How old is/was your cat?

[UTH]

My two cats (brother and sister) are pretty much bang on 13 now, and as much as you try and pretend it's not happening, that isn't exactly young for a cat.

Thankfully they show pretty much no signs of being 'old' at the moment, so I guess I'm just posting this hoping that hundreds of you tell me your cats live/lived until 20+ and I have nothing at all to worry about for a long time yet!

For better or worse I'm a bit of an emotional robot, didn't shed a tear at the last funeral I was at, but even the thought of losing the cats eventually I can feel something welling up!

Google doesn't really help as apparently average is 12-14, but some go on to double that!

[otolith]

Macavity the ginger tom died aged ten of cancer - iris melanoma. That was awful.

Ella and Lou are sisters, and are now 17. They're looking a little old now, but they're not bad for their age. They were both hyperthyroid, but have had radioiodine treatment for it. Ella is on Amodip for her blood pressure. Lou might need to go on it, but is borderline at the moment.

[UTH]

otolith said:

Macavity the ginger tom died aged ten of cancer - iris melanoma. That was awful.

Ella and Lou are sisters, and are now 17. They're looking a little old now, but they're not bad for their age. They were both hyperthyroid, but have had radioiodine treatment for it. Ella is on Amodip for her blood pressure. Lou might need to go on it, but is borderline at the moment.

Did Macavity need lots of medication and vets etc? Or was it a case of diagnosis and sadly only one way to go?

17 sounds good though

[bigothunter]

Our oldest cat reached 18.5 years before disappearing off to die in a discreet location. On previous day, she refused to move for cars driving down the lane. Clearly she decided her time had come. Throughout her long life, vets bills were minimal.

[otolith]

UTH said:

Did Macavity need lots of medication and vets etc? Or was it a case of diagnosis and sadly only one way to go?

He had a weird change in the appearance of his eye. The vet referred him to a specialist, she removed his eye and examined it. Her report said that the cancer had impinged on blood vessels and there was a risk of metastasis, but there was no way of knowing. He got on with his life and seemed fine. Coped fine with one eye and no tail (he'd lost that previously in an accident and a bit of veterinary malpractice from the out of hours surgery). And then one day a year or so later he just wasn't himself, and rapidly went downhill. We took him to the vet, they scanned him, the cancer was everywhere. There was nothing to be done.

[UTH]

otolith said:

He had a weird change in the appearance of his eye. The vet referred him to a specialist, she removed his eye and examined it. Her report said that the cancer had impinged on blood vessels and there was a risk of metastasis, but there was no way of knowing. He got on with his life and seemed fine. Coped fine with one eye and no tail (he'd lost that previously in an accident and a bit of veterinary malpractice from the out of hours surgery). And then one day a year or so later he just wasn't himself, and rapidly went downhill. We took him to the vet, they scanned him, the cancer was everywhere. There was nothing to be done.

Very sad
But it's all part of life sadly isn't it.

[otolith]

You take it on with the animal, it's part of the deal.

[UTH]

otolith said:

You take it on with the animal, it's part of the deal.

Yep, so true. It's reassuring already to hear of 17 years and more on this thread, but of course unforeseen circumstances could strike at any moment

[blueg33]

My last cast lived until she was 22 before kidney failure meant that her time was over.

Current casts are 14 and 11. The 14 year old has a heart condition and we were told he wouldn't live past 10. In the last 2 years he has had a hard time, broken pelvis from a car accident, a really serious infection from a bite that meant he nearly lost his tail, and now his kidneys are struggling. He is still with us hobbling about with a pronounced limp and because of his kidneys he is a tad smelly.

[UTH]

blueg33 said:

My last cast lived until she was 22 before kidney failure meant that her time was over.

Current casts are 14 and 11. The 14 year old has a heart condition and we were told he wouldn't live past 10. In the last 2 years he has had a hard time, broken pelvis from a car accident, a really serious infection from a bite that meant he nearly lost his tail, and now his kidneys are struggling. He is still with us hobbling about with a pronounced limp and because of his kidneys he is a tad smelly.

Blimey, your 14 year old is quite a trooper.

How was the 22 year old's quality of life in later years? Could you tell he/she was a very old cat, or still pretty active etc? Aside from the obvious, I do dread seeing mine slowly get worse and show signs of age etc.

[garythesign]

Our first lived to a week short of his twentieth birthday.

Our previous cat was around 14.

Both had kidney failure.

Current cat is only around 5.

I am not sure what is normal as it must vary hugely. Maybe 16 as an average?

[UTH]

garythesign said:

Our first lived to a week short of his twentieth birthday.

Our previous cat was around 14.

Both had kidney failure.

Current is only around 5.

Sorry to read what you are going through.

Nothing to be sorry about for me yet mate, thankfully. They're both perfectly healthy and you wouldn't know they were 13 to look at them. Just planning ahead i guess, probably silly to start thinking about this before I have to really.

[Rich1973]

I had mum and two daughters. Mum inherited me so I don't know how old she was but vet estimated 14. She developed triaditus that slowly got worse. The day I decided enough was enough I got home to find she had passed. One daughter died too early after being trapped in a neighbour's garden, causing her kidneys to fail. 2nd daughter didn't quite make 14 and had a growth that was pressing onto her digestive tract. I did the kindest thing for her in the end.
I had so much love for them and my heart was broken 3 times but I wouldn't change my time with them for the world.

[UTH]

Rich1973 said:

I had mum and two daughters. Mum inherited me so I don't know how old she was but vet estimated 14. She developed triaditus that slowly got worse. The day I decided enough was enough I got home to find she had passed. One daughter died too early after being trapped in a neighbour's garden, causing her kidneys to fail. 2nd daughter didn't quite make 14 and had a growth that was pressing onto her digestive tract. I did the kindest thing for her in the end.
I had so much love for them and my heart was broken 3 times but I wouldn't change my time with them for the world.

Did you get any cats since? I wonder if I'd ever want any others as these are the first that have been just my own.

[blueg33]

UTH said:

blueg33 said:

My last cast lived until she was 22 before kidney failure meant that her time was over.

Current casts are 14 and 11. The 14 year old has a heart condition and we were told he wouldn't live past 10. In the last 2 years he has had a hard time, broken pelvis from a car accident, a really serious infection from a bite that meant he nearly lost his tail, and now his kidneys are struggling. He is still with us hobbling about with a pronounced limp and because of his kidneys he is a tad smelly.

Blimey, your 14 year old is quite a trooper.

How was the 22 year old's quality of life in later years? Could you tell he/she was a very old cat, or still pretty active etc? Aside from the obvious, I do dread seeing mine slowly get worse and show signs of age etc.

Sophie the 22 year old was pretty good until the end, obviously she slowed down and slept a lot but she could still jump up etc. It was when we thought her quality of life was deteriorating that she was putto sleep, she may have had a few more months in her, but they wouldn't have been pleasant.

Here is the poor old trooper Verty with his broken pelvis

Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 11th March 17:59

[Harpoon]

Our cat Archie is a rescue, so exact age unknown. His RSPCA card says his name was "July 57 2010". He was meant to be 3 or 4 when we adopted him, but we suspect he was younger, so perhaps 12 to 13 y/o.

He's in general good health apart from hyperthyroidism, so he has two squirts of medicine (Thyronorm) twice a day which he's really good at taking.

[Rich1973]

UTH said:

Did you get any cats since? I wonder if I'd ever want any others as these are the first that have been just my own.

No, my circumstances changed and whereas my brother would house sit when we went away, he now can't.

For now I am viewing it a chapter in my life that when circumstances permit will be re-visited. Either a cat or a dog in retirement maybe. A good few years off yet though.

[bigothunter]

My cat is 12 and enjoys life to the full. She insists on going out to hunt in the fields at dawn regardless of weather, and chases leaves across the lawn like a 2 year old

Our male cats have a habit of going walkabout and never coming back. The trend builds with ever longer periods of absence so I'm not sure they met sticky ends or just buggered off

[davhill]

Gwendolyn, a.k.a Potty Cat, chose me when she turned 10 y.o.
She was a half feral Himalayan cat and an ex California indoor
cat.
She was slowing down a lot towards the end and started having
wetting accidents - put down to a UTI. Antibios stopped this
for a while but it was getting worse so I took her for a consult.
They took her away from me to get blood for tests. I was
called in 15 mins later, to be told her 'circulation had collapsed'.
She was clearly moribund so I had to make the hardest decision
of all.
I later found that she'd bitten the nurse and they'd muzzled her -
head completely covered, eyes included. IMO, they'd quite simply
scared her to death. She was 21.

[85Carrera]

18 and still going strong. Saw her do a sprint up the garden the other day.

Occasionally limps going upstairs but otherwise seems in rude health and rules the roost.