The researchers of a study on the longevity and mortality of domestic cats published in 2014 were somewhat puzzled it seems about the finding that non-insured cats had lifespans that were 1.1 years longer than insured cats. The result is counterintuitive. Most people would think that pet health insurance increases lifespan as the veterinary treatment is better and the cat owner is more likely to take their cat to the vet.
The researchers say this about their finding:
Although the study indicated an association between insurance and reduced longevity, the direction of any causality requires careful consideration. Insured animals may revert to being non-insured as they age because of increasing insurance costs or exclusions. This study used insurance values at death; thus, the negative association identified may have resulted from increasing insurance policy cancellation with advancing age.
Dan G. O’Neill (lead author) of the study: Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England.
What they appear to be saying is that pet health insurance policies are cancelled when the cat is old, the time at which a pet health insurance policy is particularly needed as the likelihood of chronic illnesses increases.
This is exactly why the premiums go up and the policy becomes unmanageable. It is then terminated by the cat owner. Or they discover that the policy does not cover chronic certain chronic illnesses.
But when the policy terminates the cat becomes non-insured and the researchers say that non-insured cats live longer. So, what is the true cause of this counterintuitive discovery?
They don’t tell us. We have to guess. It may be that as insured cats are taken to the vet more often than non-insured cats, they are more exposed to veterinary errors. It may be that veterinary treatments taken as a whole shortens domestic cat lifespan! 😎🙄😢. This would be an extraordinary statement to make. I am NOT saying that this is what is actually happening. I am discussing the ramifications of this study finding.
It is a very fundamental discovery and is puzzling.
Overall, the study came to the following added conclusions:
- Overall the average domestic cat lifespan was 14 years.
- Moggies (crossbreed) cats live longer than purebred cats.
- Crossbreed cats varied substantially in lifespans.
- Being a crossbreed, sterilized and non-insured cat is linked to longer lives.
- The most common causes of death were: trauma (12.2%), renal disorder (12.1%), non-specific illness (11.2%), neoplasia (10.8%) and mass lesion disorders (10.2%).
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Note: you will find different studies from different parts of the world coming to different conclusions on domestic cat longevity. One has to take a balanced and cautious approach to the information gleaned through studies. They are very useful but should not be seen as written in tablets of stone and as ‘facts’ all the time.
For example, another large study of millions of pets concluded that cats live for 11.18 years which seems too short. There are obviously different influences in different parts of the world affecting longevity.
Study citation: O’Neill DG, Church DB, McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC. Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2015;17(2):125-133. doi:10.1177/1098612X14536176
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