Achi news desk-
Looking for a new little friend to curl up in your lap and plant contentedly? Before you go to the shelter, take note – not all types of cats are in it for the long term.
Although domestic cats regularly live up to 18 years of age, the hairless Sphynx breed has an average life expectancy of just 6.8 years, the lowest of any domestic cat breed, according to new research.
This could be due to “several breed-predicted diseases,” researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom and National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan wrote in a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Feline Medicine. and Surgery.
Sphynx cats are a hairless breed that originated in Ontario, Canada, where a hairless kitten named Prune was born in 1966, according to the Sphynx Cat Society.
Their lack of hair, which is caused by a recessive gene, means they are better for those with a sensitivity to cat hair. However, they are not completely hypoallergenic because they still produce skin cells.
In contrast, Burmese and Birman breeds were found to have the longest life expectancy at 14.4 years, followed by crossbred cats at 11.9 years and Siamese at 11.7 years.
The team studied clinical data from 7,936 cats registered with vets in the UK that died between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2021.
The team produced the first ever “life tables” for different breeds, which “predict the remaining life expectancy and probability of death across a range of age groups in any given population,” according to the statement.
Life tables have been widely used in human public health for years and have recently begun to be used for dog and cat populations, according to the study.
“Understanding typical remaining lifespan can also support owners and veterinarians in making complex decisions about the best treatment option to protect a cat’s overall well-being,” the researchers added.
They found that the average life expectancy of cats in the UK is 11.7 years, and female cats can expect to live 1.33 years longer than males.
Researchers also found that purebred cats were likely to have shorter lives, as were those who were either underweight or underweight.
The study’s lead author, Kendy Teng, assistant professor of Animal Welfare Epidemiology at NCHU, said these life tables are “a significant milestone in understanding cat life.”
“Knowing the life expectancy of their cats, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re helping the owners make ‘positive’ decisions for their cats,” she said in the statement.
