At what age do cats die of old age?

Most of ours have been in their late teens as well. My family lost one a few years ago at 11, but that was due to a heart attack-she was way overweight. After age 9, keep an eye out for hyperthyroidism- we didn't know anything about it; just thought our 16-yr-old Eva was showing the quirks of "old age". She became obsessed with water, had a voracious appetite but no weight gain, and then she started having litter box problems. Vet said she was off the charts in regards to her thyroid levels. She responded a little to the treatment, but suffered a stroke in the middle of it and we had to put her down. But if its going to occur, it's usually in cats older than 9, and as far as I know, while there's no way to actually prevent it, it can be treated.

I have reads that average life expectancy for an outdoor only cat is 9 years and an indoor only cat is 14. I think all cats have a different life span and - like any other animal - if treated and fed properly will live for a long time.

The saying "your as old as you feel" seems to apply to cats as well as to humans. I've had old cats that acted like kittens even when they were 12. Right now I have a 14 year old cat that is starting to slow down but she still likes to play with my 4 year old cat.

Well first - I am glad Rusty is OK. In general, they say that every year in a cat's life is equivalent to 7 years in a human's life, so by the time a cat is 10 years old, he is about 70 in human terms!! You generally see a slowing down in active cats round about aged 7 or 8, when they are approaching their "middle age", but providing they get regular Vets' checks and avoid the obvious diseases like cancer and heart disease, they can easily live to 15 or 16 which is just over 100 in human terms! I once had a cat who lived to 18, but generally anywhere between 12 and 15 is considered a good age for a cat.

it really depends on the cat,and the cat's overall health.i had a calico who lived to one week short of 23.on average,most of mine live to at least 17 though.

my mom had a cat that lived for 17 years she got her before i was born and she lived till i was about 14 she had developed a tumor and was to old to perform surgery on so we had to put her to sleep. i was heartbroken it is hard to watch your animals become very sick her last few days spent with her was great even though she got to wear she could barely move off of a chair my mom offered them anything to help her but there was nothing they could do but i have also heard it depends on the life they live but she was also inside and outside cat but she didnt venture out much.

we have had a cat live to be 16 thats about the max on average for cats so 12 if they just started to lose playfulness and stuff they had a good life usually they show signs aobut 10 or so

I strongly believe that what you eat plays an important part in how long you live -- that goes for cats as well. My aunt had a cat that ate mostly human food. She loved cantalope. That cat lived to be 21 years old with no veterinarian help along the way.

16-20 years is old age in feline terms. The old wives tale about 1 cat year= 7 human years is exactly that. There is a cool guide to figuring out your cat's age at http://cats.about.com/library/howto/htage.htm By their method of calculation, Rusty would have been about 64 years old - hardly ancient! Glad he's all better! My cats typically live into their late teens. I feed top-quality food, get them checkups periodically, and never, ever let them go outside, unless they're in a crate. I have kitty furniture for them to romp and exercise, so they aren't bored and fat. Well, one of them is, but that's his choice. They seem content, anyway!

I guess old age for a cat is the same as for a person - your cat would be 84 cat years old - not exactly a spring chicken any more so it's to be expected he'd start to lose his activness! Honestly, none of my cats have gotten overly old, something has always happened (my old neighbour trapped one of my cats so he could have yabby bait - a very depressing time for me) or they've run away or been stolen so i've never had a cat live past about 5 or 6 years old. Although the cat from my childhood is still going strong at about 16 years old! I'm glad to hear your cat is back to his old self, it's wonderful news but i think old age is whatever you think it is - he is kinda getting there though so if he gets a little slow, i'm sure you can understand why - 84 isn't young any more :)

I've had cats that have lived 18 years. My cats now are both 12 and seem as young as ever. I think cats are a lot like animals, some are sickly and die young and others live long healthy lives.