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Looking for a new little friend to curl up in your lap and purr contentedly? Before you head to the shelter, take heed – not all cat breeds are in it for the long haul.
While domestic cats regularly live to 18 years old, the hairless Sphynx breed has an average life expectancy of just 6.8 years, the lowest of any domestic breed of cat, according to new research.
This could be due to “several breed-predisposed diseases,” researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom and the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan wrote in a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
Sphynx cats are a hairless breed that originated in Ontario, Canada, where a hairless male kitten named Prune was born in 1966, according to the Sphynx Cat Association.
Their hairlessness, which is caused by a recessive gene, means they are better for those with a sensitivity to cat hair. However, they are not completely hypoallergenic because they still produce skin cells.
In contrast, Burmese and Birman breeds were found to have the longest life expectancy, at 14.4 years, followed by crossbreed cats at 11.9 years and Siamese on 11.7 years.
The team studied the clinical data of 7,936 cats that were registered with vets in the UK and died between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2021.
The team produced the first ever “life tables” for different breeds, which “predict the remaining life expectancy and probability of death across a range of age groups in any given population,” according to the statement.
Life tables have been widely used in human public health for years and have recently started to be used for dog and cat populations, according to the study.
“Understanding typical remaining lifespan can also support owners and veterinarians when making complex decisions about the best treatment option to protect a cat’s overall wellbeing,” the researchers added.
They found that the average life expectancy for cats in the UK was 11.7 years, and female cats could expect to live 1.33 years longer than males.
Researchers also found that purebred cats were likely to have shorter lives, as were those that were either too light or too heavy.
Lead study author Kendy Teng, assistant professor of Animal Welfare Epidemiology at NCHU, said these life tables are “a significant milestone in understanding the life of cats.”
“Knowing the expected lifespan of their cats, we’re not just raising awareness, we’re helping the owners to make ‘pawsitive’ decisions for their cats,” she said in the statement.