What Is the Average Lifespan of the Common Cat?

Cats can live a long time. The average lifespan of a cat is about 15 years so they often outlive most of our pet dogs 1 A teenage cat or even one in their twenties is not uncommon to see. Many factors can play a role in determining how long your cat might live.
History of Domesticated Cats
Cats have been kept as pets for thousands of years. They originate from the Near East countries where they were domesticated from wild cats to help control rodent populations. These cats spread throughout the world as pets and we eventually started selectively breeding them for specific traits thus creating different breeds. The primary cat breeds were originally bred using cats from four major regions the Arabian Sea the Eastern Mediterranean South Asia and Western Europe. These four regions have produced cats that have different genetic markers based on what region or race they are from.

Cat Breeds and Lifespan
While it is impossible to know exactly how long a cat will live some breeds of cats are known to often live longer than others. The Siamese and Manx cat breeds are two that often outlive their cat competition but other breeds have been recorded as living into their 20s and even 30s. Both purebred and domestic mixed breed cats have the potential to surpass the average lifespan of the species.
Cat Nutrition and Lifespan
Cats primarily eat meat so they are considered obligate carnivores and this should be reflected in the food we feed them. A lot of research has been done to determine the dietary needs of a house cat so the food options that are available to cat owners are plentiful.
But not all foods are created equal. Adult cats cannot digest large amounts of carbohydrates or lactose so these are unnecessary ingredients in their food. Carbohydrates can even

decrease how much protein is digested so they are in fact harmful to a cat 2 Proteins on the other hand are very important to a cat. Cats require a large amount of protein when compared to a dog due to their unique digestive system. Adult cats should receive at least 5 5 g kg of protein a day. This means the average eight pound cat needs to consume at least 20 grams of protein each day and often much more.
Essential amino acids are also very important to a cat. Taurine methionine and cystine are some of these essential amino acids and