How Old Do Cats Live?

My cat is 12 years old right now, she's the only pet I've ever had. (Apart from some goldfish and a turtle when I was really young)

I'm really worrying about how much longer she's going to be around. :scared:

I've had her all my adult life and I miss her.

so I'd say, about a few more years left if she's healthy.

14 or 15 is old for an indoor cat. 20 is not unheard-of.

and never had any medical problems.

my avatar kitty was an avid outsdoors kitty and made it to 18. not long enough, though.

the longest i've ever had a cat was 17 years.

You see, if your cat is fat and moving slowly around along with always seeming lethargic, it could live anywhere between a month and 3-4 years. If it is still in good health, moving around a lot and skinny, then its got a while.

My old cat lived to be 15.

and still really energetic.

She could live another 5-6 years if she continues at her current rate of aging.

Has always been under 10 pounds - right now at 7. Maybe that's why she has lived so long.

lived for 17 years....finally had to put her down...kept bumping into walls.....now we have a small dog he's 15.5 years old.

when we lost him last winter. :cry:

They are such essential beings in our worlds. I lost my 18 yr old TARA 7 years ago, and she still 'sleeps' on the nightstand (in a cat-shaped urn). I STILL miss her, and probably always will.

Best food on the market!! Pet her, and love her. Good food, good love, they will generally make it to 18+.

Then we had to have her put down...intestinal cancer.

was that our mean old bastard of a neighbor didn't like cats and left antifreeze out. He drank some of it and it shut his kidneys down. The Vet said he was in otherwise perfect health and he could have lived for at least another 5 years. Had we had the money to give him Dialysis we may have been able to keep him another few years. By the time we figured out that he was sick, it was too late. We put my best Friend of 18 years down. He was the coolest cat too, He used to let me dress him up in baby doll clothes and push him around the neighborhood in a pink baby doll stroller....

I am so sorry for you! You should do some research on WHY bittering agent was not legally mandated to be put in anti-freeze 7 or so years ago (like Sierra brand). You will be shocked and disgusted.

junior was Fixed, he didn't "spray" or mark his territory, he would simply walk through this bastard's yard... It wasn't like Juni was hanging off his curtains or anything. The even worse part of it? My Mother is friends with this man, and his wife. She watches their house if they go on vacation and everything. I wanna Kick Fran sometimes, I really do. :mad:

It's good that you are above that.

did in retaliation. :evilgrin: Trust me, He paid for it. Let's see, I wonder if the statute of Limitations is up????? LOL

But I was hoping you would say that!

So I guess it's a good thing nobody ever has. I would exhaust all legal remedies to make someone's life abso-f'ing-lutely miserable if they did that to one of my cats.

Gives me the heebees just thinking about it.

called. Animal Cruelty laws. I would have been mad as hell if I were your mom and never do anything for that bastard again. Antifreeze is a very painful death.

I'd start me a fire. Their car, maybe. Their place if I should happen to find it empty.

The neighbor has his Doctorate in Music. He is a self absorbed little repuke fruitcake. He was more effeminate than his wife. His wife is a decent soul, puts you in the mind of Eleanor Roosevelt but very thin and gaunt. She admitted to me, after seeing me crying, that her husband had poisoned my cat. He put a can of Tuna out and a thoroughly drenched it with Antifreeze. For good measure he also put out a bowl of watered down antifreeze. Junior was a sucker for tuna... He put it out by the gazebo that stood in the absolute middle of his yard. Juni's Fate was decided because he knocked a plant over on the guy's porch. The only reason Juni did it was because the guy threw water on him and Jun freaked. I happened to be at Mom's and saw it happen. I apologized and cleaned the mess up, He seemed ok with it, the planter and plant were ok, it was just knocked over, He said to me "it's ok, Accidents Happen."

He told his wife what he had done and Why about a week after he did it. She liked my Cat, remembered me dressing him up and pushing him around in the stroller. Her words to this day amaze me. "It is funny to me that "Mr. Creepy Neighbor" chose his gazebo for the site of the premeditated Murder of your little cat. The cat knocked over a plant but only after "Mr. Creepy" had dumped water on him. Well, The gazebo stands in the middle of my Yard. It isn't near the house or the garage, or any trees. It's an eyesore, and if something happened and it caught on fire and burned down, I would be fine with that..." Here I sit, jaw on my lap... She continued with "He really likes that gazebo, But I believe in Karma. You know what they say don't you?" flash to me, jaw on the sidewalk at this point...."An Eye for an Eye and a gazebo for a Cat......" I was just staring at her, dumbfounded.
She added "I think I will forget to lock the garage tonight, and there is a gasoline can on the floor right as you go in the door on the left. That gazebo sure is ugly and now that it is the site of a Homicide, It is even worse, I think "Lightening" should strike it tonight..." She asked me if I was getting all she said, and I shook my head yes. She stood up, Hugged me and shoved something into my back pocket. I grabbed the object out of my pocket... It was a box of those old Ohio Blue tip Strike anywhere matches.

Oddly, that night Mrs. Cool as hell who is married to Mr. Creepy neighbor forgot to lock the garage.... :evilgrin: Lightening is a neat thing up home. Bolts come out of the blue. I found out later that she wouldn't let him call the fire company. He was out there with a hose trying to put out the gazebo that "lightening" had struck.

He got a note the next day....
"Dear Creepy Neighbor,
Accidents, indeed do happen. While dreaming tonight remember the following: Little girls who push cats around in Strollers learn quick as they grow up. Hell hath no Fury like a Woman with your last name who hired me to get rid of an eyesore in her backyard.

It was signed as follows; A grown up little girl who pushed a cat in a stroller, Junior the Cat, and "Mrs. Cool as Hell Neighbor who is married to Mr. Creepy neighbor." She happens to be a Notary. She put her seal on it.

Live into their twenties.

and one of the cats I have now is 17. They both spent most of their time indoors though.

other dread diseases or accidents cats can live up to 20 years.

I lost one last year at 17.

but I have lost them at all kinds of ages..it all depends.

have lived til they were 15-16, I think alot depends also if they are indoor or outdoor cats.
Blessings
~~Celtic

and to be sure he's having a rougher time of it now. His hind legs are a bit wobbly. Another friend of mine had a cat she nursed with love until he finally died at 28 - he was a Siamese. Observing both my friends, they're both cat people who bestow a lot of love to their cats. Both live alone and both had/have two cats that kept each other company.

Best of luck with your cat and with a lot of lovin he has many years left to love you back. :)

She can still scare the Pitbull and Newfoundland off (big dogs) as well as the two younger cats. Our sea of animals parts when the Queen passes by. She looks a bit ragged and insists on eating only people food now, but she still has attitude and grace.

Cats can live to 20 or 22 but they are really geriatic by that point. Like humans, they can develop medical conditions that shorten her life. All you can do is make sure she is seen by her vet once a year and that you seek treatment for her whenever something is amiss. Remember they can't talk so you have to watch them for changes in behavior.

...lived to be 31!

"The world's oldest cat has died, two months after celebrating its 31st birthday.

Spike, a ginger and white tom, died in his owner's arms at Bridport, Dorset.

The Guinness Book of Records confirmed Spike's claim to fame after owner Mo Elkington took him to an astonished vet three years ago...."

"...Mrs Elkington attributed Spike's long life to the aloe vera gel she had been putting in the cat food for 10 years. "


Spike when he was 30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1433749.stm

that could be verified. A registered Devon Rex that died shortly after his 35th birthday.

She will be in January. Whitestreak made it to around 20, Elliott was about 22. My Auntie Agnes had "an old cat" when I was 4 -- she still had the same cat when I was 19. I'd say 15 to 20 is a good run.

and he was in really good health right up until a few days before he died. then he went down really fast. that was just after memorial day and i still miss him so much... :cry:

She's having a rough time of it, but hanging in there.

She's a strong kitty!

the key to her longevity is that she's so laid back. She never gets excited about anything. A real cool cat.

because I have a German Shepherd that thinks they are lunch. But they've all lived to be 18-22 years of age. They get fed twice daily and have vet care when needed.

but my cats never go outside. I think that helps. Then again, my family had one who did go outside and lived to be 20.

A big, fluffy orange cat named Charles. He wasn't very bright, but he was very lovable. 12 really isn't all that old for a cat. Just get her to the vet for checkups regularly and don't let her get fat and she should live a long time. Generally cats live longer than most dogs.

...because it reminds me that there are good people in the world who love their cats and take care of them. And it also makes me happy to think of cats who are lucky enough to live with people like this.

Sadly, the oldest cats I've ever had only lived to be around 14 or 15. We really don't know how old they were because they were adults when we found them. Three of my five are in the 13-ish range, and I'm hoping we're doing enough to keep them healthy and happy as long as possible. As I've said in other threads on DU, I make a habit of weighing them, since unexplained weight changes are a good reason to take a cat in for a checkup. Even though they're all used to being put on the baby scale now, they still find it quite puzzling, I think. :-)

He was born in 1984 and died in January of 2003. :(

He was a good kitty.

and regular check-ups. My vet thinks that the most important choice that you can make is food. If you think about it, this makes perfect sense. If you give your cat good nutrition, this will promote good health and a longer life.

I have two friends who have had difficulty parting with their beloved cats at 21 and 22, respectively. My aunt, another cat lover, lost hers at 17. My closest friend, who feels about her cat as you do yours, is equally scared, since her cat just turned 17, and she came from a heartbreaking rescue situation, as a kitten. I lost my beloved Rhiannon at age seven. I asked the vet why, since I was willing to do anything for her, and did, and he said that it was his opinion that it was genetic predisposition. It sounds like your cat has made it over that hurdle and you have a lot of good years left together. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel.:hug:

moving my sister-in-law into a new house. They were tiny and starving. I took two of the three. One of them had lifelong problems. He was small and scrawny, diabetic, and I'm pretty sure he was mentally disabled. But he was so funny and affectionate. He died last year of kidney failure at 10 years old and I still miss him so much. His brother, on the other hand, is healthy and robust. The most gorgeous cat in the world (IMHO) and so sweet and affectionate. I hope he lives another 10 years, I just can't bear to lose him. He loves everybody and people can't get over how friendly he is.

Not everyone would take on a pet with lifelong problems, but I'm with you. I have adopted two cocker spaniels, in my life, who had seizures, though I didn't know it when I adopted either of them. I wish that I had known more, sooner, but I did my best for both of them. Those who care for special needs animals are truly angels. I am so sorry that you lost your little one, but he had a good life with you, much better than he would have had anywhere else. You have to remember this, though I know it is tough when you're hurting. And you can cherish your remaining kitty. He has many good years ahead of him, spent with you. I'm getting choked up, just thinking of all you've gone through. I know how tough it can be, and my thoughts are with you.O8)

That was so sweet! Now you've got ME all choked up. I have to go find Frankie and hug him 1000 times. ;)

You deserve so much credit for caring for those valuable little lives, as my friend in animal rescue calls them. She has placed two with me, and I've tried to live up to their trust. Give Frankie a hug for me, as well. He is one lucky kitty.:hug:

Another managed 16 and the third, 16-18, not sure as he was from the shelter and we can't be positive about his age when he picked my daughter out from all the other people.

The current feline resident might live out the week if she stops ambushing and biting us all. Been a long, very long, since I have had a kitten around ;)

Kept inside and fed decent food, shots kept current, your friend could be with you a good long while. But take care of teeth and know their needs change a bit as they age. Really good, nutrious food is a big help.

Do some reading. Pat the cat a lot. It's good for both of you. I hope you are together as long and me and my Smudgey.

The mother cat and her 3 kittens we took in were practically starved to death when we managed to bring them in. She was clearly used to people, but her kittens were totally wild things, running and hiding, preferably far, far away whenever a human showed up. My guess is the mothers previous owner found out she was pregnant and abandoned her. Unspayed female cat left outdoors gets pregnant? Go figure. :eyes:

Anyway, they are inside now, all spayed, all dewormed, all de-fleaed, and 2 of the 4 (the mother and one kitten) are downright human friendly. The other 2 kittens still take some coaxing (or food) to allow themselves to be petted and scritched.

We're looking for homes for them now. Might have leads for a couple of them. But if any DUers in the MD area are interested in earning a cats affection, please let me know.

barring any health probs that might happen of course. I have known indoor-only kitties who lived to be 24. Growing up in the country though, we had dozens of farm cats, most of whom were lucky if they reached the ripe old geezer age of 10.

or four that made it past 16 or 17 years old. They're still alive.