How Long Do Cats Live? Is This Old ?

My parents cat which was from a cat rescue centre is now almost 20 years old. He is quite strong still and the only problems he ever had was to do with kidneys.

That is being controlled now by medication, but I am not sure how much longer my parents can expect to have him.

They both love him to pieces and of course he is very spoiled, but I want to try to gently prepare them for the fact that one day he will be gone.

Does 20 seem like an old age in cats, or do they live much longer ? I hope so as Socks is really a part of the family and treated that way by everyone.

Jan

My parents were in the same position recently. Their cat finally had problems with using the litter tray at 18 years old, and they took her to the vets.

The vet explained that 18 was considered very old for a cat, and in cats for some reason it is the kidneys which often fail first.

They thought it was kinder to 'put her to sleep' as she was almost blind too. They stayed with her, then brought her home and found a pet cemetary where she is now buried.

It was very sad, but they are beginning to get over it now, and to realise that they were very lucky to have had Tanny for so long.

I will encourage them to think about getting a new rescue cat after a month or two. There are SO many cats who need homes.

Tanny was always very well looked after, and ALWAYS came back into the bungalow at night. She was never ever allowed to stay out all night, and they live in a cul-de-sac so no dangerous roads around.

I read the other thread about keeping cats in at night and fully agree with this. It makes perfect sense. It is kinder to your cat and they soon get used to it.

Regards


John

I think it depends on how well they are looked after, and what type of breed they are.

My grans cat is 18 years old and although she is a bit deaf, she is fine in all other respects.

Gran gives her cod liver oil in with her food which helps with joint problems, so maybe that has something to do with it.


Good luck


Jase

I knew a neighbor with an inside cat who lived to be 23! One next door to me lived over 20 years. We presently have a rescued cat that is 17, and is doing fine. We think she has arthritis, and when climbing stairs appears to be a chore, we take her for an injection, which really seems to help. She has always had the freedom of going in or out. Coyotes are a problem and they are killing off farm/rural small animals. We think we lost one this way that was only 5. We live in a small town (6,000 or so), but are near open country.