Cat breeds with longest and shortest life expectancy revealed
Category: Pets & Animals
Via: hallux • 8 months ago • 88 commentsBy: Vishwam Sankaran - The Independent
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Burmese cats have the highest life expectancy among pet feline breeds while the Sphynx has the shortest, according to a new first-of-its-kind study of companion cat varieties in the UK .
Researchers created the first-ever “life tables” for the UK pet cat population, representing a major step towards understanding the lifespan of companion cats.
The new table, described recently in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, predicts the remaining life expectancy and probability of death across age groups in any cat population.
Understanding the remaining lifespan can help pet owners and rehoming centres predict how much longer a cat may live, scientists from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) say.
“The development of life tables for the UK companion cat population represents a significant milestone in understanding the life of cats,” study co-author Kendy Teng from Taiwan’s National Chung Hsing University said.
“Knowing the expected lifespan of their cats, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re helping the owners to make ‘pawsitive’ decisions for their cats,” Dr Teng said.
In the research, scientists assessed data on 7936 confirmed cat deaths under primary care at clinics.
The 7936 deaths included 819 purebred cats, 6998 crossbreds and 119 cats without recorded breed information.
Researchers found that the overall average life expectancy for UK companion cats was 11.7 years.
Burmese and Birman breeds had the greatest life expectancy from birth at 14.4 years, while Sphynx cats had the shortest at 6.8 years.
Bengal cats also had a short life expectancy of around 8.5 years.
Crossbreeds and Siamese had a life expectancy in the first year of over 11.5.
Scientists also found that purebred cats and felines with non-ideal bodyweight may have shortened life expectancy.
The study found that the odds for purebred cats dying before 3 years of age were “1.83 times higher” than crossbred cats.
“These new life tables finally enable owners of cats to do just this and to predict the future life expectancy for their cats based on novel scientific methods and the power of Big Data,” Dan O’Neill, another author of the study from RVC, said.
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Have never shared a domicile with a full blooded feline (that I knew of).
Much as with ----, I find half breed cats to be slightly more sane.
cats are low maintenance pets...
Until they get urinary blockages on a Saturday evening and spend 2 days at the vet's on IV fluids and pain meds.
you're drinking the same water your kitty is...
But Sandy doesn't constantly lick herself
don't you think I have enough enemies here?
You can handle a few more
Thou shalt not feed fish to a neutered male.
I'm told it's also because male kitties have very narrow urethras. The treatment, if diet doesn't work, is to cut off the tip of the penis to allow easier urine flow. I hope we don't have to do that, because I'm already not my cat's favorite person, although he loved me when he was high.
Devangelical might be right. I'm pretty sure I passed a kidney stone around 4:00 one morning a few years back. Since the pain went away after a few hours, I waited until the next day to see my doctor, instead of going to the ER. I'm much more conscious of staying hydrated since then. That sucked.
yikes. now I have to change my safe word...
Evening...I was told here it comes from feeding male neutered cats dry food...it actually crystallises causing the stones etc...
We feed both dry and wet food..plus wild rabbit, duck and fish...so they get a mixture.. nothing worse going to vet oh you should only feed them dry food, next time should only feed them wet food..
So now I walk dump the cat on the table my cat gets dried food, it also gets wet food and chicken...plus it drinks milk and yes she will be 14 this year...dead silence from the vets..next question..😁
Yes. I am home with some really expensive food, both dry and wet. It is designed to 1. keep him from forming stones or crystals and 2. keep his weight down. He's always been my heavier kitty, while his littermate is borderline underweight.
So now I have to figure out a way to keep the skinny boy eating enough without leaving food out all the time for him, because the chonky one will eat it. And the dog will steal whatever food he can get his mouth on.
I was also told years ago that dry food is better for cats, so I fed mostly dry with the occasional wet food "treat". Now they're telling me to do the opposite, to feed mostly wet food, but they sold me a bag of dry food. Both are apparently laced with gold, judging by the price.
it's the ash content in dry cat food that causes problems, along with any calcium in the water...
my cat howard got canned fish and distilled water his last few years.
Let me guess...Science Diet.
My Missy (dog) had a bladder stone and when it was removed the vet "prescribed" the over priced dog food
Royal Canin.
They prescribed an amount per day, too, due to his chonkiness. He's going to hate me now. It's like a couple of tablespoons of dry food and half a can of wet food per meal. Two meals per day.
try something holistic. get some of those bunny-hugger live capture mouse traps...
My lovable little furry idiots struggle to eat sliced turkey. They'd starve if they tried to chew anything with bones.
mouse heads are like kitty bon bons... my cat howard only left their hind quarters and tails for the ex to find...
crunching while growling...
Even my last cat, who was allowed outside and caught the occasional mouse or lizard, never actually ate his kills. Once his toys stopped moving, he lost interest.
The dog, though - whew! Let's just say my yard has no rabbits in it.
So both kitties were locked in separate bathrooms for their dinners. The dog was only allowed in after they were finished eating, to polish off the leftovers. There was much whining and scratching at doors. This is going to be fun.
howard always sampled the kill, but he also had a problem with food portioning and was probably never very hungry. before his brother roger ran away or whatever, I used to have to use 2 food bowls, one for each. otherwise it got pretty loud while they were eating and eventually turned into a donnybrook if one finished before the other.
in our first apartment we left them alone for a week once when me and the ex went on vacation. we left multiple food and water bowls around the apartment, filled the sinks with water and put out an extra cat box. when we got back, their reaction was as if we hadn't left at all, a kitty so what, like they didn't care we came back. I was hurt.
they made me feel like I was hat in hand asking for my job back ...
So, the chonky cat has sort of settled into his eating routine. And now the skinny cat is refusing to eat. He is used to eating with his brother. But if I feed them together, his brother will eat the non-Rx food right out from under him. How do you get a cat who's not food-motivated to eat?
lol
that we know of
lol
I came late to this article
lol
Howard
I love it when people give their pets people names
lol - they were gifts - lol
skinny cat is jealous. feed him the same food, he drinks the same water. how many kitty kidney stones do you want to deal with in your life? either that or shut skinny kitty in a room with a water bowl and a cat box for 2 days. he'll be hungry when you let him out. /s
devangelical, solving problems for post graduate professionals for over 50 years...
howard the wonder cat, bringing home the groceries and earning his keep...
I've resorted to letting him eat the same food (even though it's 160 friggin' bucks for both the dry and wet), but I have no idea how much low-cal food to feed both a skinny cat who needs to gain weight AND a chonky cat who needs to lose weight to achieve both goals simultaneously.
My best math class years are far behind me.
put skinny kitty's food where fat kitty can't get to it, like on top of the fridge, and feed him canned fish mixed with the dry food. or you can install a cat door in jr's vacant bedroom that's too small for fat kitty to get thru...
You say that like you think I can get to the top of the fridge
Chonk is actually a better jumper than Slim, who seems to have something congenital that causes him to lack strength in his hind legs. He can't even jump on my bed; he climbs. But I also can't reach the top of the fridge easily.
I'm feeding them both eat the low-fat/kidney stone food in the prescribed amount. I'm hoping Chonk is hungry and mean enough to keep Slim from eating much of it. Then I lock Slim up with regular food, and he eats a little bit, which I hope is enough to keep him alive. Getting him to eat has always been a challenge. He just sort of forgets he's hungry 2 bites in and walks away. I wish I had that problem.
The winner in all of this is the dog, who gets to finish Slim's leftover wet food.
Poor kitty.
great, another member of the step stool in the kitchen club. have you thought about having your kitchen remodeled for a little person? plenty of those in my family and I seem to be on my way to joining them. in my last physical I was shocked to learn I was no longer 5'10", I had shrunk to 5'8.75". I made the poor girl measure my height again. then I heard my Dr tell me I needed to gain 5 or 10 pounds. first time I've heard that in 50 years. f'n old age and gravity ...
I could keep going with the kitty work arounds, but I give up.
A step stool lets me reach most of the cabinets. When I get really industrious and clean the space over the tops, or way in the back of the corner cabinets, I need a stepladder, or I stand on the counters (don't tell my dad). I never got above 5'0", and I assume I will be getting shorter any time soon.
I'd love to customize the kitchen, but it will be pretty pricey. I did have the island lowered as soon as I moved in. It was set way higher than the rest of the counters, just below shoulder height for me. Not exactly useful as a work surface. The male half of the previous couple was well over 6 feet tall, and he did most of the cooking, so it worked for him.
no comment on the slang term...
I sold kitchens a decade ago, $50K minimum. I hated it. way too many choices for the typical buyer...
industry standard for countertops is 42" or 44", I can't remember now. have you thought about a tiny home? /s
I'm easy to please as far as decor goes. I'd just either lower the upper cabinets, or incorporate mobile shelving, which I've read is an option.
I already installed quartz countertops when the old laminate started peeling. And I've replaced all of the appliances one at a time as they wore out.
I edited out 2 paragraphs of my rant about my shopping experiences with the ex. absolute torture...
you're always better off moneywise buying your own appliances on a kitchen remodel...
I believe those need to be treated periodically, but I can't (don't want to) remember those details either.
Everything I've read says they don't, but that I should avoid using cleaners containing bleach, which I do.
maybe it's marble or the fake shit that needs to be resealed...
I know granite does, and I'm pretty sure marble does, too.
I thought quartz was the fake shit?
Fancy Feast and all the water they want.
quartz is real, but they do have the created fake crap, I just don't care enough to remember anything about it.
This data seems to be just for their first life-- what about the other 8?
I've had 2 cats live to 18 years of age. One was a moggy with Russian Blue characteristics and the other was a tabby moggy. My current tabby moggy is Charlene who is of indeterminate age since she came to the house begging to move in. I think she's about 5 years old.
Top 5 Reasons To Get A ‘Moggy’ Cat
#5 Robust to the Brim
It’s nature. When animals can breed on their own, nature has a way of selecting the best genes, allowing the strongest and the fittest to be born. A moggy is genetically primed to be healthier, smarter, and more robust than her purebred cousins. In fact, many purebreds are plagued with health problems, while moggies aren't.
#4 Wash and Wear
A moggy will spend just as much time grooming as a purebred, and best of all, because the short-hair gene is dominant, most moggies don’t require much in the way of human grooming -- except, of course, from the odd brushing to cut down on hairballs. But a moggy is definitely the kind of low-maintenance cat you’ve always dreamed of having.
#3 A Little Geeky
You’ve heard it before about the occasional purebred (most likely inbred) cat: “She’s gorgeous but not very smart.” Not so with a moggy. They’re usually very smart, especially the older, adopted cats. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by their smarts and wily ways of navigating the world.
#2 Always a Surprise!
While some breeds are predisposed to certain personality traits, moggies have no such blueprint. It’s like having children. You don’t know what you’re going to get. But show them respect, love, and discipline, and you get the most amazing creature ever back. One who is very much her own cat. It’s fun.
#1 They're Adorable
Of course they are! Cats are beautiful, elegant creatures, even the clumsy ones (and we know a few, though we aren’t mentioning names). Their pride, elegance, and sleek felineness makes them all adorable. Having beautiful things is good for the soul, especially when one of those beautiful things happens to be a living creature.
Charlene is smart in some ways but kinda dim in others. She's clumsy, too. And a coward when it comes to thunder storms. She will take on the biggest, baddest dog (the bigger the better) but will not step out onto the front porch during a thunderstorm.
She's my little love bug. I thought she would be Mr G's cat but she's definitely my cat. She rewards him with a little attention every day, tho
my cat howard was the opposite of the runt of the litter compared to his kitten peers. he wasn't that smart either, but he was lovable and kid proof. despite his size, he was terrified of all dogs. climb up your leg and torso to get to the top of your head terrified. he was a great hunter though, and really seemed to enjoy bringing mortally wounded creatures home to irritate the ex by turning them loose in the house. I still miss him...
I had a tabby named George who like to catch moles and bring them in the house. He would set it down then cry because it was dead. He only wanted to play with them, but like Lenny in "Of Mice and Men" he "petted" them too hard. I always said we should have named him Lenny
I still remember trapping a mouse and putting it inside an empty glass gallon milk bottle back in the 70's and laughing my ass off watching howard try to solve that puzzle. he just didn't quite have the reach. of course, practically anything was funny after several bong hits...
My oldest grandson and his fiance live in a small town on the coast of Southern Oregon and have a Maine Coon hybrid. He says the cat is pretty smart, big, and has a sassy attitude to match. My grandson tells me the cat is the landlord and they are the tenants.
That's with any cat.
Mr. G has been thinking about a Maine Coon. They're beautiful but if you get a long haired one, it's a lot of maintenance
better first replace your entire wardrobe to fur clothing if you get a maine coon...
house cats helped me sell a lot of home improvements. some lady even called me the cat whisperer when I scooped up her allegedly people hating fat siamese cat and held it like a baby. I still remember the look of shock on her face when kitty didn't go psycho on me. she bought it a garden window so it could watch the birds outside while laying in it. not the first time that happened. cha-ching...
Awww...how sweet! Charlene is shy but will become your best friend if you give her kitty crack. My sister was over one afternoon and after she gave her treats, she was all my sister. Best friends for life!
Mr G has found a tuxedo around his dorm. Says she's very friendly and if he can get her in the cat carrier he's bringing her home
Evening...the cat probably thought you were going to fed it.. it's called stomach love..
he was too big for a shoe box, but fit perfectly into my sample case.
customer said "he hates everyone and never lets anyone pick him up" and was visibly shocked...
The one my grandson has is a forest persian/Maine Coon hybrid and his has long hair. They are constantly having to vacuum their furniture.
Arvo...yep and their clothes, bed, carpet, floors etc etc..
I use to blame my Scotch Collie for dropping hair, it's the flipping cat...
I had two Maine Coon cats. Found them as kittens under the dumpster at work.
I make up songs about most of my companions. One's name was Squirt the Bigger Pigger Tigger Chicken Monster, so....
The Other was named Mischief. She had been trying to get out of the box they were in all day at work. When I brought them home I put them in a school bus that I was converting to a mobile home. This little girl went straight for the heating ducts. I would remove a part of the heating duct and she would slip back farther into the system. Eventually, there was no more heating duct to remove from the bus and she came out by default.
Foolish? Maybe. But I love my animals. Squirt died at 7 of a tick-born disease when I lived in Arkansas. Mischief died at the ripe old age of 18.
I was hanging doors with brochures around one of my projects one time and I heard what I thought was a baby crying. I rang the doorbell and knocked several times with no answer. becoming very concerned I called the receptionist at work to have her call the police for a welfare check on the address. luckily while I was on the phone the homeowner drove up. very concerned, I blurted out there's a baby crying inside the home to her. she started laughing and told me it was her cat and he probably thought she was home when he heard me outside. she entered the home and brought an extra large siamese cat to the front door that was still meowing like a baby's cry. we both laughed about it and then I continued my walk down the street.
oh my, Howard sounds like a real gem - lol
'practically anything was funny after several bong hits...'
too true
Over the years have adopted many cats who have just showed up at the door.
Guess I've always seemed an easy mark.
That's how most of my cats come to me
Same with me. Sadly, the last three I had for a couple of years as outside cats and they all disappeared over time. Victims of coyotes I suspect, as in the four legged variety rather than the two legged ones here on Arizona/Mexico desert border. Both are very common here.
They pick you. It's not the other way around
Morning...all our dust bin jobs lasted around 18 years..
The flipping blue blood ragdoll I have at the moment will be 14 in November if it lasts that long...
Decides to sit on me at 3am this morning just staring at me...I am tired and it has gone back to bed after having a snack..
Note the grey cat blanket top right hand side... huh!!! you expect me to sleep there when I can drop fur all over the quilt instead...
Looks like a seal point I had back in the 80s.
My male short-hair tuxedo mixed breed Fidget lived 17 years, was my buddy for a long time before I married, but continued to be special by my then wife and our kids.
Well, this is depressing. My Wally is 13 and a bit chunky. I'd like to have him around for as many years as I can. Whaaaaaaaa.
Keep in mind that the survey was in England, and things might well be different elsewhere, where as you see from the comments, reaching 17 or 18 is not unusual.
I have a photo of your Wally:
My daughter got her cats an exercise wheel. They love it, especially Zelda who has a large body and small head
there's some really funny youtube videos with those cat wheels...
Back in the day spent hundreds on a habitat for my ferrets. They loved it.
I had ferrets. They're great! But they don't live very long
they smell like a loaded cat box...
They do not. I had mine descented and bathed them once a week
unless they kill snakes, mice, and rats, they're useless...
They entertained me. That alone made them worthwhile
I think it was Mark Twain who said god annoyed him for giving dogs just 2 decades of life.
We are destined to outlive our cats and dogs because god loves turtles.
Does He/She let them eat scallops?
There are no bad dogs only bad dog parents
The ultimate "Ninja Cat" video.
I could only find it on Instagram
(These cats have more than nine lives!)