When you buy through links on our site , we may make an affiliate mission . Here ’s how it works .

Burmese and Birmancatshave the longest average life expectancy among plebeian best-loved cat breeds , fit in to a new study . Sphynx cats , meanwhile , die the youngest , on average .

The study , published May 7 in theJournal of Feline Medicine and Surgery , examine information from most 8,000 pet cats in the U.K. that died between January 2019 and March 2021 .

A photograph of a birman cat

On average, Burmese and Birman cats live the longest of common cat breeds.

" The main motivation was to utilise data to empower people " to make informed determination about their cat ’s health care , said study co - authorDan O’Neill , a comrade - fauna epidemiologist at the Royal Veterinary College in London .

A Caterpillar breed ’s average biography expectancy can be a useful metric , but it does n’t tell the whole story . To get a better picture of cats ' projected life spans , the researchers grow " life table , " which estimate kat ' medium remain life expectancy at any given age by shut data on cats that died before attain that long time .

Pet cats in the U.K. had an average life-time anticipation of 11.7 yr at birth , the study found . On the whole , crossbred computerized axial tomography exist about 1.5 years longer than purebred ones . Burmese and Birman cats had the longest life expectancies at birth , each averaging 14.4 year . Sphynx cats ' sprightliness expectancies were less than half as long — a mere 6.7 year — perhaps because of a transmitted predisposition to heart condition or other disease .

A gray sphynx cat sits on a gray couch

The study found that Sphynx cats had the shortest life expectancy.

Other factors besides breed contributed to a Caterpillar ’s spirit expectancy . Female cats lived an average of 1.3 years longer than male cats , and alter and altered cats live 1.1 years longer than intact cats .

ethnical predilection , like whether cats should be kept indoors or countenance outside , could also influence a guy ’s estimated life span , the investigator reported . Such preferences motley widely but are hard to measure . That ’s because veterinary clinics do n’t memorialise whether or how often a cat goes out of doors , and a cat ’s outside dangerous undertaking might become more or less frequent if it ’s rehomed later in life , O’Neill say .

— How do disgorge land on their animal foot ?

a cute orange cat on a bed

— What is the divergence between a pet cat and a wildcat ?

— Can dogs and computerized tomography be supersensitised to humans ?

The life story tables give cat owners and veterinarians more information to consider when ca-ca important decisions regarding adoption , aesculapian treatment or mercy killing , said study coauthorKendy Teng , a small - creature epidemiologist at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan .

A cat sleeping on a ship

The bailiwick also had an unexpected emotional wallop on some cat owners . After a friend shared the study ’s results on social medium , Teng said , responses began to pour in . " A lot of mass were allege , ' The clip is so short . I need to do by my cats well , or to treasure the time that we have , ' " she told Live Science . " It assist the preferred owner to cherish the prison term and their connection and relationship . "

Cat illustration on the ancient bowl.

An elderly woman blows out candles shaped like the number 117 on her birthday cake

a cat licking a plastic bag

a close-up of a cat�s �toe beans�

Two young lions (Panthera leo) in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.

a cat eyeing a mouse on a table

Screenshot from a video of a family of four snow leopards prowling through the snow in the mountains of northern Pakistan.

a cat making a strange face with its mouth slightly open

Circular alignment of stones in the center of an image full of stones

Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

a photo of the Milky Way reflecting off of an alpine lake at night

an illustration of Mars

three prepackaged sandwiches

Tunnel view of Yosemite National Park.

A satellite photo of an island with a giant river of orange lava