1982-1990). She was indoor/outdoor, spayed, and got hit by a car.

Joann lived to be 10 (1980-1990). She was indoor/outdoor, spayed, and got hit be a car that same year.

Neither could be kept inside. They would run out the door at any chance and Joann would even claw through screens to get out. We didn't have air so we had to leave the windows open.

Our other three cats were never indoor/outdoors though they each at one time or another snuck out.

Gizmo (spayed at 4 yrs old) lived to be 16 (1984-2000), when she got cancer of the mouth and could not be helped. She passed away an hour before the visiting vet was scheduled to arrive to put her to sleep.

Grey Baby (spayed at 2 yrs old) lived to be 18 (1987-2005), however for several months before that she had a stroke and her last months were difficult (she should've probably been pts sooner, when she was still 17)

Kitten (spayed at 2 yrs old) lived to be 18 (1990-2008) as well. She lost a lot of weight the last year and her health decline was very quick (within 2 weeks of first showing signs, she needed to be pts)

These were all female cats, all had pretty healthy lives except Kitten who was once attacked by two dogs when she snuck out and was injured at the age of 5. She still lived to be 18.

I'm 70 years old. After 3 or 4 trips to the bathroom during the night I wake up stiff and sore. I have arthritis in the hip so I use a cane for short walks. If I eat a bowl of chili i'm sick. It's part of aging for people and and animals. It would be wonder if our little friends stayed with us for many many years but, they don't. Like us they get old and die just like us. Enjoy the moment. Really that's all we have wit

I'm 70 years old. After 3 or 4 trips to the bathroom during the night I wake up stiff and sore. I have arthritis in the hip so I use a cane for short walks. If I eat a bowl of chili i'm sick. It's part of aging for people and and animals. It would be wonder if our little friends stayed with us for many many years but, they don't. Like us they

Our cats have all been spayed or neutered and have been long lived. Until recently, we had a dog door so they were all  indoor/outdoor. I had one cat  Snowy(a girl) from the time I was 6 until I was a senior in college. She died of leukemia. We had a girl, Sheila, who died of kidney failure at about 18.  Little Bit was semi-feral and lived in the garage. He just disappeared one day at around 18-19. The youngest to die of natural causes was about 14 and he had cancer. His name was Not Our Cat. He just came in through the dog door one day and stayed for 13 years.

So it is for sure a long-time commitment! I now have a 1-year-old girl; a boy who was an adult stray, but not elderly; and a 5-year-old girl, so many years ahead I hope! 

I ordered a lot of supplements from www.onlynaturalpet.com & also, Native Remedies (Pet Alive) which also, has a lot of supplements for people, too. I'm a firm believer in natural medicine & always choose that option first before putting them thru traditional medicine. I give them daily Immune Strengthener & ultimate daily vitamins as well as Probiotic Blend & my old lady, Rachel gets CoQ10 as well. I get them from the only natural pet store in CO. They have a lot of good supplements, food, grooming supplies, etc at this store, wish  we had a store here. I give them supplements depending on their age & if they are having any medical issues. I've been doing this for a very long time & so far, it really has made a difference for my kitties & has worked for me. Of course, no supplements can really cure cancer, leukemia, kidney failure, etc but they sometimes can prolong the illness by boosting their immune system so their body has a chance to fight. I have gone thru these diseases in the past with some of my previous cats which are no longer with us but I was able to keep them a little longer than was expected. Quality of life is very important & when that goes, the kindest thing you can do is to let them go in peace.