Picture of a lion cub’s striped coat contrasted with the plain coat of their father

Picture of a lion cub with code markings in contrast to the plain code of their parent

This picture of a lion cub’s spotted and striped coat in contrast to their father’s plain coat caught my eye as a good example of nature protecting the vulnerable lion cub by improving their camouflage which is customised for the environment in which they live. The spots and stripes disappear after around nine months. …

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Anti-ageing drug rapamycin expected to extend the lives of dogs, humans (and cats!)

Rapamycin is being tested on extending the lifespan and health span of dogs, eventually humans and we must include cats.

Although the newspapers say that the anti-ageing drug rapamycin is being tested to extend the lives of dogs and possibly humans, I am going to state that if it works for dogs and humans it must work for cats. I must, therefore introduce cats into this article. It seems to be a kind of …

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Comparing cat and dog ages with human age in a table (and more)

Cat and dog age comparison to human age

It is perhaps quite interesting to compare how both cats and dogs age in comparison to humans. You’ll see a lot of cat age charts compared to human age and likewise you’ll see the same for dogs but how about a direct cat to dog comparison? There are complications! There would be wouldn’t there. …

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Infographic on 8 habits that could add 24 years to your life (and improve cat caregiving)

8 habits that could add 24 years to your life

I found the headline compelling. So neat and well packaged. Almost utopian. But it is common sense really as so much of good living is. What’s it got to do with cats you ask?! Well, everything in a way. I am looking at the human-to-cat relationship from the viewpoint of the cat. How many …

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Thousands of cat owners disagree with Ben the Vet on cat breed lifespan

Elderly cats

In a TikTok video below, Ben the Vet presents his version of cat breed lifespans. He has based his presentation, in the short video, on a study about the lifespan of the various cat breeds. I was able to find the results of the study on the website of the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) …

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Working out a domestic cat’s age from appearance

Young rescue cat estimated to be 12 months old

It is more difficult to work out a domestic cat’s age from appearance than it is to do the same thing with humans. Normally, most people can work out a human’s age from appearance to within 5-10 years, which as a percentage of their lifespan is about 10%. To hit that target for cats …

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“12 cat breeds with the longest lifespans”. True or false?

Cat breed lifespans?

I am not going to provide you with a list of the “12 cat breeds with the longest lifespans”. You came here for that list but it can’t exist despite what you see on the Internet. This post is a criticism of those websites. There are many websites jumping on this bandwagon. It is …

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Can domestic cats survive outside? Lady Godiva did.

Despite Lady Godiva's grumpy expression, the shelter says she's so sweet. Photo by Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter

This is a poorly formulated question in my opinion by many people carrying out an Internet search using Google. What they mean is can a domestic cat survive outside without the intervention of a human caretaker? Or to put it another way, can a domestic cat leave their home and live in the wild …

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