Does your cat have nine lives? Owners can now work out how much longer their favourite feline is expected to live
They say cats have nine lives. But now owners can calculate exactly how long their beloved pet is expected to live.
For the first time, researchers in Britain have created ‘life tables’ for companion cats, which can be used to estimate the remaining life expectancy of different breeds.
To do this, a team from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London, together with researchers from National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, analyzed data from 7,396 cats in Britain that died between January 2019 and March 2021.
The results were then broken down by race and gender and presented in life tables.
Analysis found that the overall average life expectancy for companion cats in Britain, from birth, is 11.7 years.
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College in London and National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan have created ‘life tables’ for domestic cats in Britain (stock image)
Analysis found that the average life expectancy for companion cats is 11.7 years (stock image)
The researchers also found that female cats were expected to live 1.33 years longer than males.
Burmese and Burmese breeds had the highest life expectancy at 14.4 years, followed by crossbreeds at 11.9 years and Siamese at 11.7 years.
Meanwhile, Sphynx cats had the shortest life expectancy: just 6.8 years.
Factors such as racial purity and being overweight or underweight were also linked to shorter life expectancy.
Domesticated shorthair cats – the most popular breed in Britain – were classified as ‘crossbred’ for the study and therefore have a life expectancy of almost 12 years.
The team said this information about remaining expected lifespan can be used for cats of any age group and, for example, help potential owners and cat shelters predict how long a cat will live.
They also said their findings represent a ‘major step forward’ in the way we understand the lifespan of companion cats and can help owners and vets make treatment decisions.
Dr. Kendy Teng, lead author of the study, said: ‘The development of life tables for the UK companion cat population represents an important milestone in understanding the lives of cats.
“By knowing the expected lifespan of their cats, we not only raise awareness, we also help owners make ‘paw-like’ decisions for their cats.” Dr. Dan O’Neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at RVC, and co-author of the study, said: ‘Since the early days of human civilization, predicting the future has been one of our greatest fascinations.
‘These new life tables finally allow cat owners to do exactly this and predict the future life expectancy of their cats based on new scientific methods and the power of Big Data.’