How long do they live? Does breed matter?

[dogperson2cats]

I don't know where this belongs but life-span is tied to health, right?

But seriously. I KNOW I mentioned a semi-feral senior who was PTS almost 2 years ago at age of 16 (I think. He was old as dirt.) But that's not a common thing here. So how long are they supposed to live? My annoying but adorable tortie is 8. (Or 8 years, 3 months and 25 days since I got her which I count as her birthday.) And she's always been tiny; 8-10 pounds but she's rarely going above 5 pounds now. (A couple years ago, the neighbors put poison tuna out and she got into it. Nearly died but somehow survived and now will not gain weight beyond 5, maybe 7 pounds if we're lucky.) She's always had a fragile stomach; even as a young cat, it took nothing for her to throw up and hairballs? She's basically *all* fur so you can guess!

I am guessing with all I've said, she might make it to 12 and that's it. But am I just being hopeful? (Of course I'd want her to live forever.)

This is going to sound crazy but I sometimes open my third eye; as has my mom, her sister, and their mother. And lately, my mom and I have been having the exact same dream over and over; that we go out to let the cats in and my female is dead under the tree in the yard. She was...weird the other night; not eating even her fave foods, cold to the touch, breathing hard. Then...back to normal the next day.

I am just saying she had a massive hairball that needed to come up (I know I wouldn't want to eat!) and it was just making her sick and she got it up and is now ok. But the dream started THAT night. I rarely have the same dream two nights in a row, let alone almost a week. And mom and I having the same dream? Rarer still.

So yeah...how long as they supposed to live? Should I start making a plan for burial?

Have a pic of her <3

 

[Willowy]

The average age for a spayed/neutered indoor pet cat is around age 17. Obviously an average means that some live longer and some have a shorter lifespan. Outdoor cats are more likely to meet with an accident, foul play, or a predator, so their average lifespan is a lot shorter. But if they manage to avoid trouble, there's no reason they won't live to their late teens too.

A cat who has organ damage from previous poisoning may not reach the average lifespan, but a lot of that is dependent on receiving proper vet care too. Does she have a vet diagnosis? Has she had bloodwork so you know what part of her was damaged? There are a lot of variables.

As always, of course, if you think your cat is sick, call the vet. There no substitute for proper medical care.

 

[dogperson2cats]

The average age for a spayed/neutered indoor pet cat is around age 17. Obviously an average means that some live longer and some have a shorter lifespan. Outdoor cats are more likely to meet with an accident, foul play, or a predator, so their average lifespan is a lot shorter. But if they manage to avoid trouble, there's no reason they won't live to their late teens too.

A cat who has organ damage from previous poisoning may not reach the average lifespan, but a lot of that is dependent on receiving proper vet care too. Does she have a vet diagnosis? Has she had bloodwork so you know what part of her was damaged? There are a lot of variables.

As always, of course, if you think your cat is sick, call the vet. There no substitute for proper medical care.

The vet is charging us a few grand for basic tests. We didn't take her when she was poisoned because we didn't have the 5-8 grand he wanted and she went down-hill so fast that we honestly just made her comfy and expected her to die overnight. Nope; she worked her remaining half tail* off and got better each day. (She's like that, you know. Stubborn as anything and will not be kept down.) She HAS been to the vet once since then; a little over a year ago the vet wanted to see her before agreeing to let us take our rescue stray home just in case something was passed between them. We didn't have to pay for most of that because the cat rescue owed us a favor** and agreed to cover a one-time fee of less than 2K. (We paid for the strays neutering and pre-op check and the rescue paid for his meds and my cats exam.) I don't know what he did but he gave her a clean bill of health (and was well-aware she had be poisoned).

Honestly, I don't know if she's sick or not; she's always had a sensitive stomach and hairballs wreck her. (She doesn't like the anti-hairball foods and we don't want to shave her; she'd tear the eyes out of us and looks like a pink and black moo cow under that fluff.) She's always been a bit...off. But she's always come back with a clean bill of heath down to her teeth being perfect. They just say since she was always small; likely the runt, she probably looks and acts worse than she actually is because it will show more.

I complain about her a lot. She is sooo freaking annoying and remember; I am a DOG lover. But when she looks at me I melt. She sleeps under my covers all night and snores like a grown human man. (And the farts...she's the only cat that I know who can crop-dust and Dutch-oven...) She chose me and I cannot say no to that face; could you?

*We found her as an 8-week old kitten; she was the size of a newborn and later matched with a mom and litter found killed with their tails hacked off like hers was. The cops said whoever did it kept the tails as trophies and no; they were never caught.

**Long story short: We took in a 17-20 year-old cat for Hospice when his owner, a relative with dementia rapidly went downhill. Someone made a false claim of abuse and local cat rescues swarmed us and tried to take our cats away only to realize that THEY were the ones who helped us afford our other cats' vet bills and knew us personally. They apologized and to make it up said they'd cover the hospice cats euthanasia fees if it came to that and would pay part of the next major vet bill for any of our cats.

 

[Willowy]

Bloodwork and x-rays shouldn't cost thousands. An MRI or CT scan might, but you don't need those. Is there another vet in the area so you can priceshop?

 

[dogperson2cats]

Bloodwork and x-rays shouldn't cost thousands. An MRI or CT scan might, but you don't need those. Is there another vet in the area so you can priceshop?

No other vets at all. (Unless I was to pay to surrender her to the SPCA and deal with them shaming me on FB for abandoning her. You know I reached out to them when I was 18 and explained that I was in a not-ideal place and that no people shelters would let me keep her and rather than help me, they told me to *stay* in my current situation and threatened to report me for animal abuse if I chose to be homeless with her? I stayed and things eventually got better but yeah...) The vet clinic in my area looks like mansion for a reason; he charges you way more than it's worth and really only helps your animal if he knows you have lots of money; otherwise he just gives them placebos and extorts you.

A friend of mine is a vet tech in another part of the country and she's after reaming me about being 'so disrespectful' towards vet staff. I snapped back (and was later told off for it by her fiance) and told her "Only the ones who put money above the quality of care they provide since they lost their hearts and humanity ages ago." Didn't speak for a couple weeks after that and even now months later, she doesn't mention her work and I don't ask for her advice.

I went out today to get some grass for my guinea pigs to eat and didn't know nothing until my cat jumped down onto my back from a tree. My back is torn to rivets but the cat is content to be attached to me it seems...

 

[dustydiamond1]

Keeping her inside fulltime would be best for her. If she insists on going out put a harness and leash on her and go with the poor dear.

 

[dogperson2cats]

Keeping her inside fulltime would be best for her. If she insists on going out put a harness and leash on her and go with the poor dear.

Oh gods the one thing I'd never do is keep a cat indoors. (Especially mine since she's a nightmare 95% of the time. Maybe if it was from birth and the cat didn't meow or claw at things it would work...) Do you have a good harness idea? I've tried ones made for rodents; tightened them so tight it should have been stopped and she *still* got out of it. I swear she's part ghost! (We lost her in the walls when she was a kitten. Didn't know there was a space behind the bathroom sink before that. It was funny, though! My dad popped a panel off the wall of my brothers room and literally reached in and pulled her out. She'd climbed onto the hot water pipes to keep her paws warm.)


If she'd walk on a leash, I'd take her everywhere. She chases me to the point I have to sneak out of the house.

 

[JC fka JClark]

Of course. Like pure bred dogs, pure bred cats can have breed specific health issues which shorten lifespan.

An example is the Maine Coon. They're one of the largest domestic breeds and can develop heart issues and as well as arthritis OR hip dysplasia*. Yes, there are MC which are 18- 20 yrs old but they look so sad.

*There is some talk with German Shepard owners that spay/neutering at six months or earlier hinders joint development of large dogs. I wonder if that could be applied to Maine Coons since they take 4 years to reach full maturity

 

[Antonio65]

I knew that breed affects the lifespan.
Certain breeds have a shorter lifespan, like Persians and all the breeds similar to them.
Other breeds have a longer lifespan, like Oriental breeds.
Mixed breeds are those who live longer.

In Italy, the common DSH cat is called "European Cat", and is known for a long lifespan. I also knew that certain coat types could result in longer lives, and among these there are the tortieshell. I was told they are known for their long life and resistance to diseases, or for the ability to recover from a disease.

The cat that you see in my avatar was a tortie European Cat, she suffered from many diseases and always recovered against all odds, vets were amazed at how she was able to survive to something that they were sure would have killed her. And a few vets told me she was that strong because she was a tortie.

So I think you shouldn't worry about your cat, as long as you protect her and don't let her out where too many dangers lure.
Like dustydiamond1 siad, put a harness and leash on her and walk her out, safely.
I did it with all my cats and none suffered from that torture

 

[dogperson2cats]

I knew that breed affects the lifespan.
Certain breeds have a shorter lifespan, like Persians and all the breeds similar to them.
Other breeds have a longer lifespan, like Oriental breeds.
Mixed breeds are those who live longer.

In Italy, the common DSH cat is called "European Cat", and is known for a long lifespan. I also knew that certain coat types could result in longer lives, and among these there are the tortieshell. I was told they are known for their long life and resistance to diseases, or for the ability to recover from a disease.

The cat that you see in my avatar was a tortie European Cat, she suffered from many diseases and always recovered against all odds, vets were amazed at how she was able to survive to something that they were sure would have killed her. And a few vets told me she was that strong because she was a tortie.

So I think you shouldn't worry about your cat, as long as you protect her and don't let her out where too many dangers lure.
Like dustydiamond1 siad, put a harness and leash on her and walk her out, safely.
I did it with all my cats and none suffered from that torture

That cat is beautiful! Yeah that sounds like my girl; apparently indestructible.

Easier said than done; she's even slipped her *whole body* from the shoulders down through a collar on her neck because she couldn't get it off over her head. So we've decided none of our cats wear collars cause nobody has the patience to tighten them daily anymore.

Dogs. That's all I ever wanted. Had two but also had...I don't know...30 cats in my 25 years? Like...where do they come from? Why is there so many? WHO KEEPS GIVING MY MOTHER CATS?! I swear we get rid of one (rehome or PTS if health issues demand it) and then another just so happens to show up. I've even had people *drive to my house* or *come find me on the street* and literally just chuck a cat at me and leave. We're not rich and don't advertise ourselves as cat people.

But they find us.