How long do cats live?

[catnapt]

cats do not live long enough!

my first girl only lived to about 9
she had been a stray, was in terrible shape when i took her in, starving, and full of parasites, etc and with a litter of kittens
she had had a LOT of kittens in her young life, the vet said

she became diabetic at age 5 (sterioid induced, she was also overweight), and then at age 7 she was no longer diabetic but was in renal failure
she died two years later.

i still miss her so much, and it has been 11 yrs since she left me

i adopted a blind, deaf, diabetic boy when he was 13yrs old, and he went into renal failure and became very senile, he left me for the bridge just last september. he was such a sweet boy! i would give almost anything to have one more day with him!!

i now have an 18yr old girl- a gray tiger tabby- who was recently diagnosed in renal failure. have no idea how much longer she has, but i cherish every moment we have! she has always been very healthy.

her sister-a sleek all black little thing- died of lymphoma some five years ago. she was a gorgeous healthy cat until she got the lymphoma.

i adopted a 7 mos tuxedo girl who had already had a litter, she is now indoor only and spayed, of course. she is coming up on her 8th birthday, and does not look a day over 2yrs LOL
i expect her to be with me a long time to come.


i would like to know what effect having kittens has, if any, on a female cats lifespan

any one know?

althea and the girls, sara and snoopy in spirit

 

[fritsnikki]

I say 15-18 years, but then again there are execptions! My friend had a cat that was 24.

 

[jennf]

Our cat was approximately 13 when we lost her to lymphoma. However, she was very healthy in every other way. Kidneys were great, blood work was great (all things considered). It was something that we took into account when deciding to proceed with treatment.

My point is that while I know that a 13 year old cat would be considered a senior cat, she behaved as though she had years left to her. She still played like a kitten. We had friends suggest that perhaps treatment wasn't worth the investment since she'd, "lived a long life already", but we honestly felt that she had years of life ahead of her. Unfortunately she didn't respond well to chemotherapy.

 

[booktigger]

I didn't vote, cos I have lost one at 5, two at 14, and one at either 13 or 15. My current two are 10 and 14, but the 10 year old has more health probs - surprising seeing as the 14 year old spent 3 years on the streets, and in a very busy area. My neighbour lost a cat 2 years ago that was at least 19. I don't class cats under 12 as oldies, I bent my own rules to take on a 10 year old, and she has had a lot of health issues, in fact, is going to have to see the vet again this week!! When I had to get her last test results, it was a different vet, and she told me off for saying Pebbles is 'only' 10 - she told me 11-12 was old for a cat. I felt like pointing out all the other cats I have had that are older than that, and mine have been adopted at that age, so they may not have had the pampered lives that some kitties have.

 

[janey83]

Well ive only had one cat, and he is 14 now. I want him to live forever

 

[felicia's mom]

Inky was 17, Shadow was 16 and Cleo was only 6. The two I have now are 15-Felicia and 13-Beau. I have heard of cats living over 20 years, but I don't know of any

 

[alexa]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Not Long Enough.

My Charley died just a few months before her 19th birthday... it seems too short....

 

[orange tabby]

Oh really.... I lost my husband about 3 years ago to heart attack after long cancer battle with prostate metasized. I have sadly got way too attached to my cream shorthair. I dread the thought of loosing him. I am afraid it is going to be too much for me. He was always very bonded to me but after the death I cried. The cat knows when I am sobbing and comes to me and stands up on hind legs and leans in to me. It has been amazing how much this animal will try to comfort me. At night I lift the blankets and he goes under turns around and then comes out and lays on his side or put his front legs on pillow and leans his chest into my ears and I hear the purr and am able to go to sleep and feel safe.  I have NEVER since I had the cat at 4 years old allowed any teasing of my pet. My husband darn him did like to stomp foot out of jealousy. Finally I got it across I would tolerate no abuse to my pet. My cat has never known any violence. It is amazing when they are that "pure" the character you get to see and enjoy. Too many cats are mistreated causing them to run and be shy and cower down. I hope someday this cruelty ends with "Some men have with cats."  Cats are amazing animals.

 

[orange tabby]

I do too. I want my baby Keyer to live forever. He is 15 now. has no really bad teeth or bad breath. I never let him have table food which is horrible for teeth decay. But this is funny I have a hemp macramé belt on a rack that hangs down and he hops on a little stool and he flosses his teeth with the strands of that belt. No lie he sits there and threads the hemp fiber through his canines pretty much every evening. It is the craziest thing I have ever seen a cat do but it is working. Wild huh?