For cat lovers, one question always sits quietly in the heart:
How long will we have with them?
A new life expectancy study of pet cats in the UK has offered a clearer answer — and the results may surprise many owners.
Researchers found that some cat breeds, including Birman and Burmese cats, often live for more than 14 years on average. But at the other end of the list, sphynx cats had a much shorter average lifespan, living less than half as long as the longest-lived breeds.
The study looked at data from 7,936 cats that died between 2019 and 2021, using veterinary records from across the UK.
Overall, cats had an average life expectancy of just over 11.7 years.
Female cats tended to live longer than males, with an expected lifespan of 12.5 years compared with 11.2 years for male cats.
The research also found that crossbred cats lived longer than purebred cats on average. Crossbred cats had an expected lifespan of 11.9 years, while purebred cats averaged 10.4 years.
Among the breeds with enough data to estimate life expectancy, Birman and Burmese cats came out on top, both with an average lifespan of 14.4 years.
At the bottom were Bengal cats and sphynx cats, with average life expectancies of 8.5 years and 6.7 years.
Researchers noted that, unlike dogs, a cat’s lifespan does not seem to be strongly linked to body size or extreme body shape. Cats generally vary less dramatically in appearance than dogs, which may explain why size does not play the same role.
The team also created life tables, which estimate how many years a cat may have left at different ages.
These tables could help owners and veterinarians make difficult medical decisions, especially when an older or seriously ill cat needs treatment.
For example, knowing a cat’s expected remaining lifespan may help families decide whether major surgery is worth the stress and risk.
The study is not meant to reduce cats to numbers. Every cat is an individual, and many live far beyond averages.
But for owners, the findings offer something valuable: a better understanding of the time they may have with their beloved companions.
Whether a cat lives six years, 12 years, or nearly two decades, one truth remains the same.
Their lives always feel too short to the people who love them.
