I am VERY HAPPY to say that my lovely SAPPHO, an F3 Bengal, turns 15 this July 5th, 2014. And she looks and acts like a kitten to this day. Her cousins Fei Hong(F4) and Marcus (F3) are turning 9 this September and Fei Hong is a show cat that looks like the real ALC while Marcus, a black marble leopard, is a bit overweight and walks funny.

Not only is Sappho doing well at aged 15 (in 3 days) but her playmate POUNCER is 15.4 and doing quite well. Though they were kitten mates for many years some issues on my end forced me to give my dear Queen Pouncer to a very dear friend of mine a couple years ago. But I get pictures of her weekly and hope to see her soon. Plus she lives with the now 2 years old Mei Mei who takes great care of Pouncer.

But Queen Sappho, yea named after the famous Greek playwright and poet, just had a visit to the vet and the doc said that SAPPHO is as spry and full of life as any kitten he has seen. He told me that he sees nothing wrong with her, her bloodwork was perfect, and that she should easily live to 20 and likely beyond. Which makes me VERY HAPPY.

However, he pointed something out to me that I want to share with you all. The Vet said that, in his experience, prized indoor cats, and especially Bengals, almost always die from disease and usually a disease that can be prevented and/or effectively treated if addressed in time. He said that old age is the goal we Kat Keepers should have (for us and our Bengals) and that we should be able to achieve that.

He told me that there were 3 diseases that covered 90 percent of the the passing kitties. One was kidney failure and he advised watching out for them drinking more water then normal and also giving them a healthy diet. The diet is relatively easy but you have to start the kittens on good food young if you want them to often eat fresh turkey or fish and that sort of thing.

I forgot the other two diseases that he mentioned but the point I took from that checkup on Sappho was that cats SHOULD be able to live between 15 and 20 with no problem if the keepers took steps to get the cats to avoid these diseases and also if the cat keepers fed the kitties high quality food and not the grocery store "meat by products."

Cheers All

I agree that strays live far less shorter lives than the average outdoor cat. I was referring to a statistic that I read on the internet. Not a big fan of cats living outdoors. One of my Bengal boys had a habit of dashing out the door whenever it opened and one day he got out unnoticed by one of my teenagers as she paid the pizza guy. My cat was gone for 3 days and when we finally found him he was a mess. Greasy, dirty fur and his paw pads were bleeding. He had fleas and he was thin and acted traumatized. Needless to say, he hasn't gone near the door since.

I have a 16 year old Bengal (birthday Sept 23,1999.) We've been together since she was born in 1999 from the Golden West Cattery. The Pig, yes that's her name, is an 8 1/2 lb caramel snow purebred and still extremely active, healthy, and most importantly, healthy. She was the runt of her litter, but grew into a gorgeous, loyal, and adaptable daughter who is a true friend to my human 1 1/2 year old son. She's amazing. :)

Extremely old topic, but very interesting! I had a moggie who lived to be 17 years old with diabetes and kidney disease. Raiden is now 8-1/2 and I dread losing him. I realize he probably won't live that long .... but you never know. The problem with bengals is the limited early gene pool. There was a lot of inbreeding in the first few generations by Jean Mill. So there are a lot of congenital issues with the bengal and their life span, in general, is not as long as your regular domestic cat. Although, the care and nutrition of a cat can definitely affect their longevity, just like humans.

My F3 Bengal, Kanga, is over 16 years old and in excellent health (knock on wood). Kanga has never had to go to the vet for anything, ever (except shots)! He was bought when there were not many Bengal breeders around and the breed was not yet so popular, so he is papered and pure. I have seen jumping limitations with him as he gets older, but he is still as active as he was at 6 years old. A real pain in the ass, still :) HEEHEE!

Congratulations to Kanga. Does this mean I could have another 7 years with my little munchkin who is a pain in the rear sometimes? LOL. I really hope I do! It's wonderful Kanga has had a real happy life. I did read that the world's oldest cat recently passed away at age 30. What a life that kitty must have had.

My little girl was 16 when she passed away from what we believe to be possible kidney and stomach issues.

_________________

- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

My Bengal boy started to get weak and we put him to sleep today at age 22. He lived a free life roaming outside at will here in central city Auckland, (we do have lots of garden areas here) he suffered some injuries from fighting till 15/16 when he calmed down more. He loved car trips, late night walks off leash, raw meat 95% diet, playing with water, sunshine and every year he aged we loved him more.

Kidney failure is quite common in older felines.