05/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2024 18:13
Published: 01 May 2024 | Last Updated: 01 May 2024 01:00:04
New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), in collaboration with researchers from the National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taiwan, has produced the first-ever 'life tables' for the UK companion cat population. This represents a major step forward in how we understand the lifespan of companion cats and revealing new information on mortality rates and influencing factors.
Using records from the RVC's VetCompass Programme, the researchers analysed data from 7,936 cats under primary veterinary care in the UK that died between 1st January 2019 and 31st March 2021. The results were then broken down by breed and sex and presented in life tables.
Life tables predict the remaining life expectancy and probability of death across a range of age groups in any given population. This information on remaining expected life can be used for cats from any age of interest and can help, for example, prospective owners and cat rehoming centres to predict how much longer a cat for rehoming may live.
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.
Key findings from the study include:
Dr Kendy Teng, Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare Epidemiology at National Chung Hsing University, and lead author of the study, said:
"The development of life tables for the UK companion cat population represents 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."
Dr Dan O'Neill, Associate Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology at RVC, and co-author of the study, said:
"Since the early civilisation of man, predicting the future has been one of our greatest fascinations. These new life tables finally enable owners of cats to do just this and to predict the future life expectancy for their cats based on novel scientific methods and the power of Big Data."
Notes to Editors
Reference
Kendy Tzu-yun Teng, Dave C. Brodbelt, David B. Church and Dan G. O'Neill, (2024) Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the United Kingdom. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
The full paper will be available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X241234556
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About the RVC
About the VetCompass™ Programme
VetCompass™ (The Veterinary Companion Animal Surveillance System) is an epidemiological research programme at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) which investigates anonymised clinical records from veterinary practices to generate evidence to support improved animal welfare.
VetCompass shares information from more than 1,800 veterinary practices in the UK (over 30% of all UK practices) covering more than 28 million companion and equine animals.
To date, VetCompass™ has led to more than 130 peer-reviewed publications that have supported welfare-focused work across the range of animal stakeholders including the wider general public, owners, breeders, academics, animal charities, universities and government.
For more information, visit: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass
X (Twitter): @VetCompass
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