section_path: Lifespan and health
section_name: Lifespan and health
paragraph_text: Lifespan and health
  
  The average lifespan of pet cats has risen in recent decades. In the early 1980s, it was about seven years, rising to 9.4 years in 1995 and an average of about 13 years as of 2014 and 2023.
  
  Neutering increases life expectancy; one study found castrated male cats live twice as long as intact males, while spayed female cats live 62% longer than intact females. Having a cat neutered confers some health benefits, such as a greater life expectancy and a decreased incidence of reproductive neoplasia. However, neutering decreases metabolism and increases food intake, both of which can cause obesity in neutered cats. Pre-pubertal neutering (neutering at 4 months or earlier) was only recommended by 28% of American veterinarians in one study. Some concerns of early neutering were metabolic, retarded physeal closure, and urinary tract disease related.