Cat Life
How Long Do Cats Live? Indoor, Outdoor and by Breed
How long do cats live? On average, indoor cats live around 12 to 18 years, and it is no longer unusual for a well-cared-for cat to celebrate a 20th birthday. Cats with outdoor access tend to have shorter lives on average, mainly because of accidents, fights and infectious disease.
Below you'll find the average cat lifespan for indoor and outdoor cats, typical ranges by breed, how cat years compare to human years, and the signs that your cat is getting older. For a personal estimate, try our free pet lifespan calculator.
The average cat lifespan
Studies of veterinary records generally put the average cat life expectancy at around 12 to 15 years, with many individual cats living much longer. Averages include cats that die young from accidents or illness, so a healthy indoor cat often lives well beyond the headline figure.
How long do indoor cats live compared with outdoor cats?
- Indoor cats: typically 12 to 18 years, often longer.
- Indoor-outdoor cats: typically 10 to 14 years, depending heavily on local risks such as traffic.
- Outdoor-only or free-roaming cats: often much shorter lives because of traffic, predators, fights and disease.
Keeping a cat indoors or giving safe, supervised outdoor access (a catio, a secure garden or harness walks) removes many of the biggest risks while still offering enrichment.
Cat lifespan by breed
Breed matters less for cats than for dogs, and mixed-breed domestic cats are often very long-lived. Typical ranges include:
- Domestic shorthair and longhair (mixed): 12 to 18+ years
- Siamese, Balinese: often 15 to 20 years
- Burmese: often 15 to 18 years
- Ragdoll: often 12 to 17 years
- Maine Coon: often 12 to 15 years
- British Shorthair: often 12 to 17 years
- Persian: often 12 to 15 years
- Sphynx: often 9 to 15 years
Cat years to human years
Cats mature fast. A common guide is that the first year of a cat's life equals about 15 human years, the second adds about nine more (so a 2-year-old cat is roughly 24), and each year after that adds around four. By that measure:
- 5-year-old cat ≈ 36 human years
- 10-year-old cat ≈ 56 human years
- 15-year-old cat ≈ 76 human years
- 20-year-old cat ≈ 96 human years
When is a cat considered a senior?
Many vets consider cats mature from around 7 and senior from around 11, with "super-senior" status from about 15. The AAHA senior care guidelines recommend more frequent check-ups as cats age, because cats are experts at hiding discomfort.
Signs your cat is getting older
- Sleeping more and jumping up less often
- Grooming less, leading to a matted or greasy coat
- Weight loss or changes in appetite
- Drinking or urinating more
- Cloudy eyes or reduced hearing
- Being more vocal, especially at night
- Avoiding stairs or high places
Any sudden change, especially in eating, drinking or litter habits, is worth a vet visit rather than putting it down to age.
Helping your cat live a longer, healthier life
- Keep them at a healthy weight with measured meals.
- Book regular check-ups, more often once they're senior.
- Encourage drinking with fresh water or a fountain.
- Look after their teeth.
- Provide daily play, scratching posts and cosy, easy-to-reach resting spots.
The time goes faster than you think
Fifteen years sounds like forever when you bring a kitten home. Then one day you notice the grey around their face, the slower jump onto the bed, the longer naps in the sunny spot. The everyday rituals — the morning greeting, the evening lap, the window they always watch from — are the moments you'll miss most, and the easiest to forget to record.
Find ideas in 50 things to do with your cat and see how many weekends you may have left with the pet lifespan calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How long do indoor cats live?
Indoor cats typically live 12 to 18 years, and many live into their twenties with good care.
How long do outdoor cats live?
Cats with outdoor access generally have shorter average lives than indoor cats because of traffic, fights, predators and infectious disease. The difference depends heavily on where they live.
What is the oldest age a cat can live?
Many cats reach 20 or more. Record-holding cats have lived well beyond 30, though that is extremely rare.
How old is a 10-year-old cat in human years?
Using the common guide, a 10-year-old cat is roughly equivalent to a 56-year-old person.
Related reading
Read how long dogs live, signs your cat loves you and how many hours cats sleep. More guides are in The Pet Memory Journal.
Your cat won't be here forever. Start their story today.
One day the little routines will be the memories you treasure most. Your Pet Memory gives you 100 simple, cat-friendly ideas, each with a page for a photo and the story behind it. It's quick and easy to fill in, works on your computer or as a printable PDF, and turns ordinary days into a keepsake you'll be so glad you started. Worth every cent.
