Does your cat have nine lives? Owners can now work out how much longer their favourite feline is expected to live

They say cats have nine lives. But now owners can work out how much longer their beloved pet is expected to live.

Researchers have produced 'life tables' for domestic cats in the UK which estimate the life expectancy of different breeds.

To create the charts, a team from the Royal Veterinary College in London and the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan analysed records from 7,396 UK cats that died between 2019 and 2021. The results were then broken down by breed and sex.

Analysis revealed the average life expectancy for companion cats to be 11.7 years. Burmese and birman breeds had the longest expected life at 14.4 years, with sphynx cats thought to live for just 6.8 years.

Study author Dr Kendy Teng said that 'knowing the expected lifespan of their cats' would 'help owners to make 'pawsitive' decisions' for their care.