Abstract
Enhanced knowledge on longevity and mortality in cats should support improved breeding, husbandry, clinical care and disease prevention strategies. The VetCompass research database of primary care veterinary practice data offers an extensive resource of clinical health information on companion animals in the UK. This study aimed to characterise longevity and mortality in cats, and to identify important demographic risk factors for compromised longevity. Crossbred cats were hypothesised to live longer than purebred cats. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the deceased cats. Multivariable linear regression methods investigated risk factor association with longevity in cats that died at or after 5 years of age. From 118,016 cats attending 90 practices in England, 4009 cats with confirmed deaths were randomly selected for detailed study. Demographic characterisation showed that 3660 (91.7%) were crossbred, 2009 (50.7%) were female and 2599 (64.8%) were neutered. The most frequently attributed causes of mortality in cats of all ages were trauma (12.2%), renal disorder (12.1%), non-specific illness (11.2%), neoplasia (10.8%) and mass lesion disorders (10.2%). Overall, the median longevity was 14.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 9.0-17.0; range 0.0-26.7). Crossbred cats had a higher median longevity than purebred cats (median [IQR] 14.0 years [9.1-17.0] vs 12.5 years [6.1-16.4]; P <0.001), but individual purebred cat breeds varied substantially in longevity. In cats dying at or after 5 years (n = 3360), being crossbred, having a lower bodyweight, and being neutered and non-insured were associated with increased longevity. This study described longevity in cats and identified important causes of mortality and breed-related associations with compromised longevity.
Highlights
Improved understanding of longevity and mortality in pet cats will support enhanced breeding, husbandry and clinical strategies that advance the health and welfare of owned cats [1,2,3]
This study described longevity in cats and identified important causes of mortality and breed-related associations with compromised longevity
Analysis of veterinary clinical records from 460,000 cats in the US identified an average longevity of 12.1 years and that neutering was associated with extended longevity [16]
Summary
Improved understanding of longevity and mortality in pet cats will support enhanced breeding, husbandry and clinical strategies that advance the health and welfare of owned cats [1,2,3]. Health issues associated with purebred dog breeding have been highlighted [6,7,8]. A recent report that hybrid vigour may influence longevity in dogs [14] indicates that cats may be affected. Despite being stated to have a long lifespan [15], few peer-reviewed reports have described population longevity values and mortality in domestic cats [2]. Analyses of Swedish pet insurance records relating to 49,450 cats identified mortality variation between breeds but not between the sexes [17]. Differing population and study design characteristics thwart subsequent attempts at generalisation to support disorder prioritisation and strategies to minimise disorder impacts [2]
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