- For the first time, researchers have drawn up ‘life tables’ for cats in the UK
- These can be used to estimate the remaining lifespans of different breeds.
They say cats have nine lives.
But now, owners can calculate exactly how much longer their beloved pet is expected to live.
For the first time, researchers have produced ‘life tables’ for pet cats in the UK that can 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 records of 7,396 cats in the United Kingdom that died between January 2019 and March 2021.
The results were then disaggregated by race and sex and presented in mortality tables.
They say cats have nine lives. But now, owners can calculate exactly how much longer their beloved pet is expected to live (file image)
For the first time, researchers have produced ‘life tables’ for pet cats in the UK that can estimate the remaining life expectancy of different breeds.
The analysis revealed that the overall average life expectancy of UK pet cats, from birth, is 11.7 years.
The researchers also found that female cats were expected to live 1.33 years longer than males.
Burmese and Burmese breeds had the longest life expectancy at 14.4 years, followed by mixed breeds at 11.9 years and Siamese breeds at 11.7 years.
Meanwhile, Sphynx cats had the shortest life expectancy: just 6.8 years.
Factors such as being purebred and being overweight or too thin were also linked to a shorter life expectancy.
Domestic short-haired cats, the most popular breed in the UK, were classed as “crossbreeds” for the study and therefore have a life expectancy of almost 12 years.
The team said this information on expected remaining life can be used for cats of any age of interest and can help, for example, potential owners and cat rehoming centers predict how much longer a cat may 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 veterinarians when making treatment decisions.
Burmese and Burmese breeds had the longest life expectancy at 14.4 years, followed by mixed breeds at 11.9 years and Siamese breeds at 11.7 years. Sphynx cats had the shortest life expectancy at just 6.8 years (file image)
Domestic shorthair cats, the most popular breed in the UK, were classified as ‘crossbred’ for the study and therefore have a life expectancy of almost 12 years.
Dr Kendy Teng, lead author of the study, said: “The development of life tables for the UK pet cat population represents an important milestone in the understanding of the lifespan of cats.”
“By knowing the life expectancy of your cats, we are not only raising awareness, but also helping owners make ‘passive’ 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 civilization of man, predicting the future has been one of our greatest fascinations.
“These new life tables finally allow cat owners to do just this and predict their cats’ future life expectancy based on novel scientific methods and the power of big data.”
