nancia

the secret to a longlived cat, i think, is mostly in the cat. my parents' last cat died this winter. dad passed 7 yrs ago and mom, 2 yrs ago. dandy lived with my sister until the end. he was an indoor cat. toby was a stray who lived in and out. mel was a neighborhood "muttcat" lived in and out. hot rod was an indoor/outdoor. simon is indoor/outdoor. i really don't think there is a secret. all of our cats have been well-loved, well fed and vetted as needed. all but simon were ridiculously friendly and easy going. simon is more reserved and has really only one great love, me, but has in most recent years expanded his friendship base to include my husband and sister. the only traits they have in common are they are all male, well taken care of, but not extraordinarily so, and have been moved around, friendly (forget simon. he's the exception that proves the rule). 3 were all black, 1 tuxedo and 1 orange. as i think of it, i have not heard of any female cats that live as long, but there are more cats out there than i have heard of, so gender may mean nothing as far as longevity goes. and there are lots more factors that i haven't thought of, i'm sure. judging from the reactions of vets when we show up with our ancient cats, it is more the exception than the rule. they are surprised and also surprised to find them in such good health. mel had a large tumor in his head and was put down, otherwise, there is no telling how much further he may have gone. they have certainly beaten the odds for outdoor cats. no accidents or serious injuries that usually claim outdoor cats. i think for the most part we have just been very lucky to have lucky cats. i want to add that every single one was neutered, and all but hot rod , were rescues. i believe sooo strongly in spaying and neutering and supporting rescues! these are a handful of the cats we've been owned by in my 60 yrs. obviously most did not make this list. but we have had a very good run with cats!