How long do indoor cats live? Average Life expectancy

So, how long do indoor cats live? The average lifespan of indoor cats is 14-15 years. This is just an average, though, and many cats outlive this. There are numerous factors that decide the life expectancy of an indoor cat, such as genetics, food, living conditions, and more. 

A 2014 study showed that the median life expectancy of indoor cats, measured across 4,009 cats from 90 vet practices in England, was 14 years. This included both indoor and outdoor cats, but no wild cats were included in the study.

Another study found the average life span of domestic cats to be 15 years. It also states that neutered cats have a higher mean age than un-neutered cats. This might be because castration and spaying is very common in domestic cats, who in turn outlive their wild counterparts.

Furthermore, female cats tend to outlive male cats. It is not known why but could be partly because male cats generally grow larger. Size has been shown to correlate with lifespan in cats and other animals.

Life expectancy of different cat breeds

Breed	Average lifespan (years)
Birma	16.1
Burmese	14.3
Bengal	7.3
Abyssinian	10.0
Maine Coon	12-15
Ragdoll	12-15
Russian Blue	15-20
American Shorthair	15-20
Bombay	15-20
Persian	15

As you can see from the table above, there are big variations in average life expectancy between different breeds of pet cats. This shows the huge impact of genetics on how long a cat will live. Certain breeds simply develop more diseases and health problems than others do, so it is no wonder that they are outlived by others. Some breeds are prone to bladder stones, while others are prone to heart disease. Also, size plays a role here: Bigger cats tend to live shorter than their smaller friends.

Generally, the breeds with the longest life span are the Russian Blue, American Shorthair, Bombay, Siamese, and Persian. On the other hand, The Bengal breed stands out as the breed with the shortest lifespan among the 10 most popular breeds in America.

What affects the life expectancy of a cat?

Many factors can affect how long pet cats live, such as genetics, environment, and nutrition.

Arguably, the biggest factor is genetics. A cat’s genetics affect the risk of developing various diseases. These diseases can range from heart problems to muscle degradation. This problem has been further exaggerated by breeding practices, where cats are bred with other, genetically similar cats. This action can magnify certain genetical disadvantages, such as short noses in Persian cats, among other breeds.

Another very important factor in how long a cat lives is its diet. Diet is just as important for cats as it is for humans, and we wouldn’t want to be eating junk food, right? A domestic cat should therefore be fed high-quality food, with high protein and all the important vitamins, minerals, and nutrients the pets require. Also, keep in mind that the dietary needs of a cat change when it ages, with different food choices available. A young, active cat will need other food than an older, less active cat. The same goes for neutered cats, who often get different food, specific for castrated and spayed cats.

Further, a cat’s living environment has a big impact on its life expectancy. Indoor house cats are generally exposed to fewer threats than their outdoor counterparts. The inside of a house is a protected place, without traffic, humans, and other dangerous animals. Traffic is one of the biggest causes of death for outdoor cats, so eliminating just that threat will do much to increase the lifespan of a cat.

How long do wild cats live?

Wild cats have been estimated to have a lifespan as short as 2-5 years. Obviously, this is much shorter than what we would expect an indoor cat to live. Of course, this is partly to do with wild cats not receiving the same care as domestic cats, with worse access to food, less protection from animals, and no visits to the veterinarian when they get sick. A wild cat is not the same as a domestic cat that can go outdoor, so just because a cat is allowed to go outdoors, doesn’t mean that it will have a significantly shorter life.

Most common causes of death in cats

While a cat can pass due to a variety of reasons, some are significantly more common than others. The 2014 study we cited above also kept records of the cause of death among 85% of the recorded mortalities. The most common cause of death was trauma (including a variety of things, such as road accidents, etc.), and renal disorder, non-specific illness.

As you can see in the table above, the study found that trauma was the most common cause of death among the cats in the data set of pet cats. Trauma includes various things, such as road accidents, falls, hits to the head, etc. Further, non-specific illness makes almost as many of the mortalities.

In young cats, the most common cause of death was trauma, and in older cats, it was renal disorder. Renal disorder, for those who don’t know, is illness related to the kidneys. Renal disorder often causes problems such as shortness of breath, fatigue, confusion, and nausea.

The category “Other” includes Cardiac disease, Endocrine disorder, Thromboembolism, Enteropathy, Hepatopathy, and Viral disorder, among a few other conditions. See the source study for the full list!

The oldest cat who has ever lived

The oldest cat who has ever lived was a domestic Shorthair called Creme Puff and lived to be 39 years and 3 days. Her owner, Jake Perry from Austin Texas, says the cat lived an active life within the home and ate mostly dry food. Somewhat controversially, he claims to have fed Creme Puff small amounts of red wine on a regular basis, which has led to a debate on whether wine can help extend the lifespan of both humans and cats.

Creme puff passed in 2005 and was later awarded a Guinness world record for the oldest cat who has ever lived. This isn’t Jake Perry’s only record-breaking cat though. He owned another cat named Granpa Rex Allen, who lived to be 34 years and 2 months. Granpa received an earlier version of a Guinness world record after his passing in 1998.

Since the 80’s, Jake Perry has been adopting and rescuing hundreds of cats, and housing them in his own home. While the claims are unconfirmed, Jake claims that about 1/3 of his cats live to be over 30 years old, and attributes it to his way of caring for them.

How long do house cats live in human years? How to calculate cat years to human years

In human years, cats live on average 72-76 years. There are two ways to calculate cat years to human years. The most commonly agreed-upon way is the following:

• The first cat year equals 15 human years
• The second cat years equals another 9 human years
• Each subsequent year equals about 4 human years

Here’s a chart showing that in practice:

Age in cat years	Age in human years
1	15
2	24
3	28
4	32
5	36
6	40
7	44
8	48
9	52
10	56

The other way is simply taking the cat’s age and multiplying by 7. This method is not considered accurate. It works under the assumption that cats linearly relative to humans, which few agree to be true. Instead, by using method one, we factor in that the first and second year contains more development and “aging”, than the following year in a cat’s life.

Cat lifespan compared to other pets

An indoor pet cat lives (on average) quite long compared to other pets. They often outlive other pets such as dogs, birds, and pet rodents. A house cat has an average lifespan of 14-15 years, which can be compared to that of a pet dog (~10 years), pet parakeet (9 years), and a pet rat (2.5 years). The reason why pet rats often outlive other pets is still debated, and many theories have been presented. One of the most common explanations has to do with the size difference. Size and bodyweight seem to correlate strongly with lifespan, as shown by studies among different dog breeds.

As with all pets, the lifespan of an individual pet varies based on factors such as breed, environment, food access, and vet visits. Mostly all animals live longer lives in controlled, safe indoor environment. Taking a pet to the vet greatly reduces its the risks of dying to diseases, and generally improves their health, on average improving their chances of living long, happy lives.

The average lifespan of a pet hedgehog is ~5 years. To help it reach this age, you should treat it properly. Find out what to feed your pet hedgehog here.

Want to know what to feed (& not to feed) your pet rat? Check out our articles on the subject here.

Conclusion

So, how long do indoor cats live? Indoor housecats have an average lifespan of 14-15 years. This article has compared two studies, each analyzing data of thousands, and thousands of deceased cats. We also covered the life expectancy of different cat breeds, the oldest cat who’s ever lived, the most common death causes for cats, and how to convert cat years to human years. 

I hope you liked this read and that your questions were answered. If not, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will do our best to answer it!