From kittenhood to adulthood, cats are adorable, and they add love to our lives.
Cats are amazing creatures. They have their daily routine, their unique ways of showing affection, and other amusing things that they do.
But, they aren’t in our lives forever.
One of the biggest things that cat parents want to know is how long will they have their favorite furry friend in their lives for. In this blog post, I will answer the question, “How long do cats live?” in as much detail as I can.
So, without further ado, let’s begin.
The general life of cats is between 10 to 15 years.
While cats who live unsupervised outdoors for long periods of time on their own generally live for seven years, indoor cats live till the ripe age of 14.
Life expectancy depends on a lot of factors.
This includes the breed of the cat, genetic or parental history, diseases, and general lifestyle. Kitties that are obese tend to develop additional health problems which can significantly reduce the cat’s lifespan.
Outdoor cats live a lifestyle that’s dangerous.
As you may have observed, indoor cats generally live longer than outdoor cats.
Why is that so?
The thing is, the outdoor lifestyle is much more dangerous than the indoor one. Cats can get injured, and the risk of getting an infectious disease such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) increase.
Not just that, cats can easily get wounded during fights with other animals, get hit by cars, or killed when they ingest poisons such as antifreeze.
For indoor-only cats, most of these problems are non-existent. They get vaccinated regularly, live in a safe and comfortable environment, get food that’s good for them, and are better cared for.
With indoor cats, health problems can also be identified early.
Ever wonder how old your cat is in human years?
That’s one thing that everyone wonders at some point. In this section of the blog post, I have included a conversion table that’ll help you determine your furry friend’s age in human years.
Take a look.
Age of Cat |
Human Age Equivalent |
0-1 month |
0-1 year |
Six months |
10 years |
12 months |
15 years |
18 months |
21 years |
2 years |
24 years |
3 years |
28 years |
4 years |
32 years |
5 years |
36 years |
6 years |
40 years |
7 years |
44 years |
8 years |
48 years |
9 years |
52 years |
10 years |
56 years |
11 years |
60 years |
12 years |
64 years |
13 years |
68 years |
14 years |
72 years |
15 years |
76 years |
16 years |
80 years |
17 years |
84 years |
18 years |
88 years |
19 years |
92 years |
20 years |
96 years |
That’s a lot, right!?
Keeping your cat happy and healthy will increase her lifespan.
In this section of the blog post, I will share a few tips on how you should take care of your feline friend.
Take a look:
Seems simple enough, right?
There are various physical and behavioral change that takes place in aging cats. In this section of the blog, I’ll share a few with you.
Here’s the deal:
Older cats need a lot of love and affection. Make sure you take good care of your older kitty and give her all the love.
The average lifespan of cats is between 10 to 15 years. This depends on a lot of factors such as genetic history, diseases, lifestyle, exercise, quality of food, etc.
It is important to keep a check on your kitty’s health and make sure she’s living a happy and healthy life. Give her good-quality food, include playtime in the daily schedule, go to the vet regularly, etc.
Do you have a senior cat? Tell us how you take care of your feline friends and share some tips for other cat owners!
Our boy Adonis was 19 when we sadly lost him in September 2017. He suffered from CKD for the last couple of years of his life. He had a good life indoors and outdoors and was thoroughly pampered and kept us company since he was 8 weeks old.
My best friend Fred is 6 and is a treat to have,hope he is around for another 10
My female cat Princess was 18 when we, sadly, had to say Au Revoir due to health issues and my beloved boy Smudge was 14 and sadly passed due to cancer, it was very sudden and I am still heartbroken. They were both indoor cats. I have Magic still a black rescue girl, 8, who is Magic and I took in a stray boy, I have named Nutmeg and has settled into being a pampered, indoor cat
My female cat Princess was 18 when we, sadly, had to say Au Revoir due to health issues and my beloved boy Smudge was 14 and sadly passed due to cancer, it was very sudden and I am still heartbroken. They were both indoor cats. I have Magic still a black rescue girl, 8, who is Magic and I took in a stray boy, I have named Nutmeg and has settled into being a pampered, indoor cat
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Kim Gardner
June 12, 2018
My Murphy just passed away from health issues two weeks ago, he had just turned 17, I miss him every day.