How long do cats live, on average?

[epona]

Originally Posted by Jen

I have even heard of some shelters in the UK not allowing you to adopt cats from them unless you have a cat flap.

This is quite true - you have to have a garden and a cat flap and let the cat outdoors to be able to adopt from many shelters, they will come round and check. No garden, no cat. Hence the reason I ended up buying a kitten (from a family home, not from a pet shop!) - I would rather have adopted an adult in need of a home, but I live in an upstairs flat and most places will not let you adopt.

In some ways I can see a little bit of logic in this, since the vast majority of cats here are allowed to come and go as they please, so any adult in a shelter is likely to be used to being allowed outdoors and may not adjust well to being kept in. There are few indoor cats (most people here seem to think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors), so few cats used to being indoors end up in shelters awaiting indoor only homes.

 

[epona]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

England is rabies free and may have a lower risk of FELV or FIP too - which would account for the better health of indoor/outdoor cats.

Good point!

 

[trixtersmomma]

This is an interesting topic. My diabetic furbaby,Trixter, who is 10, used to be an indoor/outdoor kitty. It took me a lot of thought to finally decide not to let him out anymore, even though he faced many challenges outdoors. He loved going outside, rolling in the dirt, claiming his territory, hunting, etc. However, he was in a lot of danger outside, and has been hit by a car (knocked his hips out of place), gotten in many fights with strays, causing abcess infections, was bitten in the mouth by a gopher he killed that caused an abscess infection, etc, etc.
He was very lucky. He could have ended up one of those 5 year statistics.
I live in the mountain/desert areas of California. We have coyotes, and LOTS of other wildlife that put companion animals at risk. However, some friends of mine have had 3 cats live well into their 20s, and they are/were allowed the option of inside or out, 24/7. One of their cats, Smokey, is 22 now and she still jumps fences, hunts, and is in really good health. The others, Grimlin and Toklow (sp?) lived into their 20s and died of natural causes due to old age. So in some cases, i think it really depends on the individual cat, regardless of how dangerous their outside territory is.
I decided a few months ago to start keeping my boys inside all the time. My Trixter is a diet controled diabetic, and he is prone to infection because of it. So even though he enjoys going outside, hunting, etc, he is better off inside. At first, I was sure he would be miserable, whining at the door to go out, and getting depressed when he couldn't, but I think he understands and he is doing great now. I came VERY close to losing him when he was very sick from his diabetes. However, with two weeks of insulin injections, at home blood glucose monitoring and the change to low carb canned foods, Trixter has done a complete turn around and is now a healthy, happy, lively boy once again. It's like he went back in time 7 or 8 years! Ok, now I am babbling off topic. lol

With Love,
~ Bobbi ~

 

[urbantigers]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

England is rabies free and may have a lower risk of FELV or FIP too - which would account for the better health of indoor/outdoor cats.

I don't know about FeLV or FIP, but you're right about the rabies, and there are few wild animals (such as coyotes) that would harm cats. The major risk to indoor/outdoor cats here is traffic. Of course there are other dangers, such as being a victim of cruelty, but it's generally safer for cats here than in the US. Still risky enough for me to keep my cats indoors, but I wouldnt oppose someone over here who chose to let their cat go outside.

I was reading an article earlier which summed up exactly how I feel about whether cats should be kept indoors or outdoors

Where outdoors is too dangerous, an indoor lifestyle prolongs life. Where outdoor dangers are moderate or minimal, it is up to you to judge whether your cat should enjoy outdoor pleasures. Remember - your cat lives for now, help him enjoy every minute of 'now'. Some people consider the risk of infectious disease means indoors-only, others accept that the risk to a neutered cat is relatively small and that fatal accidents also occur in the home. Weigh up the risks and make an educated decision. What is right for your locality may be wrong for someone else's locality.

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm


I don't have any stats re how long cats live in the UK, but most go outdoors and there are a lot over 5 years old!

 

[angel]

thanks for info

 

[quill_luv]

There was a cat on our street when I was young and it was rumoured that she died at the ripe old age of 24.

 

[booktigger]

I live in a relatively safe area, so the majority of cats are indoor/outdoor - my neighbours have had cats live to be 19 and 17 (Think they are the two oldest, but I Could be wrong). My oldest is Ginger at 15, and he did live purely outdoor for 3 years - I do doubt he would have lived much longer outside cos of the state of his teeth though, but he still managed to get overweight!! But as I only take on oldies, it is a bit skewed, as I have no way of knowing what some of them have had before coming to me - although we do know PEbbles was lucky - she had been hit by a car, but kept her life. Taht was in an area I Wouldn't contemplate letting a cat out though.

 

[moggiegirl]

So in the UK I would be viewed as someone who keeps her cats in prison. I live in a two bedroom condominium and with the exception of letting my 2 cats on the balcony, I keep my cats inside.

I'm so glad the U.S. supports keeping cats indoors because many people cannot afford houses with gardens and must live in pet friendly apartments and/ or condominiums and if all these people were banned from having cats we sure would have a lot more homeless kitties(if it isn't a high enough number without this restriction), many more healthy cats would be put to sleep, shelters would be even more overcrowded, and there would be more deaths to cats from automobile accidents and other dangers simply because many people wouldn't have the option of keeping cats inside because they would be judged as cruel.

If I lived out in the country, I may consider letting my cats go in and out as they please but I may still place some restrictions for their protection, such as supervision or some kind of fencing.

In the UK, can the majority of people afford houses with gardens and are there just not as many homeless cats in the UK as there are in the U.S. that shelters can be this picky? Sorry, I'm just imagining what it would be like if the tables were turned and these were the rules in the U.S. To me they seem unfair.

 

[4crazycats]

Originally Posted by Jessy

Just wondering.....

The average for cats I've owned/knew were 16-18 years.

 

[jessy]

Originally Posted by Jen

Jessy I wouldn't say it is more unusual, just more people in the US are against letting their cats outside where in England is is completely common. I have even heard of some shelters in the UK not allowing you to adopt cats from them unless you have a cat flap. I think there are dangers in the US or the UK, maybe some differences in the type of dangers but basically I think the risk is the same.

This is really interesting, I adopted Villy from a shelter, and I don't have a cat flap. I do have a garden though. Villy didn't have a cat flap in her previous owners house, so I don't think she's too bothered. This means she's only able to go out when one of us is home and can sit downstairs with the patio door open. I try not to let her out too much when it's dark, and won't leave her out overnight.

 

[urbantigers]

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

So in the UK I would be viewed as someone who keeps her cats in prison. I live in a two bedroom condominium and with the exception of letting my 2 cats on the balcony, I keep my cats inside.

I'm so glad the U.S. supports keeping cats indoors because many people cannot afford houses with gardens and must live in pet friendly apartments and/ or condominiums and if all these people were banned from having cats we sure would have a lot more homeless kitties(if it isn't a high enough number without this restriction), many more healthy cats would be put to sleep, shelters would be even more overcrowded, and there would be more deaths to cats from automobile accidents and other dangers simply because many people wouldn't have the option of keeping cats inside because they would be judged as cruel.

If I lived out in the country, I may consider letting my cats go in and out as they please but I may still place some restrictions for their protection, such as supervision or some kind of fencing.

In the UK, can the majority of people afford houses with gardens and are there just not as many homeless cats in the UK as there are in the U.S. that shelters can be this picky? Sorry, I'm just imagining what it would be like if the tables were turned and these were the rules in the U.S. To me they seem unfair.

Yes, most people live in houses over here (just checked the 2001 census and the acc to that 80% of housing stock was houses at that time). Obviously there are more apartments in city centres, but a lot of people who live in apartments are young and single (often males) which is not the demographic most commonly associated with cat ownership over here, although of course that may be a direct result of the attitude to keeping cats indoors.

It is becoming more common to keep cats indoors though, which means that more indoor cats are ending up in shelters and can be rehomed to indoor homes. Attitudes towards indoor cats varies from shelter to shelter. Some will rehome to indoor homes, others will only rehome certain cats to indoor homes (e.g. those with medical conditions such as FIV). Not all will insist on a cat flap (I think the cat flap requirement is so that cats that go outside can always gain access to a warm and safe environment - home - even when the owner is out).

 

[flamingo13]

My cat was indoor/outdoor (she ALWAYS was in overnight) but hung out outside daytime - was just shy of 22 when she went, thankfully/sadly, in my arms.

 

[mydnht]

My cat just passed away today. I had her for 17 years. I still have not stopped crying. I held her in my arms rocking until The Humane Society came and took her away, I had her since she was a kitten, my daughter and I am going to miss her so much.

 

[tristessa]

My indoor cats lived to be about 11-12 years old but when I was young we had indoor/outdoor cats. ( indoor cats that were regularly allowed outside and brought inside at night) They lived to be 20-23 years old. I wonder if it has to do with their outdoor diet of mice and rabbits in addition to their normal cat food. Also, they had plenty of exercise and we're slender cats. They stayed near the house and we always made sure they were all in by dinner time.

 

[arouetta]

My parents always lost cats pretty young when they let them go outside at will.

As what seemed to always happen, one cat didn't come home that night.  A few days later my mother had a dream - the cat was crawling back on her two front legs with a broken back.

A day or two later, the cat showed up.  Crawling on her two front legs with a broken back.

My mother never let another cat go out again.

Now her cats are living into their teens.  The oldest ones had exposure to FIP (long story there), developed immune problems but still made it to the late teens.

So yeah, indoor/outdoor cats die young.  And indoor only live to be crotchety oldsters.

 

[inkysmom]

Our indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 19 and ate nothing but 9 Lives his whole life. He did get hit by a car once and broke his jaw. Frankly, I think if you minus cats getting hit by cars, the life expendency of an outdoor cat would go hugely. For example, I would venture to say that indoor/outdoor barn cats live a lot longer then 4-5 years.

I own and ride horses and have been around barns a lot for more than twenty years now. There's still roads and car danger, and many barn cats don't live very long due to predators. The barn cats that stay in the barn and don't venture outside much and who are very tame live the longest. But they'd be happy indoor pets too. The adventurous feral hunters who go outside get killed quickly by coyotes and bigger cats.

 

[pushylady]

My cat just passed away today. I had her for 17 years. I still have not stopped crying. I held her in my arms rocking until The Humane Society came and took her away, I had her since she was a kitten, my daughter and I am going to miss her so much.

I'm so sorry. 17 years may be a good long life, but it never seems long enough when it comes to saying goodbye. We have a forum here just for posting about our cats who have passed away. If you feel up to it, you may find it helpful to check it out and perhaps post a tribute to your cat too:
http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge
Take care.