Average lifespan of cats if they live indoors

It’s not really a secret that animals tend to live very different lives when they’re in their natural habitat or when they’re with a human. Even though cats don’t really have a “natural” habitat, this rule applies to them too, although probably not in the way you think. It is proven that the average lifespan of cats is nearly three times longer when they are indoor cats.

When cats are kept as pets, they are typically sterilized, vaccinated, fed regularly with nutritious food or even food special for their medical condition, they have regular access to clean water and most of all, they are away from the typical risks and dangers of the outside world that can fill them up with stress, or directly harm them.

Even though indoor cats require attention, distractions, exercise and of course affection, this of course help them live longer, healthier and happier lives. As with any other animal, their age ranges from 14 to 20 years, but we might say that, in indoors, the average lifespan of cats is 17 years.

Cats in the outdoors

You’re wondering how this number differs from cats in “the wild”? Sadly there’s a huge number of factors that limit or affect the average lifespan of cats when they live outdoors or on their own. For the purposes of this article, when we refer to “outdoors” we mean an urban cat, because countryside cats are way different in their lifestyle.

Our furry friends face possible predators, tough weather, cars, illness, fleas or ticks and even confrontations with other cats. All of this can put a big stress on a cat’s life, resulting in a not-so-promising lifespan. When living outdoors or partly outdoors, the average lifespan of cats is 5.6 years. So if you have a cat that is more prone to living outdoors you should keep the most common risks in mind.

How to improve the average lifespan of cats

As somebody who loves their cat to death, you must be wondering: “How can I extend the average lifespan of my cat?”. Well, even though a cat lasts in big part thanks to it’s genetics and overall good health, there are things you can do to keep them around longer.

First and foremost, you should take seriously your cat’s veterinary checkups, keep up with their vaccines and make sure to keep a close watch on their hair, nails, sight and any sign that might mean they’re not okay.

Besides vet care, which is a yearly thing, the best way to extend the average lifespan of cats is to provide them with the right nutrition. Their teeth, hair, joints, and digestion will be on point if you feed them with good quality food and treats. Make sure to give them wet food and the right amount of water to also keep them hydrated.

And last but not least, one of the best ways to improve the average lifespan of cats (that’s also the most enjoyable way) is to give them lots of love! Cats who feel nurtured, loved and cared for live fuller lives. According to thesprucepets the oldest cat lived 38years and 3 days. This cat lists in Guinness Book of World record. The reason is still unknown why this cats lives so long but good genetics, overall good health and extra loving care with safe environment definitely helps. So don’t be cheap on hugs and cuddles, we know it still won’t be enough time with them but at least they’ll give you a few more precious years.

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7 hints that will help you to understand your happy kitten

1. Initially you should analyze your cat’s health and the way it is behaving.
2. If your cat’s coat is shiny and sleek it means that the kitten’s food plan fully provides a pet with all needed nutrients.
3. If your kitten is rubbing on you or your legs, that means that it is happy to be with you and he likes you.
4. If your kitten is happy, it will raise its tail straightly and sometimes fluffy.
5. Cat’s purring usually representing us that the kitten feels comfortable and happy near to you.
6. If your kitten is happy, it will eat well and like to play.
7. If your cat starts to massage your hands or legs, it means that it feels calm and happy

These advice will help you to understand your pet better makes your pet a happy kitten. Experts recommend to listen to your kitten and to answer on its reaction all the time. This way of interacting will help you to communicate with your pet, to understand it and to make its life easier. So if you become a kitten-responsible person, you should analyze you kitten’s behavior.

As we said before kittens have different characters. That means they could express their happiness in different ways not common to other cats. Kitten has its own life position, so it is displaying on their behavior that makes kittens unique.

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1. Chewing on my Flowers

For me, the number one weird cat behavior is the act of chewing on my flowers. I have a very beautiful hibiscus in front of my room, and one thing I know is that it is not one of the vegetables that cats feed on. But the little Eliza will always hide at the lower end of the tree to chew on the stem. I was so annoyed when I came back from work only to see the stem of the flower completely chewed off. It does not end here, after scrapping all the bark of the stem, it will go ahead to feast on the leaves. One more thing is that it does not chew this thing as if it enjoys it as a meal, but just as a pastime.

2. Buried inside the Sand

The next in the line of weird cats behaviors is burying. Have you experienced a situation where the cat just finished its meal and run out of the house. Now, in search of the cat after 2 hours, you also run to the front of the house and into the garden. What you will experience is the cat buried inside the little sand that your potato root is enjoying. They bury a lot and I don’t know why. Many people used to feel that this is done to get some wetness from the sand. But what do you say when you see your cat burying itself in the sand when it is raining. The burying also extends to what it does to its feces. No matter where it defecates, if you have not tutored it on the proper litter habits, it will actually try to bury the feces inside anything at its disposal.

3. Turning upside down

The next strange or the list of weird cats behaviors is turning upside down. My friend called me one day and was asking me whether my cat is of the habit of turning upside down and showing the tummy. I told him yes, and he was asking for the reason why it is so. That I could not give. This is mostly done when you are away for some time and eventually come back, and it is a like saying, I miss you. But apart from this, there are times you come home expecting this and it will not happen and sometimes it even happens when you do not go out.

4. Practice of Kneading

The next is the practice of kneading and it has received numerous explanations. This ranges from the fact that it did not enjoy the full love of the mother, and this makes it always to knead on blankets. Sometimes, this can be very awful, especially when your kid that does not like the cat comes back from school and finds the cat doing this in his or her room.

5. Head Butting

Final in the list of weird cats behaviors is the practice of head butting. This is one thing it does, which makes it more human than less. Sometimes, it will bring its head out and try to head butt. The simple thing to do is to head butt it back, since this comes like a friendly gesture.

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Now, there is this disparity in beliefs and concepts when it comes to the use of the litter box for the kittens or Litter training for cats. the main controversy is the fact that while many people do believe that these kittens have an inherent natural instinct or tendency to go for the litter box whenever they want to litter, others do believe that there are no such things, and that all they learn are from the mothers at the early stage. But, I want to disagree with both parties. According to my own observation and belief, these little things come with some tendency to find a regular and designated place for their litter when it is time for this, but the act of forming the habit of always searching for this and sticking to it is cemented when they watch or join their mothers in doing this.

Because of this, most of them are always copying whatever the mothers are doing at that tender age, and would have mastered the concept of the box and how to use it, if you have the privilege of adopting them when they have come of age. They would have formed that habit, and all you need to do is to redirect what has already registered in their subconscious. But the problem lies on adopting the little kitten at a very tender age of about 8 to 10 weeks. Within this age bracket, you have to do the job done by the mother cat. And in most cases, it might also include bathroom etiquettes and others. It becomes so tasking if you are making the cat to transition from the outdoor lifestyle habit to the indoor lifestyle.

Train your cat

Now, when you want to liter train your cat, you have to be aware of the fact that many things are involved. As much as the things you teach and train the cat to adopt are paramount, the litter box itself plays a lot of roles. This is the reason why you must buy the appropriate litter box. This perhaps is the number one function. The ideal litter box must be dust free, without any scent and absorbent. It should also be easily disposable. The dust is not good for them since they always dig on this. They are also not comfortable with the scents in most cases.  Now, you have to be aware of the fact that the cat will grow, and when it is fixated to the box, it will not like to let it go. So, you have to buy the biggest box.

The ideal box must also have a very low side that will enable the kitten to climb in and out at the tender age. Another thing is that you must position the box in a very accessible place, so that you do not have to suffer the cat. Again, these things always enjoy privacy when they are excreting, so you have to keep this in a private place. If you are moving the box, it must be a very slow process, done step by step.

When you want to do the litter training proper, you have to ascertain if the kitten have received the training from the mother. If that is the case, just go ahead and get a box of the same type and color with that used by the mum, and it will master this in no distant time.

If you are doing this to a new cat that is used to sand, what you have to do is to use sand on top of the litter or box, to give it the same feeling. Then gradually you start to reduce the amount of sand or dirt and replace with litter. This should be done in a gradual process, till the whole thing becomes litter.

Then the Litter training for cats proper goes this way. After a very happy nap, a very good meal, or after playing with the cat, you place it in the litter. You can also master those occasions where the kittens are inclined to urinate. Put them in the box at this moment and watch them. When they get it right, shower some praises on her the way she will understand. But if it was not done properly, place it back there till it gets it right. The practice of leaving some feces or urine behind in the litter so as to remind the kitten what it is made for is also good. But when it does get it right, never punish it around the box, because it will see the box as the wrong place to go, and will never get near it again.

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1. Sunburn

The number one of cat skin problems or diseases is the sunburn. Just as we have been experiencing the heating of the layer and the environment becoming hotter and hotter, the skin burn as a disease has over taken other diseases to become the most suffered skin disease in humans. This same thing is witnessed in our cats at home. Of course, the cats will always like to be under the shades, but majority of the time, they prefer to run around under the sun.  Cats that have light skins and those that do not have hairs are the ones prone to suffer this more than others. The sphinx and other cats that have high probability to contact sunburn should be removed from the direct sunlight, especially from 12 am to 2pm. This will reduce the susceptibility, and also avoid skin cancers.

2. Ringworm

The next skin disease is the ringworm. This is a very general disease. In most occasions, the cats contact this from other animals. This is the reason why we must watch their interactions. Ringworms cause round patches without any hair and some ring at the center. Some cats will also experience loss of hair in the face. However, this is also contacted by staying in dirty environment. To treat this, you have to use antifungal medications since it is of the fungi family.

3.Abscess

The next cat skin problem is the abscess. This is mostly due to prior wounds. It is pus that collects where the cat has previously experienced a bite or other wounds. When your cat has this, it will swell up and get soft, only to explode and give out some discharge. They are normally found on the back or abdomen of the cats, as they are results of a fight. But some cats of dog might also bite them at the face or tail.  Now, if you want to avid your cat from having an abscess, perhaps the best thing to do is to avoid those wounds that lead to this. This might involve not allowing the cats to go out and get in any fights.

4. Ear mites

There was an argument someday about this being the most common of all cat skin diseases. But the reason for this is that one man who is African told a story that this is the most prevalent of all cat diseases in his country and it is so noticeable because flies will always gather around the wound. However, this might occur inside the ear canal, and will make the cat to be shaking and scratching the ear. It itches and irritates the cat, and might lead to other severe infections if not treated. Just clean the ear with some cotton wool and apply the ear drops that contain the right chemicals that will kill the mites.

5.Contact Dermatitis

This cat skin problem or disease is one that can be avoided easily. This is because it is caused when a strong substance or chemical touches the body of the cat. When this happens, the affected area will turn red with bumps, and will go itchy. Other things that might cause this disease include severe contact with plastic dishes or rubber eating materials. This is the reason why you are also advised to always feed cats with glasses, ceramics or stainless.

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