Life expectancy remaining vs age
Remaining life expectancy by age, UK primary-care cats (Teng et al. 2024, VetCompass, n=7936 at age 0). Source: Teng KT, O'Neill DG, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, Pegram C. Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the UK. J Feline Med Surg. 2024;26(5).. License: CC-BY-4.0.
Data table (5 series × 20 age bands)
| Age band | All cats (yrs remaining) | Female (yrs remaining) | Male (yrs remaining) | Crossbred (yrs remaining) | Purebred (yrs remaining) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 11.74 | 12.51 | 11.18 | 11.89 | 10.41 |
| 1-2 | 11.19 | 11.95 | 10.55 | 11.29 | 10.17 |
| 2-3 | 10.72 | 11.43 | 10.08 | 10.8 | 9.91 |
| 3-4 | 10.16 | 10.86 | 9.53 | 10.21 | 9.56 |
| 4-5 | 9.48 | 10.11 | 8.89 | 9.52 | 8.91 |
| 5-6 | 8.81 | 9.4 | 8.23 | 8.85 | 8.26 |
| 6-7 | 8.15 | 8.67 | 7.64 | 8.2 | 7.58 |
| 7-8 | 7.46 | 7.94 | 6.97 | 7.51 | 6.96 |
| 8-9 | 6.76 | 7.19 | 6.32 | 6.8 | 6.26 |
| 9-10 | 6.08 | 6.47 | 5.67 | 6.13 | 5.58 |
| 10-11 | 5.46 | 5.77 | 5.13 | 5.51 | 4.97 |
| 11-12 | 4.83 | 5.09 | 4.53 | 4.87 | 4.34 |
| 12-13 | 4.24 | 4.48 | 3.97 | 4.29 | 3.72 |
| 13-14 | 3.7 | 3.87 | 3.48 | 3.74 | 3.19 |
| 14-15 | 3.17 | 3.29 | 3.02 | 3.2 | 2.76 |
| 15-16 | 2.72 | 2.78 | 2.63 | 2.73 | 2.45 |
| 16-17 | 2.31 | 2.38 | 2.22 | 2.32 | 2.12 |
| 17-18 | 1.9 | 1.95 | 1.83 | 1.92 | 1.62 |
| 18-19 | 1.63 | 1.66 | 1.57 | 1.63 | 1.52 |
| 19-20 | 1.4 | 1.44 | 1.33 | 1.41 | 1.35 |
Median/mean longevity by breed
Median/mean longevity by breed: Teng 2024 (12 breeds, n=7825 deaths total) vs O'Neill 2015 (10 breeds, n=3895 animals total). Teng 2024: source. O'Neill 2015: source.
Data table (14 breeds)
| Breed | Teng 2024 (yrs, n) | O'Neill 2015 (yrs, n) |
|---|---|---|
| Burmese | 14.42 (n=45) | 14.3 (n=31) |
| Birman | 14.39 (n=38) | 16.1 (n=12) |
| Crossbred | 11.89 (n=7117) | 14.0 (n=3621) |
| British shorthair | 11.8 (n=69) | |
| Siamese | 11.69 (n=88) | 14.2 (n=31) |
| Persian | 10.93 (n=80) | 14.1 (n=70) |
| Ragdoll | 10.31 (n=69) | 10.1 (n=21) |
| Abyssinian | 10.0 (n=11) | |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 9.95 (n=15) | |
| Maine Coon | 9.71 (n=69) | 11.0 (n=14) |
| Russian cats | 9.65 (n=19) | |
| British cats | 9.58 (n=194) | |
| Bengal | 8.51 (n=73) | 7.3 (n=15) |
| Sphynx | 6.68 (n=18) |
Causes of death
Attributed cause of death (top 20), UK primary-care cats of all ages (O'Neill et al. 2015, n=3309 of 4009 deaths with a specified cause). Source: O'Neill DG, Church DB, McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC. Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England. J Feline Med Surg. 2015;17(2):125-133..
Median age at death per cause (same source, same n) -- the trauma/renal-disorder split shows up here too: trauma kills young, renal disease kills old.
Data table (20 causes)
| Cause | n | % of deaths | Median age (yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trauma | 405 | 12.2 | 3.0 |
| Renal disorder | 399 | 12.1 | 15.1 |
| Non-specific illness | 370 | 11.2 | 16.0 |
| Neoplasia | 356 | 10.8 | 13.6 |
| Mass lesion disorder | 336 | 10.2 | 14.2 |
| Neurological disorder | 231 | 7.0 | 15.1 |
| Respiratory disorder | 183 | 5.5 | 13.7 |
| Cardiac disease | 139 | 4.2 | 14.0 |
| Endocrine disorder | 124 | 3.8 | 16.0 |
| Thromboembolism | 106 | 3.2 | 12.0 |
| Enteropathy | 98 | 3.0 | 14.7 |
| Hepatopathy | 61 | 1.8 | 13.6 |
| Viral disorder | 60 | 1.8 | 3.8 |
| Urinary disorder | 57 | 1.7 | 7.0 |
| Abdominal disorder | 48 | 1.5 | 15.7 |
| Oral cavity disorder | 47 | 1.4 | 15.5 |
| Behavioural disorder | 43 | 1.3 | 16.0 |
| Ocular disorder | 37 | 1.1 | 16.0 |
| Anaemia | 36 | 1.1 | 10.9 |
| Parasitic disorder | 31 | 0.9 | 15.2 |
Kitten mortality by breed and study
Kitten mortality by breed: Sparkes et al. 2006 (UK, birth-to-8-weeks, n=1056 litters/14 breeds) vs Cerna et al. 2024 (international, cumulative-to-12-weeks including stillbirths, n=853 litters/18 breeds with >=10 litters). Different denominators, different samples -- not directly comparable per breed, shown side by side deliberately. Sources: Sparkes et al. 2006, Cerna et al. 2024.
Data table (29 breeds)
| Breed | Stillbirth % (Sparkes 2006) | Mortality to 8wk % (Sparkes 2006) | Mortality to 12wk % (Cerna 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengal | 23.4 | ||
| Sphynx | 21.9 | ||
| Sacred Birman | 19.0 | ||
| BSH/BLH | 18.1 | ||
| Balinese/ Siamese/Oriental/Havana | 17.8 | ||
| Burmese | 7.3 | 8.5 | 16.7 |
| Exotic/Persian | 15.6 | ||
| Selkirk Rex (Short/Long) | 15.1 | ||
| Russian Blue/Nebelung | 13.4 | ||
| Maine Coon | 1.4 | 8.4 | 13.0 |
| Devon Rex | 12.4 | ||
| Abyssinian/Somali | 10.9 | ||
| Neva Masquerade | 10.8 | ||
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 9.5 | ||
| Korat | 3.1 | 11.6 | 8.9 |
| Siberian | 7.7 | ||
| Ragdoll | 7.4 | ||
| Cornish Rex | 7.1 | ||
| Persian | 10.8 | 14.5 | |
| Tonkinese | 6.8 | 11.1 | |
| Siamese | 8.3 | 9.7 | |
| Somali | 5.7 | 8.7 | |
| Oriental Shorthair | 8.2 | 8.5 | |
| 'Rex' | 8.5 | 7.4 | |
| British Shorthair | 6.2 | 7.3 | |
| Exotic Shorthair | 12.5 | 5.6 | |
| Abyssinian | 2.2 | 4.3 | |
| Birman | 2.4 | 3.5 | |
| Asian | 4.7 | 2.7 |
Breeding difficulty: litter size and caesarean section by breed
Litter size and caesarean-section rate by breed (Cerna et al. 2024, 853 litters from 448 breeders, 2019; overall dystocia requiring intervention 14.9%, overall caesarean-section rate 10.7%). Source: Cerna P, Pugalendhi SJ, Shaw DJ, Gunn-Moore DA. Feline dystocia and kitten mortality up to 12 weeks in pedigree cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2024;26(12):1098612X241284766..
Data table (18 breeds)
| Breed | Litters (n) | Mean litter size | C-section % | Defects % | Mortality to 12wk % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish Rex | 18 | 4.67 | 22.2 | 5.6 | 7.1 |
| Burmese | 24 | 5.25 | 20.8 | 12.5 | 16.7 |
| Balinese/ Siamese/Oriental/Havana | 70 | 4.83 | 20.0 | 11.4 | 17.8 |
| Sphynx | 14 | 4.57 | 14.3 | 21.4 | 21.9 |
| BSH/BLH | 160 | 4.88 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 18.1 |
| Siberian | 26 | 4.5 | 11.5 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| Selkirk Rex (Short/Long) | 18 | 4.06 | 11.1 | 5.6 | 15.1 |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 65 | 5.05 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 9.5 |
| Bengal | 19 | 4.95 | 10.5 | 5.3 | 23.4 |
| Maine Coon | 95 | 5.17 | 10.5 | 12.6 | 13.0 |
| Russian Blue/Nebelung | 20 | 4.1 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 13.4 |
| Devon Rex | 31 | 3.9 | 9.7 | 22.6 | 12.4 |
| Abyssinian/Somali | 55 | 3.49 | 9.1 | 12.7 | 10.9 |
| Sacred Birman | 44 | 3.59 | 9.1 | 11.4 | 19.0 |
| Ragdoll | 39 | 4.87 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 7.4 |
| Exotic/Persian | 44 | 3.34 | 2.3 | 4.5 | 15.6 |
| Korat | 10 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 8.9 |
| Neva Masquerade | 16 | 4.62 | 0.0 | 6.2 | 10.8 |
Popularity by year: CFA rank per breed
CFA 'Most Popular Breeds' rank per breed, 2021-2026 (5 years found and fetchable this project -- CFA does not keep a stable per-year archive of this release, see data/cfa-popularity-by-year.json's own notes for gaps). Source: CFA 'Most Popular Breeds' annual release, one page per year found. Current #1: Maine Coon Cat (2 of the fetched years). Most years at #1: Ragdoll (3). Biggest climber: Russian Blue (#12 in 2023 to #10 in 2026).
Data table (14 breeds × 5 years)
| Breed | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine Coon Cat | #2 | #2 | #2 | #1 | #1 |
| Ragdoll | #1 | #1 | #1 | #2 | #2 |
| Persian | #4 | #5 | #3 | #3 | #3 |
| Exotic | #3 | #4 | #4 | #4 | #4 |
| Devon Rex | #5 | #3 | #5 | #6 | #5 |
| Abyssinian | #7 | #7 | #7 | #5 | #6 |
| British Shorthair | #6 | #6 | #6 | #7 | #7 |
| Siberian | #10 | #9 | #8 | #8 | |
| American Shorthair | #8 | #11 | #9 | ||
| Russian Blue | #12 | #10 | #10 | ||
| Scottish Fold | #9 | #8 | #8 | ||
| Sphynx | #10 | #9 | #10 | #9 | |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | #13 | ||||
| Oriental | #14 |
Recognition year by breed (CFA)
Year CFA recognised each breed, parsed from that breed's own CFA page -- 29 of 45 CFA breed pages fetched stated a year in a matched phrase ('Accepted for registration in YYYY', 'recognized by CFA in YYYY', or a Championship-status fallback); 16 pages had no matching phrasing and are excluded, not guessed. Oldest: Siamese (1906). Newest: Toybob (2025).
Data table (29 breeds with a dated year; 16 undated)
| Breed | Year | Matched on |
|---|---|---|
| Siamese | 1906 | recognized |
| Havana Brown | 1959 | registration |
| Cornish Rex | 1962 | registration |
| Colorpoint Shorthair | 1964 | championship |
| Ocicat | 1966 | registration |
| Birman | 1967 | registration |
| Balinese | 1970 | championship |
| Bombay | 1970 | registration |
| Oriental | 1974 | registration |
| Japanese Bobtail | 1976 | championship |
| Egyptian Mau | 1977 | championship |
| American Wirehair | 1978 | championship |
| Scottish Fold | 1978 | championship |
| Tonkinese | 1982 | registration |
| Singapura | 1988 | championship |
| European Burmese | 1993 | registration |
| Norwegian Forest Cat | 1993 | championship |
| Ragdoll | 1993 | registration |
| Turkish Van | 1994 | championship |
| Sphynx | 1998 | registration |
| Selkirk Rex | 2000 | championship |
| Siberian | 2000 | registration |
| LaPerm | 2008 | championship |
| Burmilla | 2011 | registration |
| RagaMuffin | 2011 | championship |
| Bengal | 2018 | championship |
| Khao Manee | 2018 | registration |
| Lykoi | 2023 | championship |
| Toybob | 2025 | championship |
Cat population by year
Three cat-count series over time, different denominators: US owned-cat population (AVMA, one fetchable edition), UK owned-cat population (PDSA PAW Report, three editions), and US shelter cat intake (Shelter Animals Count, annual flow -- not a standing population). Never combined into one number.
US shelter cat intake -- a flow (animals entering shelters annually), not a standing population, shown on its own panel deliberately.
Data table (US/UK owned-cat estimates and US shelter intake, by year)
| Series | Year | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US owned cats | 2025 | 76,300,000 | U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics (2025 AVMA Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook) |
| UK owned cats | 2016 | 11,000,000 | PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2016 |
| UK owned cats | 2020 | 10,900,000 | PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2020 |
| UK owned cats | 2025 | 10,500,000 | PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Mini Report 2025 |
| US shelter cat intake | 2023 | 3,300,000 | Shelter Animals Count: Full Year 2023 Report |
| US shelter cat intake | 2024 | 2,900,000 | Shelter Animals Count: 2024 Annual Report |
| US shelter cat intake | 2025 | 3,000,000 | Shelter Animals Count: 2025 Annual Report |