how long do cats live?

How long do cats live?

There is no straightforward answer to how long cats live, because there are many factors that come to play. Cats come in all shapes and sizes; some are born in the wild, others live their entire life as domesticated. Wild cats can range from the world’s smallest cat, the ‘Rusty-spotted Cat’ residing in Asia, to the world’s largest feline, the Siberian tiger. However, this article will not consider wildlife and shall focus on domesticated cats and our most common cat breeds only.

How long do the average housecat live?

The worlds oldest domesticated cat to have ever lived is Crème Puff, from Texas, USA, who reached the staggering age of 38 years old. Keep in mind that it is an extreme age! In cat years, that is the equivalent of over 160 human years­! In comparison, the oldest recorded human to have ever lived reached 122 years old. Check out our cat years to human years calculator.

Indoor cats live longer

Cats that live their entire life indoors has a much greater life expectancy compared to outdoor living cats. The life expectancy of an indoor living housecat is 16.9 years old. In comparison, one living outdoors has a reduced life expectancy of 5.6 years. The reason is that the outdoors can be a dangerous place for a cat. They tend to disappear more often, and sometimes they never return.

In general, domesticated cats live from birth and can reach the maximum age of around 30 years old. However, it is not likely that a cat will reach its full age potential.

The average age for a housecat will be somewhere around 13-16 years old if it lives a healthy life without any unexpected implications.

Of course, you can do things to improve your cat’s health, which can contribute to a longer life expectancy.

- Choose a healthy diet

- Regular veterinarian checks

- Use a Cat tracker

- Get the appropriate vaccines