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5 Ways to Help Your Cat Live Longer



When playing with your cat, a question may inevitably come to your mind: How long will my cat stay with me? What I can do to keep them longer? So today we will talk about the secrets to a cat’s longevity






The Average Lifespan of a Cat Breed:

· Siamese: 12-20 years

· Ragdoll: 15 years

· American Shorthair: 15-20 years

· British Shorthair: 13-16 years

· Egyptian Mau: 12-15 years

· Bombay Cat: 12-17 years

· Sphynx: 9-15 years

· Dragon-Li: 15-20 years

· DSH/DMH/DLH: 15-20 years



Here comes 5 effective ways to help your cats to live a longer life:


1. Set Up a Balanced Meal Plan


Although dry cat food is convenient and less expensive, feed your cat more wet food could definitely do better to their health. The only consumption of dry food can easily make cats overweight and suffer from high risk of developing dental calculus, constipation, kidney disease, and diabetes, which are all fatal threats to the cats’ health and life expectancy.


Since cats are pure carnivores, they are not able to absorb the nutrients from any plant protein.


If conditions permitted, feed your cats pure meat protein or canned meat, which not only can provide sufficient nutrition, but also help the cat to increase its water intake.



2. Tap Cat’s Water Instincts


All cats' heritage originated from the great deserts of Africa, so they are very thirst-tolerant. However, as growing old, their kidneys suffer from more pressure and have a higher chance of developing kidney disease if lack of water intake.


Therefore, encouraging your cats to drink plenty of water is quite necessary and essential. Drinking water will help dilute their urine and reduce the risk of urinary infections.



3. Encourage Mental Stimulation


Yes!


Cats can also have mental problems. Cats can suffer from depressions too. Some emotion-sensitive cats may become depressed because of the lack of cat parents’ company.


At this time, let’s introduce you an anti-depression method applicable to every cat: toys!


Cats living in the wild spend 65% of their time foraging, exploring the surroundings in search of food. However, indoor cats don’t have such troubles. They just eat and sleep, never worry about the next meal. Therefore, as cat parents, we’d better create some challenges on purpose for them.


For example, you can put food in some toys such as feeder balls, so that the cats have to think to obtain the food. Or you can also spread the food all over the house, asking them to work hard to get it.


It will make your cat's routine more fun, giving them more opportunities to run and jump. So, they don’t feel bored. At the same time, the cats’ destructive behavior like scratching or chewing can reduce a little bit and also release their anxiety and stress.




4. Keep Your Cat Indoor


According to the researches from UK and USA, the average life expectancy of cats living outdoors is only 5-7 years, comparing with the indoor cats, of which the number will be doubled. In China, the stray cats can only live up to 2 and a half years, while the average lifespan of domestic cats can reach 10 years.


Keeping your cats indoors protects them from infectious diseases carried by other cats, and eliminates the threat of being hit by cars, attacked by large animals, as well as intaking anything poisonous.


In the meanwhile, toys will provide some much-needed exercise for an indoor cat, and they help prevent boredom!



5. Periodic Health Checkup


We highly recommend you: bring your cats to the vet for periodic checkups every six months or a year. Also, don’t forget to get vaccinated on time.


One year of a cat’s life is equal to approximately 5-7 human years. The cats age very fast. Regular health checkups can find problems before conditions worsen. If your cat reaches 7 years old, try to have a periodic health checkup every 6 months or 1 year for him/her.








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