Is it possible to accurately guess how long any particular cat will live?

tiggerwillow

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Can a human accurately guess how long a cat will live?
 
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tiggerwillow

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yeah genes, current environment, past environment, indoor/outdoor etc

sorry i'm scared of losing Tigger any time soon

she's 10 or 11 with a bad leg
 

FeebysOwner

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yeah genes, current environment, past environment, indoor/outdoor etc
sorry i'm scared of losing Tigger any time soon she's 10 or 11 with a bad leg
I have only had 3 cats but one lived to 12 (passed away from cancer), another lived to 15 (succumbed to FIP), and my current cat who is now 18+yo. There is just no telling - but a bad leg is probably not a driving factor to Tigger's life span, especially is she is an indoor only cat.
 
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tiggerwillow

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I have only had 3 cats but one lived to 12 (passed away from cancer), another lived to 15 (succumbed to FIP), and my current cat who is now 18+yo. There is just no telling - but a bad leg is probably not a driving factor to Tigger's life span, especially is she is an indoor only cat.
she does go outside, as does Willow, but i supervise them and they come back when i call them (they know their names, and who has the dreamies) <3

Tigger's trying to stop me from typing, hands are here for fussing not typing <3

i be back later
 

Kieka

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I read somewhere just in general the average life of an outdoor cat is only about 3 years. Indoor about 13 or so. That's just averages. A lot more dangers lurking for an outdoor cat.
I think that outdoor lifespan is a purely outdoor cat. I don't know if that statistic really applies to a cat that has indoor and outdoor access or even outdoor but cared for. I know I've had cats who are indoor and Outdoor and they usually make it past 10 at least. The last one who died before 10 was due to cancer. But that's with me bringing them indoors at night and getting them regular veterinary care making sure all their vaccines update etc. Cats with outdoor access can live just as long as indoor cats provide it their owners get proper care. Of course accidents can happen to outdoor cats that are more traumatic than what they might encounter indoors, so maybe just a smidgen in shorter than an indoor only cat on average. Shoot, my nieces mom has a 13 year old indoor outdoor cat who has had a really terible care history IMO.

To the original post, no there isn't a way to know how much longer. You can usually tell when they start to really decline but that is only a few months or weeks before assuming it's not treatable. My boy is almost 9 with a bum leg but his vet says he is still a young cat and looks good. Just keep up on the vet care and pay attention for problems and hopefully you'll have many more years.
 

epona

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There is no way to predict because you cannot take into account the millions of tiny genetic and environmental factors at play.

I've had 3 indoor cats, my poor Radar got a brain tumour when he was 13 which I felt was unfortunately young and very tragic, and my Sonic died at 15 of kidney disease. My Jakey is still here, he is 15 and has chronic kidney disease and chronic pancreatitis and a heart murmur - very common ailments of senior cats. Every day I get to spend with him is precious and something I treasure.

Some cats do live to be 18+ or even in their early 20s, but I feel it is unrealistic to expect that because we don't know what will happen, even with indoor cats.
But I do want to urge you to enjoy Tigger while she is with you and try not to dwell on or worry about what might be.
There is nothing particular about a bad leg if there are no other systemic concerns for her health that would necessarily shorten her life, but we can never know what tomorrow will bring and there are no guarantees. I hope you still have many years together!
 

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It's so hard to predict.

One of our childhood cats live to 25. She was indoor/outdoor when we lived in the country and indoor only for a few years in an apartment. Are Our Compliments Cat food her whole life and live mice/rats she would catch, the occasional bird. Born in our home.

Nobel is 16 now. All of his siblings died from genetic health issues before 10. He's got arthritis and FLUTD which are both decently managed. He's been on various foods. Born in my Gramma's home. Blood work is beautiful. Enclosed outdoor only.

Our late cat, Lily was an estimated 19, but at least 15 when she died (said she was 1 yr when I got her but the vet thinks she was older). She and her mum and siblings found in a box, then she was given away and then her owner abandoned her at her son's and her son gave her to me. Various foods. Many health issues her last 2 years. Enclosed outdoor only.

I've had friends who lost their cats before age 5 for poor genetics. We lost many indoor outdoor cats before the age of 5 in my childhood. Cars, disease, cat fights and human cruelty. It was considered a VERY surprising decision when at the age of 16 I decided Nobel would be 'indoor only'. I also know he's not causing deffered agression in anyone else's home which after experiencing that myself, makes me very happy.

I personally, think the best you can do is bloodwork every year or as frequent as your vet recommends and be responsive to the results. Unfortunately, everything else is out of our hands.
 
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tiggerwillow

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Hi, I thought I'd post this, for informational purposes :)

Cats: Indoors or Outdoors?
I supervise my girls outside and they come back when I call them (if there's a interesting smell they might stay to investigate the smell before coming back to their meowmy), does this still count as "outdoor"? even though they are supervised?
 

FeebysOwner

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I supervise my girls outside and they come back when I call them (if there's a interesting smell they might stay to investigate the smell before coming back to their meowmy), does this still count as "outdoor"? even though they are supervised?
No, IMO, it does not. Outdoor cats are normally either left to venture on their own for as long as they want and come home when they want or are outside all the time with no desire to be in an 'inside' environment.
 

Alldara

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I supervise my girls outside and they come back when I call them (if there's a interesting smell they might stay to investigate the smell before coming back to their meowmy), does this still count as "outdoor"? even though they are supervised?
I would consider them indoor as well. Especially if your yard is fenced. Nobel used to even go outside in our back yard by himself since it's fenced.
 

Mm627

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Can a human accurately guess how long a cat will live?
After seeing a few years of bloodwork, I was able to figure out that my mini-me would outlive all of my other pets. They always made it to 12. My girl went far past that, and lasted longer than I ever expected! Just a smidge under age 20.

But on a more serious note, I do think a lot of it has to do with the relationship with their owner. My cat knew I needed her. We were (and still are) very close. People would even mistakenly call me by her name vice versa.
 

catloverfromwayback

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Oldest cat I’ve had was Magnus, who lived to 22 despite being an indoor-outdoor cat who practically financed a new wing of our vet clinic with all his visits getting patched up after fights (he was 18 months old before he was neutered and imo never lost his tomcat habits - he was an aggro bugger all his life). I’ve had a couple of other cats live to 19. Youngest I’ve lost one was at 8, from sudden malignant cancer. All the others have made it to their mid teens so far. There’s simply no telling.
 
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tiggerwillow

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After seeing a few years of bloodwork, I was able to figure out that my mini-me would outlive all of my other pets. They always made it to 12. My girl went far past that, and lasted longer than I ever expected! Just a smidge under age 20.

But on a more serious note, I do think a lot of it has to do with the relationship with their owner. My cat knew I needed her. We were (and still are) very close. People would even mistakenly call me by her name vice versa.
Does that mean that my Ebony knew i was recovering from the severe depression I was in (when she came into my life I mean) and 4 years after she came into my life she gave up? Cause I didn't *need* her, but *wanted* her to stay? :(
 
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