Oh, please don't give up on her yet. We have a Himalayan cat. The average lifespan for the breed is 12-13 years. She celebrated her 20th birthday this past April. And other than a little arthritis in her hips, is doing just as well as she always did. You can't assume your cat's time with you is limited.

However, that being said, at my age I've had a number of cats. They're ALL special, each in their own way. They're like people and have individual personalities. Please don't deprive yourself when the time comes--give yourself space to grieve, and then get yourself another cat. You'll see--it will be JUST as special, but in completely different ways.

Steppy, every day I go through the same as you. My Border Collie will be 14 and has hip problems, is nearly deaf and blind, but he keeps chugging along. I pray he goes in his sleep, because I just can't imagine taking him on his final ride to the vet. We have a wonderful vet who will hold me in his arms when the time comes, but I get a lump in my throat just typing this - it will be a very sad day, indeed!

Wow, I certainly don't regard a 10 year old cat as old! Many live to 18-20 years old. Yours is only middle aged! Keep her inside and you'll multiply your chances that she'll have many years left.

Smudge is our oldest at 13. He is still fit, has his hearing and eyesight and can chase Bud when he wants to.

My Mom put down her cat at 19, so there's no telling how long we'll have our pets. I've had to put down 2 cats, over the past number of years; one was 3 and the other 5.....they both developed cancer. The vet said that was rare, that I had two cats that got cancer.

We treasure every day we have with the cats. Even though I'll never be without a cat, and I've loved them all, but some of my cats hold a special place in my heart. Don't be so quick to say you'll never get another one. There's always room for one more.

When my Golden Retriever turned 10, I started "biting my nails", thinking she did not have much time left. She lived to be a little over 15.
I was lucky as most Golden's don't live this long.
I guess in her last year I started to prepare myself and I prayed that she would pass away at home. I did not want to have to make the decision to put her to sleep. She died peacefully at home of which I am very grateful. Very, very hard. It is now almost three years and I still think of her almost every day.
But she was happy, spoiled and well taken care of.
Although I hope to get another dog some day, it will never be a Golden. My Casey set that bar too high.

one of my first kitties lived to age 21. he went thru my divorce, remarriage, 4 kids, and move from ca to wa, to ca, and passed away here in mi!

i have 2 kitties currently, born in 1995...one has lost his sight and is confined to the laundry room...he's in no pain, but having a lot of cleaning issues...his sister is fine...sad to say they never got along...they've been with me thru the hyst, b cancer, 4 weddings of the kids, and have shared lots of hidden tears...

dh is who has never really like them (although willing to feed them every am) said no more! i understand...but darn it, it will be hard...

Many of my cats have lived to 20+.

Don't bury your cat in your mind now! If the cat isn't ill, just relax.

My last cat lived to be 21 1/2 years old. We never got another one because of too many allergies. No, there will never be another cat like the one you have. Each animal you bring into your life is different with different personalities and each one has something special to offer. You have many more years to spend with your present cat but when the time comes, remember, the greatest tribute you can pay it, is to get another and enjoy it in whatever way presents itself.

Just a couple of weeks ago we had to have our Penny (cat) put down. DH and I had her nearly as long as we've had each other. We got her at the pound when she was about 3 months old and had her 19 years. I thought DH would be the strong one, but he cried like a baby and couldn't leave her at the vet's for cremation as we'd planned, but instead decided that the last thing he could do for her was give her final rest under a big old shade tree. RIP, Penny.

One of my cats lived to be 21. He was diagnosed with a heart condition when he was a very young cat and surprised all of us.

My eldest cat will be 20 next Sunday! She is partly blind, but gets around well. Our last cat lived to be over 17 and that was with insulin dependent diabetes for over 2 years at the end of her life.

As you can see from this thread, you may have many, many more years with your precious cat Steppy. There's always those pets with which we have an extra special bond.. I'm glad you have that with your kitty.

My cat lived to be 19 years old. He was an in door cat and the best cat I ever had. He has been gone awhile now and I still miss him.

Well, I feel much better now. My baby is curled up next to me right now, and has been meowing for me to go to bed, because I guess she is ready to snuggle. So I'd better do that. I hope she lives another 10 years, because I really love her.

My DD went through this "what if Sandy dies" 5 yrs. ago after an ugly divorce. Sandy was 10. DD got her in high school. I reassured her that inside cats can live 18-20 yrs. Fast forward 5 years. Sandy is 15 and doing great. DD remarried and has a 13 mo. old daughter and a son coming in August. Life is goooood! I think when you go through a major trauma (her ugly divorce; you losing your house) you look to your pets as the constant and the comfort. I had to put down a 17 yr. old dog 5 yrs. ago --- he saw me through a LOT! (Nothing like hugging your dog when you're crying hysterically.)

Steppy, I feel the same way about one of my cats. I've had 15 over the decades and my first, a Siamese, the only non-rescue, lived till 21 but no other has come close to that. While I have loved them all, there are just a select few that I adore and one of them is my Russian blue, Phoebe. Of the four cats and two dogs and one betta fish , she is my heart pet. Just love her to pieces. She is 11 now, born April 01 and I got her in August. She was part of a feral colony and her twin Mindy(she was Mandy) died of feline leukemia before age one. My second favorite cat is Nellie and she is even older but is the only cat that I don't know her age. I rescued her about 10 years ago pregnant and starving . Vet then said she was maybe 7, so she's in her upper teens. I have great anxiety over both these cats' deaths.

I've thought about it with mine too, but realize that people can what if it till the cows come home and it really won't change things. Most people who have pets dread their loss, including me. I tend to get attached to animals and probably more than I should and know how hard it is to lose them. And I know better than to think you just "replace" one any more than you replace a friend, but that's not to say that if a friend dies you won't allow yourself to have another friend. Fact is, we don't know when they'll die. Our pets could outlive us! And considering the quirks developed in my friend from her traumatic past I really wonder how many people could take her in should something happen to me.

(BRB)

OK, I'm back. Had to take a little "time out". She just came asking if I'd play "red dot" with her a little bit. When a 10 year old critter wants to run around for a while, I won't turn her down. Plus she can use the exercise.

Convince yourself to limit worrying about something over which you have no control. Also convince yourself that you're not "replacing" her. Each human or critter friend is different and unique and don't be ashamed that, like people, you have favorites. That doesn't mean you don't care about each. That I rescued a cat who was literally hours away from "the needle" is not an affront to the memory of my dead dog or other dead cats. I still have the memories of them and I wonder if I don't have a couple of them hanging our reminding me of them. That tennis ball was in the cabinet and the dog biscuit in the middle of the floor was not overlooked by me for all these years.

Excuse me, I have to go. There's another "red dot" request.

Steppy, there's no doubt that indoor cats tend to live longer than those who go outside. The outdoors is a risky place for cats. If yours is firmly committed to the routine you've established of going out every morning, it may be impossible to change that. (Very hard to convince a cat to stay in if they're used to venturing out.) But if she's just as happy to eliminate her "constitutional," by all means keep her in. She doesn't need it.

Alisande, she doesn't leave the yard when we go out, just walks around and checks everything out. She's what my mother called a "yard cat." She has never left the yard, even when left unattended outside for a few minutes. I know taking them outside exposes them to parasites and such, but I give her an herbal parasite treatment every six months, and she has only had worms once, which we got rid of very quickly when she started dragging her butt on the floor. The vet says she's extremely healthy, because I feed her well and take good care of her. No cheap food, because she can't tolerate the ash in it, and lately I've only been giving her all-natural or indoor food, whichever is one sale. I don't splurge on food for myself, but she is totally dependent on me, so I do for her.

Steppy, our oldest cat is very, very special, always has been. He has the most wonderful personality and we got so attached to him, we worried about him all the time, especially as he got to be a bit older. He is now 18 and thin and frail, but he eats and drinks, still hogs his treats, loves to cuddle and and going out in the backyard when we do, to enjoy the sunshine. We have a birthday party for him every year, with hats, balloons and lots of cat treats and catnip. :o)

The next oldest ones after Peanut are 17, 16, 15 and 14, all doing quite well. So don't fret, your kitty might well be with you for many more years!!

I too have been clessed with animals that live a long time (cats were 20.5, 17.5; dog was 17+) and when I had to put the last cat down (17.5), I said no more as it is so hard to say goodbye. That was almost a year ago and I still cry because I miss him so. We got him at 5 weeks old when my other cat was 10. They were inseparable for 10 years before I had to put the older one down. The last few years of his life were spent as the only pet and I'm grateful for that time we had together.

However, you have no say in the matter. When the time is right, the proper animal will find you and you have no choice. Three months after losing my old man, my husband brought home a little 5 weeks old fluff ball. He was three feet through death's door and it took me three days to get him to eat. Vet didn't think he would make it. Seven months later, he's a healthy strong 11 pound cat who plays fetch, tag, hide and seek and wrestles with a hand puppet. While he's not like any other cat I've had, he's not like any other cat I've had and that makes him special.

Each one of our pets is special in their own way and they are not replaceable. You just have to make a space in your heart for another one when you're chosen.

14 seems to be the magic number on dogs' ages for us. My cat lived to be 17 though. They were not fed any fancy designer feed or anything like that. My last dog, I was told when he was young that he had heartworms. Back then the heartworm treatment was about as lethal as heartworms themselves. So we opted to just put him on, I think it was called Heartguard and he lived to be 14 and was a lab mix dog. He never once showed any signs of heartworms and had to be put to sleep because his little body just played out on him...but his heart was still strong.

Compared to our tabby Sasha, who lived to be 23, your kitty is just a kitten yet. Sasha had a rough start on life, and often worried us, since she puked at least once a day all her life. The vets could find nothing wrong with her, and thought it maybe was a sensitivity to her food. We tried every cat food known to man and cat, but nothing made a difference. She seemed happy and healthy and I guess her 23 years confirms that. Our biggest challenge became finding cat food that wouldn't stain orange on the rugs.

Elisabeth

Your cat seems pretty young based on my experience. Mine have lived to be 16, 19 and 20. My oldest one now is almost 18. None of mine go outside at all though so I think that helps their longevity. I've also treated a variety of old age cat conditions which also helps. The 16 year old was the first one to die and at that time we didn't do as much to treat geriatric conditions for some reason. Age 15 is the earliest I expect to start seeing health problems - again based on my experience. Mine have all been run of the mill stray type cats - no purebreds.

My cat Chloe passed away this week at home while I petted her - she was 16 years old. My last cat Beau lived until he was 18. Losing a pet is so hard. 10 years is still young for a cat.

My other cat Lucy is 13 and my dog Loki is 14 - after Chloe dying I feel I am on a slippery slope now and in the next few years I will lose my other pets. I can't bear to think about it.

Anne

elisabeth, my tiny Elaine was a daily puker, too, and lived to 21. She always looked terribly fragile and even anorexic but was the longest-lived and healthiest cat I've ever owned. Go figure!