LONDON, May 13 – Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom and National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan studied the life expectancy of these small felines. They found that some breeds stand the test of time better than others.
Announcement
Announcement
Academics analyzed data from several UK veterinary practices on 7,936 cats that died between 2019 and 2021. It found that cats have an average life expectancy of 11.7 years. Women tend to live longer than men, with a life expectancy of 12.5 years versus 11.2 years.
Mixed-breed cats, that is, cats born to parents of different breeds, have a longer life expectancy than those with a purer pedigree. They reach an average of 11.9 years before death, compared to 10.4 years for pedigree cats.
In his article, published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Kendy Teng and colleagues rank the breeds most likely to live longer. The Burmese breed is at the top of the list, with an average life expectancy of 14.4 years. The Siamese breed has a lifespan of about 11.7 years, compared to 10.93 years for Persian cats.
But the breed least likely to live to a ripe old age is the Sphynx. The life expectancy of this atypical-looking cat is no more than seven years. This is almost two years less than the Bengal, a slender and very muscular breed that lives an average of 8.5 years.
However, it is important to keep in mind that these numbers are just averages. Living and health conditions play a decisive role in a cat’s longevity. Apartment cats, for example, tend to live much longer than street cats. Likewise, cats with access to the outdoors have a shorter average lifespan. They are exposed to many potential dangers, such as road accidents, but also infections, poisoning and attacks from other animals.
However, these estimates can be useful for people looking to adopt or buy a cat. “By knowing your cat’s life expectancy, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re helping owners make ‘insightful’ decisions for their cats,” said study lead author Dr. Kendy Teng, quoted in a press release .
But some cats defy the odds and live much longer than anyone would imagine. The record for cat longevity is held by a cat named Creme Puff, according to Guinness World Records. This cat, originally from Texas, died in 2005 at the age of 38 – equivalent to a “human age” of 168 years!
