Cat Life Expectancy and a death...

My son's girlfriend lost a cat today. She moved here from California,
and her mom kept one kitty. That cat was 15, and just stopped eating.
All blood tests and physicals turned up nothing, and poor old Max just
died at the Vet's.

She's broken up, and I can't find the words to reassure her. I've lost
almost a dozen cats in my lifetime, and there really is nothing you
can say - they're such delicate creatures - "the candle that burns the
brightest burns the briefest".

Tiger is 12 now, a mutt with Maine-Coon-ish genes. We've had him for
the longest I've had any cat. He is extremely healthy, and routinely
boxes our 4-year old bengal and comes out on top.

Tiger's an indoor cat - what's a realistic expectation for his life
expectancy? My son picked him out of a farm-cat litter when he was a
toddler. Though I've dealt with a lot of cat deaths, when Tiger goes
it'll be a big blow to him - prolly when he's away at college. Hell,
it'll be a big blow to me, too.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

For an indoor cat, the average is about 15 or 16. Some live even longer.
Gail
"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
My son's girlfriend lost a cat today. She moved here from California,
and her mom kept one kitty. That cat was 15, and just stopped eating.
All blood tests and physicals turned up nothing, and poor old Max just
died at the Vet's.

She's broken up, and I can't find the words to reassure her. I've lost
almost a dozen cats in my lifetime, and there really is nothing you
can say - they're such delicate creatures - "the candle that burns the
brightest burns the briefest".

Tiger is 12 now, a mutt with Maine-Coon-ish genes. We've had him for
the longest I've had any cat. He is extremely healthy, and routinely
boxes our 4-year old bengal and comes out on top.

Tiger's an indoor cat - what's a realistic expectation for his life
expectancy? My son picked him out of a farm-cat litter when he was a
toddler. Though I've dealt with a lot of cat deaths, when Tiger goes
it'll be a big blow to him - prolly when he's away at college. Hell,
it'll be a big blow to me, too.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:08:13 GMT, "Gail" wrote:

For an indoor cat, the average is about 15 or 16. Some live even longer.
Gail

I don't think that's true. My vet once told me that the average is
more like 12 or 13. One of my cats lived to be 17 or so, but two
others were dead at something like 8 and 10. One was a heart condition
and the other died of, essentially, diabetes. I didn't know about that
until he was very sick.

For an indoor cat, the average is about 15 or 16. Some live even longer.
Gail

I don't think that's true. My vet once told me that the average is
more like 12 or 13. One of my cats lived to be 17 or so, but two
others were dead at something like 8 and 10. One was a heart condition
and the other died of, essentially, diabetes. I didn't know about that
until he was very sick.

I lost Moses at about 17 and the oldest I have now is Kitty who I look
in as stray at 6 years and is now about 15 / 16 years.



My furbabies

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

In article et,
says...
For an indoor cat, the average is about 15 or 16. Some live even longer.

I think it depends on who you ask. My 17 year old indoor cat Randy would
have to disagree on your limit. Our vet says it's not uncommon for house
cats to live up to 20-22 years.

T wrote:

I think it depends on who you ask. My 17 year old indoor cat Randy would
have to disagree on your limit. Our vet says it's not uncommon for house
cats to live up to 20-22 years.

Yes, that may be true, but "not uncommon" is very different from
"average life expectancy."

Most things I've read say 12-14 is an average life expectancy. Some die
younger, some older!

Rhonda

"Rhonda" wrote in message
...
T wrote:

I think it depends on who you ask. My 17 year old indoor cat Randy would
have to disagree on your limit. Our vet says it's not uncommon for house
cats to live up to 20-22 years.

Yes, that may be true, but "not uncommon" is very different from "average
life expectancy."

Most things I've read say 12-14 is an average life expectancy. Some die
younger, some older!

Rhonda

Very small sample here, but:
-2 cats acquired in 1967 died at 18 years of age
The last 9 years of their lives they were indoor-
outdoor cats (in at night). I knew zip about
premium foods, fed mostly grocery store
food until a vet put them on C/D at age 15.

-3 cats acquired in 1985 died at 15, 16 and
almost 19. The 18+ year old spent the last 5
years of her life fighting epilepsy. They were
indoor-outdoor cats in their early years,
mostly indoor in their later years.

I still believe if I had known more about
senior nutrition needs, the 15 & 16 year old
cats might have lived longer. The longest
lived cat (the one with epilepsy) was put on
K/D by our vet after the other two died (she
was the youngest of the three) and she was
the only cat that died of something other
than kidney disease.

Gail F.
near San Antonio TX USA

Our precious past away a few months ago she born on a farm she was 19.5
her sister passed away at 18 her brother was 16

Our phantom is 12 going on 13 and he is a fat cat and a grumpy furball



"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
My son's girlfriend lost a cat today. She moved here from California,
and her mom kept one kitty. That cat was 15, and just stopped eating.
All blood tests and physicals turned up nothing, and poor old Max just
died at the Vet's.

She's broken up, and I can't find the words to reassure her. I've lost
almost a dozen cats in my lifetime, and there really is nothing you
can say - they're such delicate creatures - "the candle that burns the
brightest burns the briefest".

Tiger is 12 now, a mutt with Maine-Coon-ish genes. We've had him for
the longest I've had any cat. He is extremely healthy, and routinely
boxes our 4-year old bengal and comes out on top.

Tiger's an indoor cat - what's a realistic expectation for his life
expectancy? My son picked him out of a farm-cat litter when he was a
toddler. Though I've dealt with a lot of cat deaths, when Tiger goes
it'll be a big blow to him - prolly when he's away at college. Hell,
it'll be a big blow to me, too.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

Brian Link wrote:
Tiger's an indoor cat - what's a realistic expectation for his life
expectancy?

It's not unusual for an indoor-only cat to live to 20. Anything over
15 is good - most I have known go around 18 or so.

-L.

Tiger's an indoor cat - what's a realistic expectation for his life
expectancy?

15 is considered an average, but I think I read somewhere that the "official
world record" is 26 so you never know... My friend has a persian/domestic,
indoor/outdoor female that's 14, but my friend suggests that she'll probably
live 4 or 5 more, eventhough she tried to proove the "nine lives theory"
getting injured and sick on numerous occasions:-) As far as saying some
words to make the loss a bit more bearable, I tell myself that I did my best
to make him (I always have males) live like a king and make him happy. Seems
to work Good luck!