Many people think about how many cats live. But this is not at all accidental, because cats can be considered the very first candidates for the place of pets. Each of their owners wants the pet to go a long way with him, because even for a short period of co-existence, a person gets used to the animal, associating it with a family member. It is proved that various breeds are susceptible to certain diseases or are immune to them, which, of course, affects life expectancy.
Also important factors that can prolong the stay of a furry or hairless pet in the earthly world are the reproductive functions: performed by him throughout his life or artificially suppressed by man. Today we want to clarify the question of how many cats live, and to figure out which factors shorten the life of pets, and which, on the contrary, increase it.
Multifaceted aspect
It should be understood that the number of years lived by a domestic cat depends on many factors. Note the main ones:
- Genetics. Many dangerous fatal diseases result from a genetic predisposition. Of course, in good living conditions, they may begin later or not appear at all. But under adverse conditions, literally in a matter of days they arise to destroy the body of a pet. Therefore, the question of how many cats live is due to a genetic predisposition and largely depends on it.
- Accommodations. Many scientists argue what comes first: the genetic factor or living conditions. Note that the latter means not only proper and balanced nutrition, but also the proportion of communication with the pet: caring for its reproductive functions and natural instincts, implying castration, sterilization, or periodically finding the animal of the opposite sex to continue the genus of the pet. If living factors are favorable, then a genetic predisposition to disease, if any, will not come first.
Breed vs Street Resident
On how much live domestic cats live, these facts (breed and outbred) affect to one degree or another. Artificially bred mustachioed beauties that have flattened muzzles, such as exotics, always live less than a year or even two than their usual counterparts. This factor is explained by the fact that in breeds with a poked nose, breathing is difficult, and therefore anatomical changes in the nasal canal occur. Therefore, professional breeders and veterinarians recommend monitoring the level of air humidity: the room should be fresh, but not cold.
It would seem that street cats without a clan and tribe often cannot boast a long life, but this is far from the case. The most dangerous for a homeless resident may be an attack by a dog or person, but otherwise the immune system will be even better than that of pets. A phenomenon that surprises many takes place and cannot be explained in any way.
Interesting facts about sterilization and castration
When asked about how long neutered cats live, there is an opinion that a medical procedure aimed at depriving an animal of physiological instincts, carried out before the first sexual contact, significantly increases the life span of a pet. It is noteworthy that some sources indicate a specific figure - 3 years, as the minimum indicator of the time by which the cat's lifespan will increase after the procedure.
However, it is worth noting that opinions regarding the age of castration and sterilization of animals vary widely. Some veterinarians argue that the procedure must be performed in 6-9 months, while others say only with the onset of puberty.
So far, it is not possible to converge on a specific age, and science knows cases where in the first and second variants there were disruptions in the behavior of pets. For example, the “labels” of the territory, which should supposedly cease after castration, did not disappear, as did the aggressive behavior.
The consequences of suppressing the animal's natural instincts
Do not forget that such procedures (castration and sterilization) are not only good, but also can harm. It is known that after surgery aimed at suppressing the physiological needs of a feline, animals can gain extra pounds. Therefore, the diet of such a pet will need to be monitored for the rest of its life, in order to avoid serious health problems: obesity, shortness of breath, heart failure.
In this case, the answer to the question of how long neutered cats live at home will depend entirely on the person who competently builds the correct diet for the pet with a minimum content of proteins and fats.
Breed Life Span
Among expensive cats of competent breeding, centenarians are representatives of several breeds. And one of them is a Siamese cat. Here is a list that will help satisfy the interest regarding how many years live domestic cats, depending on the particular species:
- The hairless cats of the Canadian or Don Sphynx breed, which are now popular, are able to live a long happy life of 12-15 years.
- Exotics are 10-12 years old, but often such pets leave the world a few years earlier due to health problems that are often not amenable to competent treatment.
- Maine Coons are able to coexist happily with a person for 15 years.
- The Persian cat is considered a long-liver and is able to please a person about 17 years old.
- Bengal cats live for how long and most of the breeds brought into Russia are 12-15 years old.
- The Abyssinian cat is also an average cat with a maximum life span of 15 years.
- Scottish fold cats, called Scottish folds, can compete with Siamese cats for life. In both species, it is about 20 years or more.
Long-livers among domestic cats
The record holder for life expectancy is a cat named Lucy, who lives in the UK. According to official figures, she is 43 years old. Translating into our human age, it turns out that the cat is almost 175 years old. In second place, cute kitty Puff Puff is from the United States, who lived a happy life at 38 years old, leaving this world in 2005.
Well, in third place among centenarians among mustached furry pets, a cat who once lived in Devon (England). He happily lived until his 36th birthday, after which he calmly went into another world. By the way, the mentioned animals are champions of the Guinness book in the section of centenarians among domestic cats.
How many British cats live at home?
Due to the fact that recently the breed of British cats is the most sought after and bought, we decided to pay more attention to it. Note that there are only two main varieties: lop-eared and common. Moreover, the belonging of a kitten to a certain species does not affect its life expectancy.
The British are quite wayward and stubborn, so for those who want a complete, unconditional obedience from a pet, such a cat is not suitable. Answering the main question of today's material about how many cats live (British in this case), it is worth saying that the officially confirmed figure is 12-15 years. To maximize their lifespan, it is recommended to protect the pet from stress and drafts.
The perennial issue of feeding
The life expectancy of any living creature, not just a cat, is affected by a competent diet, which ideally should be complete in all respects. Veterinarians recommend feeding their pets dry food, excluding all other additives. The main rule - food must be premium or super-premium. According to the assurances of professionals, just such a diet is able to give an animal many years of a happy life.
Ordinary people: breeders with experience or those who bring a cat to their home for the first time, are of the opinion that it is better not to find "live" food. Sometimes they even combine “drying” with cereals, meat or something else, considering this approach to be right. From a scientific point of view, from such feeding the animal is slowly destroyed, not getting the right nutrients and acquiring a lot of sores. The reason is that on dry food in the stomach of a pet certain enzymes are produced that are not able to digest "live" food and vice versa. Therefore, those who wish to bring a small kitten to the house should carefully and thoroughly study the issue of competent feeding.
To summarize
We hope that the article helped those who are looking for answers to the question: how many cats live? However, it is not worth forgetting that there are cases that completely break stereotypes and go beyond the generally accepted norms. Pets, surrounded by boundless love, living in the right conditions, are able to please their owners many times more than those whom they do not want to take care of. The data entered in the Guinness Book of Records are the best evidence of this.
Who knows, maybe next to you is a pet who can surpass the figure of 43 years, becoming the first in the list of centenarians among cats.