Cats, Cats, Cats!

The oldest cat ever has lived 37 years and is still going. In my veterinary career, I saw a cat 29 years old and one 26, and several that made it past 20 to 21, 22, and 23 years old. The 26 year old cat had an abscess under his chin. He was so old and stiff, I didn't want to risk killing him with even a whisper of anesthesia. So I lanced the abscess without any anesthesia and treated him wide awake. He only flinched a little at the lancing, but he did not act to be in much pain. The 29 year old cat was at Wilshire Animal Hospital in California while I was a prevet student working there and we ended up having to put him to sleep. Why do some cats live so long and yet most die at around age fifteen? The answer is cats mostly die of kidney failure and cancer. Cats are a desert animal and so they concentrate their urine and stress their kidneys their whole lives. If their kidneys are stronger, then cancer is the next major disease that takes them. Cats get lymphoma and lymphosarcoma the most. Apparantly their lymphatic system is prone to developing tumors. It is the white blood cells, lymphocytes, that aggregate to form tumors. I have always thought it to be strange that white blood cells would ball up together to form a self-destructive tumor, but that is one of the mysteries of physiology. If kidneys and cancer don't kill a cat, then it can live past twenty and maybe even past thirty. Lifespan potential is an interesting question for all species. The human lifespan potential is extrapolated to be 150 to 180 years. In time, gene therapies may be able to extend our lives over two hundred years. You are still going to have to take care of yourself though, so don't plan on smoking, drinking, and overeating at party level, or you are not going to make it long. In my book, I show how we can slow our metabolism and live dramatically longer. I also tell of the effective techniques for stopping smoking, ending drinking, and eating the right amount of food each day. It's actually a lot easier than you think. I love life and being alive is all you really have during your time here on earth. So I say let's eat right and live productive lives that contribute great things to society, so that we can leave a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
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Dr. Doug Ikeler