Cat life expectancy

G-MAN2004

G-MAN2004

G-MAN2004

Caporegime
Joined
4 Jul 2004
Posts
30,798
Everywhere I've read, it seems the general consensus is that the average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is 3-5 years, whilst for an indoor cat it is around 15-18 years. However, going from this, it seems my outdoor cat has surpassed this by quite a lot as he is 18 this year.

Can I expect him to give in any time soon? :confused::p
 
Well i presume such a difference between indoor and outdoor would be down to being run over...

Which makes your cat either lucky or roadsmart :)
 
Out cat was an 'outdoor' cat and lived till 18.

To be fair, it would be better if indoor cats died early...at least it would save them from a life of boredom.
 
I too have an outdoor cat which has reached 18 years. Expecting the worst any time soon despite her being very active and healthy.
 
That's nonsense, a cat that is allowed outdoors won't necessarily live any less than one that is kept indoors. It's not unusual for cats to live 15-20 years or more.
 
your kitteh knows the green cross code :)

mines 14-15 i think, she's doing well!... she hasnt grown much since she was a kitten, bless her!
 
emailiscrap said:
I too have an outdoor cat which has reached 18 years. Expecting the worst any time soon despite her being very active and healthy.
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Yeah, my cat is still the same as he was 10 years back. He's always running around, playing and chasing the dog. He eats a lot more these days though but there's nothing wrong with him so I guess he has just become greedy. :p

I can't see him going any time soon tbh, but going from those figures, he should be long gone by now.
 
That figure is flawed as most outdoor cats will get killed rather than die of natural causes which will be the main reason of death for a house bound cat.
 
My parents cat is 23 and still alive. She was one of three kittens in a box that I was given when I was on the bread vans 23 years ago. I gave one to my parents (still alive) and kept the other two, but they both died years ago.
 
G-MAN2004 said:
I can't see him going any time soon tbh, but going from those figures, he should be long gone by now.
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But the figures are an average, nothing more, so it's skewed by cats who live to 30 as it is also skewed by kittens who die at 16 weeks.

If you live in a relatively low risk area i.e. no major streets around etc then there is no real reason why an outdoor cat shouldn't live as long as an indoor cat.
 
we had a female longhair blue persian (supposed to live about 15 years). it spent about half its time outside, and half inside (until the last couple of years in its life where it pretty much became a house cat).. she died aged 21!

I guess she was an exception to the rules?
 
LizardKing said:
That figure is flawed as most outdoor cats will get killed rather than die of natural causes which will be the main reason of death for a house bound cat.
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That or hoover assault.

I've got a pair of kitties about 2 or 3 years old now, they haven't got any bigger in the last year or more and they're still pretty small. I'm not expecting them to live forever - last year I noticed Smudge trying to take down a young jackdaw about as big as she was. She gave up when the jackdaw got about 15 feet off the ground and dropped her into our apple tree with a tail feather as a trophy. I'll be happy if they get to 6 - they'll cram a lot more life into those 6 years than a house cat would in 20.

Edit: yes, I know they've got terrible names - Patch & Smudge. My brother's girlfriend named them before he moved down to Kent then got kicked out of my place for not paying rent/bills on time and dumped them on me.
 
My outdoor cat is currently 21 and despite being arthritic in the cold and on bucket loads of drugs doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Wouldn't have it any other way though.
 
My cats an outdoor cat, he's 13 and still very much active, still brings home birds and mice. Got all his legs, no balls though.

Indoor cat? Now thats just cruel, plus litter trays stink.
 
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