I just want to add that it isn’t exceedingly rare for (indoor) cats to make it to 20, just uncommon. I work in a specialty pet foods store and have had countless customers tell me about their cats in their late teens to early twenties. It may be that the people I see are also uncommon, as I would guess a large portion of people feed low end food brands and don’t/can’t keep up with vet visits. A good diet is key to health and longevity! Stay away from by-product, corn and soy. First ingredient should be a meat or meat meal. And look for probiotics as they not only boost digestion but also immune health. 🙂

Our cat Danny is 19 and 2 months. Skinny, doesn’t groom much, but no arthritis, can still jump up on a counter or across a 4 foot gap. Eats well but doesn’t gain weight. Taking prednisone for bowel inflammation and Felimazole for thyroid. Mostly sleeps now, but vet thinks she will definitely make 20.

My cat died at 22 yrs – She is missed so much. Our vets said they had not had such an old cat, with only an exception reaching 18 in their practices.

My beautiful Bubbles is now 10 years old. She is still going strong and is healthy. When the time comes, I am not sure where to find another kitten like her. I had her mother and watched Bubbles being born and her whole life. Mama had Bubbles when mama was 11 years old. Mama lived another 3 years. I hope I can find another long haired tricolor kitten.

My Susie is 19 20 next year and I am stressed trying to make sure she has enough to eat cos she has always been fussy. I am probably giving her too much but am terrified of her going as my husband doesn’t want any more but I desperately do. We lost her sister on New Year’s Eve 2015 and I so miss Sweep. Don’t know what I will do when Susie goes she means the world to me although she has never been affectionate as her sister was. I really hope she makes it through to 20 I am trying to give her what she wants wet or dry senior or not.

Hello,
I thought I should let you know about our cat Penelope who is 16 and a half and has kidney disease and cancer. She was diagnosed with both a year and a half ago. The cancer is adenocarcinoma of the nasal passage and her face is swollen on one side causing her right eye to be hard to find. And she is drinking more water. That’s the bad news. The good news is she still eats like a horse, jumps up on the top of the kitchen cabinets, licks my face and bugs me for more food! She is every bit the cat she was before these illnesses except she weighs less and isn’t doing the greatest job on her coat.
I have been through many alternative remedies, no chemo or radiation. I have ended up with the Budwig formula of flax oil and cottage cheese and a product called Shield for Pets which is fermented wheat germ. Well, better get busy and feed Penelope! Adrienne

Yes that cat looks weary. 17 has been our oldest cat, which is about mid 80s in our years. I think as well as being well cared for it’s the same as us humans, party hereditary how long we live.
One thing we can do for cats is to set them free if they are suffering with an incurable illness, we can’t do that for human loved ones.
It’s sad that cats years are so short in comparison with ours and even sadder when one dies too young.

I had a neighbor who’s cat lived to 24. Whistle even outlived her daughter Patches who died at 22. Both were spayed when Patches was around 5 months old.