Average lifespan of indoor female cat that's spayed?

[bugmankeith]

What is average lifespan for an indoor female cat?

My cat is 13 and dramatically slowing down. My families very first cat was put to sleep at 12 because of major health issues he had for years, so ive never had an otherwise "average" cat, this is our first. I don't know about old age in animals so that is partly why I ask, I hope her slowing down doesn't mean she doesn't have long to live

 

[fleabags mom]

I don't know, about 15-17 years? Some cats live longer too don't they? I don't think slowing down tho means that she may not live long if that makes you feel less worried.  It's just that things begin to ache & hurt more and they stop being so active, bit like us I guess!  My neighbours cat is 16 years old and she no longer plays or anything and spends most of her days asleep or cuddling. Perfectly happy and content tho and likes to be in the living room with her human parents.  My old dog, bless him, spent his last 3 years at a much much slower pace. He wanted to play and go for long walks but he suffered so much next day with stiffness. So we took him for shorter walks instead and only played for short periods of time to let him recover. He spent 3 happy years like that tho before he passed away aged 14 - good age for a large dog.

 

[snugglecat]

I had a friend who had a cat that lived to the ripe old age of 25.

 

[cprcheetah]

My dad had a cat live to be 23 he was actually a mostly outdoor cat too.  I have a 14 & 1/2 year old kitty.  I hope she lives that long.  Average I would say is about 12-14 years old.  Has your cat seen a vet recently?  There are things they can do to help out senior kitties be more comfortable.

 

[mservant]

I had 2 indoor spayed girls. Sisters. One started to slow down and looked more and more arthritic from 10 or 11, she had been really active and jumped about a lot as a young cat.  Her sister remained fit and active and always looked like a young cat. The fit and active one passed on at 17 3/4; suddenly after advanced brain tumours became aparent and she couldn't do anything for herself anymore - jumping and running one second and flat on a sofa unable to figure out how to stand or walk the next.  The one who was slow and arthritic, that by then I had to lift on and off furniture because she couldn't even manage steps, toddled on until she was 21 3/4!  She was chilled out and spent her last 4 years relaxing on every comfy warm spot she could find in a new found confidence that her wild sister wasn't going to dive bomb her.  She was so cute and gentle those 4 years on her own with me.....  I don't think you can predict what life has in store. 

 

[bugmankeith]

Yes she has seen a vet, I've bought cozy cat beds to put on the floor and elevated up so she has warm places to sleep but she can go anywhere she wants like our beds and couches. She used to be a very jumpy cat and always active running and jumping, now she is so laid back and sleeps most of the day, this has been happening over the past few months and she has seen a vet around then and no issues but minor arthritis but that never stopped her from being much more active so I'm worried a little.

 

[andrya]

Does she take daily Cosequin for her arthritis?

Our old lady Sammi 

 really slowed down in the last couple of years of her life. She became very stiff in the last year, and Cosequin did help. Though l think it would have been better sooner.

 

[bugmankeith]

Does she take daily Cosequin for her arthritis?
Our old lady Sammi   really slowed down in the last couple of years of her life. She became very stiff in the last year, and Cosequin did help. Though l think it would have been better sooner.

I was thinking about it but possible side effects are vomiting and diarrhea, she has a sensitive stomach and sometimes gets loose stools so cosequin might make it worse and that won't be much of a help for her health.

 

[redcat57]

Our girls have been in the 15 to 18 year band.

While our current girls are indoor only unless of a harness, all the previous were indoor/outdoor.

When our last girl Pippi started to get creaky and couldn't jump we started with a cat specific glucosamine supplement.

Within a week she was beck to jumping on the bed.

When they discontinued the brand of supplement we were using, I started grinding up my human tablets from Costco and using that.

Easy to do and pennies on the cost of the cat version.

 

[Willowy]

I believe I read somewhere that average for a spayed indoor female is 17, for an indoor neutered male is 15. That may be an old survey though.

 

[momto3cats]

I've had three spayed female indoor cats, all of whom have lived well into their teens. The first two lived 17 and 15 years; I have one who's still alive and doing fairly well at 16. They do slow down in their later years, but they can still have a good quality of life for some time.

If you haven't yet, you might want to get bloodwork done to find out if she has any health problems brewing that might be making her feel less energetic. If nothing shows up, you'll have some peace of mind, or if there is something you might be able to catch and treat it early.

 

[lilin]

What is average lifespan for an indoor female cat?

My cat is 13 and dramatically slowing down. My families very first cat was put to sleep at 12 because of major health issues he had for years, so ive never had an otherwise "average" cat, this is our first. I don't know about old age in animals so that is partly why I ask, I hope her slowing down doesn't mean she doesn't have long to live

The big ballpark average is about 15 to 20, but every cat will be different, and that's not always the owner's fault.

My last kitty -- female, spayed, indoor only -- made it to 15, but her projected lifespan was only 12. And right on schedule, she developed major health problems at 12 years old. It's frankly a miracle she made it to 15 at all. I think it was just sheer stubbornness.

The problem was her genetics. She was a purebred, probably from a very inbred line. She always had an extremely sensitive system right from the start. She got all the medical care I could possibly give her, but at the end of the day, her body was just set to break down a little earlier than most cats. It took me a while to fully accept that.

I now have another kitty who is also female, spayed, and indoor only, but because she's a "moggie" cat, she will probably live longer than Pearl did, simply because her body is stronger genetically (and she's now safely in adulthood, so the chance of any catastrophic disorder hitting her is fairly low).

Slowing down doesn't necessarily mean their time is short. Humans "slow down" at 50 or 60, but might live reasonably healthfully for another 20 or 30 years. She's just getting older.

You will want to bring her in for check-ups and blood/urine work more frequently now that she's a senior. Her arthritis might be getting a bit worse -- this is very common in older cats -- and perhaps there's some supplements or medication that can help with that and get her moving more. Maybe something like fatty oils added to her food. Take it up with the vet. But maybe she's just getting older. I mean, in human terms, your cat is in her 60's now, and it's perfectly understandable that she's not acting like a young cat anymore.

Try not to worry about it too much. Just keep up with senior care, and enjoy your time with her.

 

[stewball]

I was thinking about it but possible side effects are vomiting and diarrhea, she has a sensitive stomach and sometimes gets loose stools so cosequin might make it worse and that won't be much of a help for her health.

Frankly if she's still able to walk around with no problem then I wouldn't start giving medicines.
My female lived to be 16 when her kidneys let her down. My male till about 20. If the vet says she's okay then I don't think that you really need to worry. Just lots of love and attention.
My 2 used to spend most of their sleeping time on my lap.

 

[luvzmykatz]

My first cat Patty lived to be 16 she was an indoor outdoor cat.

Second Ricky lived to be 15 but he had multiple health issues that were causing him severe pain and had to have him put to sleep.  He also had IBD/ and often got UTI infections.

I adopted a 1 year hold sometime after him who I found paralized on the bathroom floor a few months later.  He'd been to the vet a few days before and all functions has seemed fine.  Had to have her put to sleep because there was nothing the vet could do.  She was only 1.5 years old.

Rasta cat number 4 is running on 9 or 10 years and show not health issues other than throwing up occassionally when she has worms.

I also had another 1.5 year old cat Odie who may or may not have worms bad right now otherwise he's fine.  I has a year old foster who may or may not have worms bad and shes fine as well.

My dad recently lost his six year cat to some kind of heart attack. 

It appears when it's there time to go they go.  If they are happy and have a good quality of life I do my best for them but if they are in pain an suffering I tend to let them go especially if nothing can be done. 

Your 13 year old cat might have 7 years or might only have a few months or days.  Like the rest of us no one knows just live life and enjoy every moment and do the best for you cats so they can enjoy life too. 

 

[cocheezie]

My indoor (unless on a harness) spayed cat is 16 1/2, but has recently developed serious health issues and will probably not make 17.

One outdoor neutered male make it to 18 (liver). One outdoor neutered male made it to 15/16(?). He was a known stray and one day I couldn't stand it anymore and picked him up and threw him into the car and brought home. He was a pure white cat with no hearing problems, but a couple of vets have said to me that white cats seem to be at the bottom of the gene pool. Heart problems got him.

 

[nordicangel]

BugManKeith - Regarding your Cosequin concern:

My 17 yr old cat had chronic severe diarrhea and loose stools, which gradually took almost 2 yrs to get his stools firmed back up to normal (he had a form of pancreatitis, and gastritis - due to his age and other issues, it took him a long time to recover but he DID recover).

CONTINUE COSEQUIN: Freddie had been (and still is) on Cosequin prior to the chronic diarrhea & loose stools issue. Vet insisted I absolutely must CONTINUE his COSQUIN regime (powder from 2 caps added to food) which he had currenyl been on for over 6 ys for his arthritis and for his bladder health (as a kitten he had UTI issues). Vet says Cosequin DOES NOT contribute to loose stools or diarrhea, and further said Cosequin is very well tolerated by the majority of cats with chronic GI problems. She was correct, it did not contribute to loose stools, nor did it prevent them from firming up.

STOP OMEGA-3 Fish Oils - My vet requested I Stop giving Fred his periodic Fish Oils supplements and to wait until after his stools returend to normal, or stablize over time.

"OPTIONAL" Only (not required) - Vet later provided other "non-prescription" options that have worked for some of her other cat clients. She said to try one at a time to know which one works, and doesn't work. Also reminded me that cats are picky - some will not like the taste/smell of these, while others will lap it right up, and everywhere in between. She suggested I experiment with these, but be sure to try only one at a time to determine if the cat likes it or not. or while, before changing to another:

1. Canned Pumpkin (ingredients must be pure pumpkin, with or without water only) - start out with small amount ie. 1/4-1/2 tsp, to see if cat likes it - experiment by giving as a snack in a seperate dish, or off your finger or spoon, or mix small amount with canned food.
2. Probiotic nuttritional supplement - When I asked for the name of one, she mentioned Purina - Feline Probiotic powder (tiny "sugar size" sachet packets of feline powder probiotic). One packet mixed in with canned food. Supposedly tasteless, it's Very well tolerated in majority of cats.
3. Coconut Milk (incredients must have pure coconut milk, and water only) - give alone or mix with canned food. very sweet, so start with 1/8- 1/4 tsp

 

[buffy2011]

What is average lifespan for an indoor female cat?

My cat is 13 and dramatically slowing down. My families very first cat was put to sleep at 12 because of major health issues he had for years, so ive never had an otherwise "average" cat, this is our first. I don't know about old age in animals so that is partly why I ask, I hope her slowing down doesn't mean she doesn't have long to live

I had a cat and she was turning 20. She had a seizure one time and it made her vision go bad but she did great. Here she had high blood pressure. So she was on blood pressure medicine and did great but this is what I think happened. The blood pressure medicine just like in humans messes up your stomach and that's what happened to her. She quit eating and dumb me at the time, the vet said her teeth maybe were bad and I let them put her to sleep and clean her teeth. That wasn't the problem she was bleeding internally. And I heard many people tell  me the same thing when there cat got sick, right away the vets want to clean there teeth and its not the problem. But if I would of know that this messed her stomach up I would of done something else and she would still be here with me because that broke my heart.  They do slow down but they are still healthy and live a good long happy life. 

 

[mythkeeper]

I had two girls that were sisters, DSH.  One had allergies which caused inflammatory bowel disease, but with careful and judicious use of prednisolone she lived until 15.  The other one was still going strong at 16 and could jump up into my arms even.  She did slow down at 17 and then made a steady decline with the usual kidney failure that often accompanies old age - she lived till 19.  So, I think as others have said, probably 15 - 17 is about average.

 

[momof3b1g]

Our oldest cat is about 18. The runt of the litter, born with just 3 legs. She has outlived her litter mates and parents. She is getting old. But still eats and poops. Lol

 

[alyssam]

All of the indoor cats I've known throughout my life (mom's, aunt's, grandparent's cats) have all lived to be in the range of 18-21 years. Also all were female and spayed. I was actually pretty confused when my boyfriend told me all of his cats had only ever lived to be 12 or so. Having only ever known cats living to be MUCH older than that. I guess it just depends on the cat itself. None of the above cats had any serious health issues and only one had arthritis in her last years.