How Long Do Cats Live? Cat Lifespan by Breed and Lifestyle
The average UK cat lives 11.7 years from birth; the average indoor cat in a careful home lives 15 plus; a Burmese averages 14.4 and a Sphynx 6.7. "How long do cats live" has four answers, and they depend on breed, whether the cat roams, its sex, and whether it is neutered. Pick yours and get the range that applies.
Cat lifespan calculator
Expected range for your cat's breed, lifestyle and sex; add an age for human years and life stage.
How long do cats live? The numbers
Two kinds of number get quoted, and they measure different things. Typical range (12 to 18 for a moggy) describes healthy adults in ordinary homes. Life expectancy at birth (11.7 across UK cats in the 2024 VetCompass life tables, from 7,708 deaths) counts every kitten and young adult that dies of infection, FIP, road traffic or heart disease, so it sits below the range. Both are true. If your cat is a healthy 5-year-old, the range is the better guide; a cat of 9 to 10 in that study had another 6.1 years on average, and one of 15 to 16 another 2.7.
Indoor, indoor-outdoor and outdoor cats
| Lifestyle | Typical outcome | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor or catio only | 12 to 18 years, 20 not rare | Weight, teeth, kidneys, thyroid |
| Indoor with garden or roaming access | About 2 years lower on average | Traffic, fights, FIV/FeLV, poisons, going missing |
| Mostly outdoor, owned | Average pulled down hard by early deaths | Roads above all; the "2 to 5 years" figure is for unowned cats |
Sex and neutering
Female cats averaged 12.5 years to males' 11.2 in the UK data. Neutering adds more than sex does: entire status was one of the three factors significantly linked to shorter lives (with purebred status and non-ideal weight), and Banfield's US data had neutered males living about 60 percent longer than intact ones, spayed females about 40 percent longer.
Cat lifespan by breed
| Breed | Typical range (yrs) | UK life expectancy at birth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic shorthair / moggy (tabby, tuxedo, calico) | 12 to 18 | 11.9 | The UK average cat. Indoor moggies commonly reach 15 to 18; outdoor access pulls the average down. |
| Maine Coon | 12 to 15 | 9.7 | Big, slow to mature. HCM (MYBPC3 mutation), hip dysplasia and obesity are the risks. |
| Ragdoll | 12 to 17 | 10.3 | Docile indoor cats. HCM (MYBPC3 R820W test) and weight gain are the two watch items. |
| Siamese | 12 to 20 | 11.7 | One of the longest-lived breeds when the lines are healthy; asthma, amyloidosis and dental disease in some. |
| Bengal | 12 to 16 | 8.5 | Athletic and adventurous. VetCompass life expectancy at birth is low (8.5); road deaths and HCM likely contribute. |
| Sphynx | 8 to 14 | 6.7 | Shortest life expectancy of any breed studied. HCM is very common; skin, teeth and chills add to it. |
| Persian | 12 to 17 | 10.9 | Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1 test), flat-face breathing and dental crowding are the breed load. |
| British Shorthair | 12 to 17 | 9.9 | Sturdy but obesity-prone; HCM and PKD occur. VetCompass puts life expectancy at birth just under 10. |
| Burmese | 15 to 18 | 14.4 | Joint longest life expectancy in the UK data (14.4). Diabetes and hypokalaemia are the breed issues. |
| Birman | 12 to 16 | 14.4 | Joint longest in the UK data (14.4). Generally robust; some kidney and heart lines. |
| Russian Blue | 15 to 20 | 9.8 | Breed sources quote 15 to 20; UK life expectancy at birth was just under 10. Small sample. |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 12 to 16 | 9.9 | Glycogen storage disease IV (tested) and HCM. UK life expectancy at birth just under 10. |
| Abyssinian | 12 to 15 | n/a | Active, lean. Pyruvate kinase deficiency and PRA (both tested), amyloidosis in some lines. |
| Scottish Fold | 11 to 14 | n/a | The fold gene causes osteochondrodysplasia in every fold cat; arthritis pain from young ages. |
| Devon Rex | 12 to 15 | n/a | HCM and hereditary myopathy (COLQ test). Skin and ear care. |
| Cornish Rex | 12 to 15 | n/a | Generally healthy; heat loss and HCM. |
| Oriental Shorthair | 12 to 15 | n/a | Siamese relative; amyloidosis, asthma and dental disease in some lines. |
| Savannah | 12 to 20 | n/a | Serval hybrid; big, athletic, indoor-only by necessity. Little longevity data. |
| Himalayan | 12 to 15 | n/a | Persian with points: PKD and flat-face problems apply. |
| Exotic Shorthair | 12 to 15 | n/a | Short-haired Persian; PKD, breathing and tear-duct issues. |
| Turkish Angora | 12 to 18 | n/a | Long-lived; deafness in some white cats, ataxia in a rare line. |
| Tonkinese | 12 to 16 | n/a | Burmese-Siamese cross; generally long-lived, some gingivitis and asthma. |
| Siberian | 12 to 15 | n/a | Robust forest cat; HCM in some lines, PK deficiency. |
| American Shorthair | 15 to 20 | n/a | One of the longest-lived pedigree cats; HCM and obesity are the risks. |
| Manx | 12 to 14 | n/a | Manx syndrome (spinal defects) in tailless kittens; otherwise a hardy island cat. |
| Bombay | 12 to 16 | n/a | Burmese-derived; breathing issues in flatter-faced lines, HCM. |
| Munchkin | 12 to 15 | n/a | Short legs (lordosis, pectus in some); otherwise moggy-like health. |
| Ragamuffin | 12 to 16 | n/a | Ragdoll relative; HCM and PKD screening advised. |
| Balinese | 12 to 20 | n/a | Long-haired Siamese; long-lived, some amyloidosis and PRA. |
| Somali | 11 to 16 | n/a | Long-haired Abyssinian; PK deficiency and PRA (tested), gingivitis. |
Typical ranges are the consensus of breed registries and veterinary references; UK life expectancy at birth is from Teng et al. 2024 (VetCompass), given where the paper reported the breed or grouped it ("just under 10" shown as 9.7 to 9.9, "just over 10" as 10.3 to 10.9). n/a: not reported.
Cat years to human years
| Cat age | Human equivalent | Life stage |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | ~10 | Kitten |
| 1 year | ~15 | Young adult |
| 2 years | ~24 | Young adult |
| 3 years | ~28 | Young adult |
| 5 years | ~36 | Young adult |
| 7 years | ~44 | Mature adult |
| 10 years | ~56 | Senior |
| 12 years | ~64 | Senior |
| 15 years | ~76 | Super senior |
| 18 years | ~88 | Super senior |
| 20 years | ~96 | Super senior |
AAHA/AAFP feline life stage convention: 15 human years at age 1, 24 at age 2, then about 4 per year. Full cat age calculator with the shareable ID card →
What actually adds years
Cat breed lifespan guides
Cat lifespan FAQ
How long do cats live?
Indoor domestic cats commonly live 12 to 18 years, and 20 is no longer rare. Across all UK cats, most with outdoor access, the 2024 VetCompass life tables measured life expectancy at birth at 11.7 years. Breed, lifestyle, sex and neuter status move that number by years in each direction.
How long do indoor cats live?
Typically 12 to 18 years, often 15 plus. Indoor cats avoid the roads, fights, infections and poisons that account for most early cat deaths; weight, teeth and kidneys become the main risks.
How long do outdoor cats live?
Owned cats with roaming access lose years on average, mainly to traffic; the 2 to 5 years often quoted applies to unowned and feral cats, not to a fed, vaccinated pet with a garden. A catio or supervised access keeps most of the benefit and little of the risk.
Which cat breed lives the longest?
In the UK data, Burmese and Birman (14.4 years at birth), then crossbred moggies (11.9). Breed sources also credit Siamese, Russian Blue, American Shorthair and Balinese with 15 to 20 year upper ranges.
Which cat breed has the shortest lifespan?
Sphynx (6.7 years life expectancy at birth in the UK data), then Bengal (8.5). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the main reason for the Sphynx figure; road deaths and heart disease for the Bengal.
Do male or female cats live longer?
Female cats: 12.5 versus 11.2 years in the UK life tables, about 1.3 years longer. Neutered cats of both sexes outlive entire ones by a wider margin.
How long do cats live in human years?
A cat is about 15 in human terms at 1 year, 24 at 2, and adds about 4 human years per cat year after that: a 10-year-old cat is roughly 56, a 15-year-old about 76, a 20-year-old about 96.
What do most cats die of?
Kidney disease, cancer and heart disease lead in older cats; trauma (mostly road traffic) and infectious disease lead in young cats. Obesity-linked diabetes and dental disease shorten many lives without being the final cause.
Related cat tools
Sources: Teng, Brodbelt, Church and O'Neill, "Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the UK", Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2024 (VetCompass, RVC); AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines 2021; Banfield State of Pet Health Report 2013 (neuter status); International Cat Care and Cornell Feline Health Center breed and disease guidance. Lifestyle and sex adjustments in the calculator are editorial estimates built on those sources, not measured values for your cat. Last reviewed August 2026.