I just found out this weekend that our cat is 17 years old.

[NNadir]

My sister-in-law asked if we could "watch" the cat at our house for a few weeks while she and her ex-husband sorted out living arrangements as they divorced. That was 10 years ago. The cat's still here.

My sister in law came this weekend to visit us for Memorial Day, and I asked about the cat, which she got for her daughter. It appears she got it when her daughter was four. Her daughter's now 19. We thought that the cat was a kitten when they adopted her from a shelter, but it turns out that the shelter said she was about 2.

It adds up, thus, to 17.

She's basically an indoor cat; she'll step outside to chew on grass, but never goes far from the front door of our house.

She looks like she's in pretty good shape although she is getting bony.

How long do indoor cats live?

I've only had outdoor cats and they all managed to get themselves killed at a young age.

I've gotten used to that cat.

[brer cat]

1. I had one live to be 20. She had a malignant tumor removed

from her mouth when she was 15. We were amazed that we had her with us another 5 years.

[Ocelot II]

2. I had a cat make it to 21, and a couple of 17-year olds.

I think the record is about 30.

[Polly Hennessey]

3. My Millie is 17 plus. We rescued her when she was two.

She is doing well for being an elderly lady. She is a true foodie and is hard of hearing. She went to the groomers today and is currently telling our Great Pyrenees to back off.

One of my cats lived to be 22.

[Grasswire2]

4. My recent rescue is 15, we were told...

...and she is the fastest runner I've seen in a house cat. Like the wind. Lithe and limber, too.

From the tip of her nose to the tip of the tail is 26 inches, but she only weighs six pounds!

(Well, maybe some ounces more as I have been feeding her well.)

[HoosierDebbie]

5. Good Kitty!

Housecats generally have a lifespan of 16-17 years. I have had 5 cats over the past years and 4 of the 5 lived to be 16 or 17. One was a record breaker that made it to 21 1/2! I have 3 cats right now which are 6, 9 and 12 years old.

This has been top of mind over the past month. Four weeks ago, I had a calico that had never been sick, at least that I knew of. So, one month ago, she was doing great, but then over the course of a week, she tapered off eating and I noticed she had lost weight. I took her to the vet after maybe a week, but no tests indicated what was wrong with her. So for two weeks I tried so hard to get her to eat, but she just couldn't eat more than a few licks of canned food that I pureed for her. She kept getting worse and worse until her suffering turned profound over the course of a couple hours one night. I had to let her go. She was just three weeks short of 17 years old. The vet suspected that she had cancer which was extremely fast acting.

My advice is to especially cherish her now and to follow up on the "getting bony" situation with a vet. It could be normal changes over time, or it could indicate an illness. I hope she continues in good health with you as long as possible.

[Lisa0825]

6. Mine have all passed between the ages of 15 to 17. My last one is 17 now and doing well...

so maybe she will break my record.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. My Mom's cat died at 17 back in Feb; her littermate is still with us.

Be sure to get those kidney tests yearly, or even more often. It's often the kidneys that go first in cats.

[Beartracks]

10. That's what the vet surmised with our 16-yr-old.

=============

[ShazzieB]

13. That's what happened to Logan, our big black house panther.

He made it to about 17 before they gave out on him. I found out at the time that kidney failure is extremely common in cats, but I've never heard of any theories about why that is, just that it's a fact.

[Big Blue Marble]

8. I have had several cats live between 18 and 22 years.

With good medical support, a good diet, and lots of TLC your kitty may have several years ahead.

Check with your vet, to make sure she does not have hyper-thyroid disease. That can
cause weight loss and is easy to treat with medication.

[Beartracks]

9. Your cat sounds like our old cat.

"Old" in that she passed on nearly 15 years ago. But she, too, was a shelter cat, about 1 yr old when we got her, and she lived a comfy indoor life (save for the occasional excursion) and she lived to be nearly 16. She'd also gotten a little lighter and bonier by that age.

Good luck with your kitty, and many meowr happy years! (Not my best punwork, but it's late.)

===========

[calimary]

11. We had one that lived to age 19.

I miss her. She slowed down a little, later in life, but she was always wonderful.

[Midnight Writer]

12. I've had several get to 19 before. I currently have an 18 year old, and he is very healthy and happy

[Lemon Lyman]

14. :-)

Our oldest lived until last May, she was 22. The last 5 years of her life, she was in one room with a litter box. I think that may've helped her live a bit longer (just a guess). She didn't have to hold it in for too long. Sometimes if the litter is on another floor or something they'll wait until they REALLY have to go before they get to it.

When she was 8 or so, we brought in a mama cat from out behind our house and all of her offspring. Of those 7 (mama and babies), only 2 are still with us. They'd have one awful thing or another. Our sweet boy had to be put down 3/3/19. Our loud talking boy had to be put down 12/24/20. Our get along with everybody boy had to be put down 3/1/23. We have two girls still with us. They're 13 and 14, respectively.

[ARPad95]

15. My grandcat (a male tuxedo) is about 15 years old. He's thinning out and is slower, but seems to be

healthy otherwise. Indoor only cat, too.

[Fla Dem]

16. My "Baby Girl" turned 17 in April.

Found her dehydrated on my neighbor's driveway. Took her in and to the vet. They rehydrated her, said she was about 4 months old. She must have been the runt of the litter and couldn't keep up with the pack, so the Momma cat left her. She has a short tail and legs. She's been my pal ever since.

Never had a furry pet because of allergies and asthma. But with the help of inhalers and other meds, she's been with me the whole way.

Beginning to show her age though. Has renal insufficiency so is peeing a lot and drinking lots of water. Also sleeps about 20 hours a day. But she's a cuddler and if I'm on the sofa she cuddles right up next to me.

She is my sunshine.