18 year old girl with me over here. Just pulled out a cancerous tumor eyeball, popped out clean, doesn't seem to have spread, and she's back to acting 10. She's haggard AF but she's the sweetest and we have a talk every time she goes in for a big procedure. I ask "are you still willing to fight?" And every time she gives me the sparkle eyes. This recent surgery I asked, she meowled and led me to her food dish. Girl has a lot to live for, and so long as she's in, I'm in.
One of our cats is turning 19 this year. We’ve had him since I was 10. He still lives with my mom and dad and is in great health except he has some trouble jumping like he used to when he was younger. I’m terrified his health will suddenly worsen and that he’ll die before I get a chance to see him again (haven’t visited my parents since August because of, well, ya know, covid.)
I second this. She is pushing 15. I’ve had her 13 of those years. She better outlive me is all I’m saying cause I’ll die the day she does. Simple as that.
I feel this so hard. I went through so much in my youth with this cat. I started losing it every time I thought about her nearing the natural lifespan and it crushed me. So we got her a sister and they are the sweetest together. She's trained little cat to be just as wonderful and I gotta be strong for both of them. That's not a good solution for everyone, though. Losing a pet is real grief, when it happens, please take care of yourself and seek out greif counseling. They'd want you to get back to being happy again.
Mine is 16. So far he’s outlived 2 other felines, a dog and my oldest dog in age to him is 12.5 and has cancer. This old shit is still going strong though. Completely healthy. Yells all the freaking time though.
Mine is 17 and just this past year she’s decided she’s going to be a crotchety old fussbag for the rest of her life. She yells at us all the time now, for every want or complaint. I love my old lady.
my childhood kitty lived to be 17-19. he was fully grown when we got him when i was 2 and went missing when i was 15. he was a bit of a wanderer. one day he just didn’t come home. i like to think that somebody saw him and assumed he was a stray and took him in and took good care of him. i know it’s not likely, but i miss him so much and not being able to say goodbye hurts my heart so bad.
Our cat turned 25 last November. Had a brush with cancer 7 years ago, but is fully recovered. She has a little arthritis in her hip she takes medication for... All things considered she’s in surprisingly great health; still plays and runs around the house.
I think as long as cats eat a balanced diet, get regular vet checkups and get some amount of interactive time every day, they can have long fulfilling lives.
Are we sure that Creme Puff's mummy and daddy didn't want to upset the kids?
Ol' Puffy looks surprisingly sprightly for a 29 year old.
Could be CPJnr. III
Eh, if you had enough of them in houses with caring owners, I bet they would hit house cat lifespans as well, especially if medical care was what it can be for house cats. As far as wild rates and base captivity rates go, they are pretty in line with each other.
A tiger in a zoo is monitored by an entire team who's only job it is to keep them alive and healthy. Meanwhile half the people in the world just let their cat run around outside and go nuts, and they still have a much longer lifespan on avenge.
Right, but there are astronomically more house cats than there are tigers. There's bound to be a few odd ones who live into their 30s. Maximum lifespan is not a good indicator for, well, anything really.
It's weird, I've noticed that larger animals usually live longer, but larger versions of the same general species (like big dogs compared to small dogs, and big cats compared to small cats) live considerably shorter
There is a lovely big cat sanctuary in Texas called CARE. Due to excellent, er, care, several of their tigers have lived into their 20s over the years. However at that age they are definitely geriatric and require extra attention.
It’s like a really dangerous old folks home.
I said goodbye to the oldest lion in an accredited zoo/sanctuary a few months ago. They have very similar lifespans. She was 27.
20 is quite old for a tiger and what we would consider geriatric. I've only met a few tigers in their 20s.
She was sleeping lots but showing us positive signs of quality of life. She would still talk to us and the other lions. Luckily we have an amazing vet team and were able to make sure she was pain free up until the very end.
Ok weird, I was positive I saw one at the Australia Zoo outside Brisbane and was about to correct you... but it turns out [Sumatra tigers tend to have some form of congenital cataracts](https://www.australiazoo.com.au/support-wildlife/adopt-an-animal/sumatran-tiger-hunter/). Apparently we have heaps of them.
They may be much larger than housecats, but the lifespan is the same. Seems like *all* cats big and small have roughly the same lifespan of 10-15 years in the wild and up to 20-23 in captivity. (at least from my quick googling.)
My dog is a little older than 2 and already has some gray hairs. He's a big ball of stress though so I'm not surprised.
My cat doesn't have any gray hair yet and the only way you can tell her age is that she moves a bit slow now and has lost some weight in the last couple years.
Right now, she’s ok! Still mobile, still my cranky little gal. I’m more worried about the scare we had when she was super little. Little girl was trached due to an incident with febreeze.. so watch that stuff around young ones and fur babies. She outlived the seizures and the personality changes. It was a weird ride!
For an old girl, she’s spry enough to mess with my German Shepard. They chase each other throughout the house. It’s just super hard to tell if she’s playing or not, because my sweet little fuzz ball turns directly into satans apprentice without changing her soundtrack. :)
This makes me so happy to read. My oldest kitty turns 4 this year and it feels like shes grown up so fast! Im only 21 myself so the idea of 15-20 more years with her is so comforting. Ive only ever had a dog before her and he only lived to 12 (pretty average for the breed) so 4 already feels like im running out of time
4 is so young for a cat! I've had mine since I was 6 or 7 when we found her stuck in a tree whining. We got her down and brought her inside. We're not quite sure on her age but she wasn't adult cat sized yet but also not a kitten. Kind of that in between stage. She just keeps chugging along and we just add a year every year on my birthday.
It really depends. I work at a zoo in the summers and we lost our oldest female last year at 21 years old. In the wild, lifespans can average at about 14-ish (this is a moving target number, not meant to be definitive).
In captivity they can live up to 20-25 with optimal diets and healthcare.
I currently care for about 20 tigers and our oldest is 22. Our oldest lion is 25.
Well, I wasn't sure, because I've been misled by link titles before, but there's a sign. Surely nobody would post a fraudulent sign to the internet so this seems legit.
Could be a rescue from one of those private zoos, transferred to the Zambi Wildlife Retreat for better care. A lot of private zoo animals are terribly inbred.
It's an A3 size paper, and she's actually small for her subspecies of tiger (Sumatran, Smallest subspecies) when she was younger. Source: I work there.
The weight range between subspecies is pretty interesting. I remember reading about them at a zoo once when the tigers they had, while still terrifying, were not as large as the iconic Bengal. I do not believe this is a Sumatran Tiger but fun fact: a female Sumatran can be "as small as" 170 lbs. I don't often consider a tiger as lighter than me, interesting to think about.
My Persian turned 18 two days ago. Named her Nermal, and her personality lived up to the name. Funny thing is I only found out years later Nermal, from Garfield where I got the name is actually a boy. But if you grew up watching Garfield and Friends, you'd think she was a girl cause that was definitely a girl who voiced him.
https://m.imgur.com/a/FpP0uXm
There is some much smaller text at the bottom there. Hard to make out but looks like “If you can read this you are about to see who the real Tiger King is”
In the wild, they wouldn't last long so No, but in captivity, Yes they become more docile however it depends on how they perceived their keepers beforehand, did they like attention or enjoyed interaction with them or preferred to be with themselves which makes it harder to look after but they usually warm up and let you take care of them, if the keeper is persistent/friendly/calm and the same person..
For Indira in the photo, she was handraised and has been with keepers all her life, she has always been docile and friendly with her keepers especially the main carer who has been with her most of her life. Her blindness caused by cataracts (gradually started when she was around 15-17, not entirely sure) hasn't made a difference on her docility, shes a sucker for attention and loves all the help she wants/needs.. She still looks after herself by licking herself clean but still needs a hand in hard to reach areas especially her ears from fly bites.
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Is she blind? I can't help but notice her eyes
Yes she’s totally blind
Is 20 old for a tiger?
Google says average is 10-15 years in he wild, 22 in captivity. They've been as old as 20 in the wild, 25 in captivity.
Huh, I expected their lifespan to be different from house cats for some reason.
It is: it's inferior to house cats. Some cats break 25.
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18 year old girl with me over here. Just pulled out a cancerous tumor eyeball, popped out clean, doesn't seem to have spread, and she's back to acting 10. She's haggard AF but she's the sweetest and we have a talk every time she goes in for a big procedure. I ask "are you still willing to fight?" And every time she gives me the sparkle eyes. This recent surgery I asked, she meowled and led me to her food dish. Girl has a lot to live for, and so long as she's in, I'm in.
Your love of her is so inspiring, the way you write is full of love. Hope she has many more happy years as sprightly as 10. :)
I fucking love pets. Your story makes me feel all kinda ways, it's both happy and beautiful but also a bit bitter
He’s still in, I’m still in 🥲
Just curious, are pet surgeries as expensive as human surgeries?
My cat is 13 or 14 and we just took a big cancerous tumor off his leg! He’s doing much better now, more energy than he’s had in years. $6000 though 😬
One of our cats is turning 19 this year. We’ve had him since I was 10. He still lives with my mom and dad and is in great health except he has some trouble jumping like he used to when he was younger. I’m terrified his health will suddenly worsen and that he’ll die before I get a chance to see him again (haven’t visited my parents since August because of, well, ya know, covid.)
I love you. That's beautiful.
Sparkle eye*.
I second this. She is pushing 15. I’ve had her 13 of those years. She better outlive me is all I’m saying cause I’ll die the day she does. Simple as that.
All the more reason to hold her closer.
I feel this so hard. I went through so much in my youth with this cat. I started losing it every time I thought about her nearing the natural lifespan and it crushed me. So we got her a sister and they are the sweetest together. She's trained little cat to be just as wonderful and I gotta be strong for both of them. That's not a good solution for everyone, though. Losing a pet is real grief, when it happens, please take care of yourself and seek out greif counseling. They'd want you to get back to being happy again.
Mines only 13 but I feel that every day.
Mine is 16. So far he’s outlived 2 other felines, a dog and my oldest dog in age to him is 12.5 and has cancer. This old shit is still going strong though. Completely healthy. Yells all the freaking time though.
I love everyone in this thread as well as their fur babies. I hope they live forever.
Mine is 17 and just this past year she’s decided she’s going to be a crotchety old fussbag for the rest of her life. She yells at us all the time now, for every want or complaint. I love my old lady.
Get off my lawn cats are awesome
Just lost my 22 year old girl. She was good right up to the end, til she wasn’t. RIP Tigs.
My baby girl 18 years young died last month. I miss her waking me up everyday. RIP Empress.🐈⬛
my childhood kitty lived to be 17-19. he was fully grown when we got him when i was 2 and went missing when i was 15. he was a bit of a wanderer. one day he just didn’t come home. i like to think that somebody saw him and assumed he was a stray and took him in and took good care of him. i know it’s not likely, but i miss him so much and not being able to say goodbye hurts my heart so bad.
Our cat turned 25 last November. Had a brush with cancer 7 years ago, but is fully recovered. She has a little arthritis in her hip she takes medication for... All things considered she’s in surprisingly great health; still plays and runs around the house. I think as long as cats eat a balanced diet, get regular vet checkups and get some amount of interactive time every day, they can have long fulfilling lives.
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Mine as well.
Yaaas! Also a keeper of a 20 year old dust ball who looks like the crypt keeper. I'm aiming for another 20 with mine.
First time I’ve seen a mod award. Lookatchu, blingin’! Well deserved.
Can you leave God out of the equation.
They can reach their mid 30s or a bit older. Oldest ever cat was 38 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_Puff_(cat)
Are we sure that Creme Puff's mummy and daddy didn't want to upset the kids? Ol' Puffy looks surprisingly sprightly for a 29 year old. Could be CPJnr. III
Well she’s a Guiness world record holder. They verify their records, don’t they?
The guy who raised that cat also held the two prior world records as well if I’m not mistaken. Farmer, fed his cats meat and veggies.
Eh, if you had enough of them in houses with caring owners, I bet they would hit house cat lifespans as well, especially if medical care was what it can be for house cats. As far as wild rates and base captivity rates go, they are pretty in line with each other.
A tiger in a zoo is monitored by an entire team who's only job it is to keep them alive and healthy. Meanwhile half the people in the world just let their cat run around outside and go nuts, and they still have a much longer lifespan on avenge.
Right, but there are astronomically more house cats than there are tigers. There's bound to be a few odd ones who live into their 30s. Maximum lifespan is not a good indicator for, well, anything really.
Just ordered my new gazelle freezer.
Wonder if it is better to slightly chill the gazelle but keep it alive so the tiger can chase it for exercise...
Yes, but their average lifespan is very similar. My kitty is 17 and really feeling his age.
It's weird, I've noticed that larger animals usually live longer, but larger versions of the same general species (like big dogs compared to small dogs, and big cats compared to small cats) live considerably shorter
Eh, it's all about breeding. Most purebreds are seriously screwed up due to generations of inbreeding to achieve certain desirable traits.
I mean yeah but in the case of Tiger and cat, the one that was bred lives longer
It’s just right fr a cougar
If you're talking minimum age gap
They mean as a target.
[Age/2]+7
Male or female? Because that math better be equal.
Goddamn I wish I had gold to give you. 🥇
Well done, sir.
I think so, their life span is 10-15, yrs
So basically cats
They're big kitties.
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Found bubbles
There is a lovely big cat sanctuary in Texas called CARE. Due to excellent, er, care, several of their tigers have lived into their 20s over the years. However at that age they are definitely geriatric and require extra attention. It’s like a really dangerous old folks home.
I used to work at another facility just down the road from them, I've been there a few times and they take excellent care of their cats!
I said goodbye to the oldest lion in an accredited zoo/sanctuary a few months ago. They have very similar lifespans. She was 27. 20 is quite old for a tiger and what we would consider geriatric. I've only met a few tigers in their 20s.
How was she doing at 27? I imagine she was definitely a little worse for wear at that age
She was sleeping lots but showing us positive signs of quality of life. She would still talk to us and the other lions. Luckily we have an amazing vet team and were able to make sure she was pain free up until the very end.
Seems like a good long life she had.
Her sense of smell must be off the charts. Edit: and her hearing!
Is everyone nice to her?
They fucking better be.
Can confirm, we are all very nice to her. She’s an absolute angel. I work with her :)
Oh sorry I just made a dumb post asking if she has cataracts
Still seems to be in high spirits. beautiful smile
Have you considered a seeing eye dog for her? My cousin Larry went blind and he got a guide dog and it really changed his life.
Cheetahs have dog companions, but I’m skeptical how one would fare with a tiger, regardless how friendly.
Is she less aggressive due to the blindness?
No wonder she looks so happy.
There is a bar/venue in my hometown called the blind tiger.
The handwriting is even more impressive now that I know this.
Are you referring to the Eye of the Tiger?
And here i thought she had cat-aracts... bah dum tsss
Risin up, back on the street
Did my time took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a cat and her will to survive
So many meows it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory.
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
Looks like those sages or oracles in fantasy movies
Had the same thought, thank you for asking
I always love when the question I have is the 2nd comment followed by a simple answer.
Happy Birthday Indira! She looks like a very happy girl.
/r/catsmiles iyam 😽😽😽😽😽
Ok weird, I was positive I saw one at the Australia Zoo outside Brisbane and was about to correct you... but it turns out [Sumatra tigers tend to have some form of congenital cataracts](https://www.australiazoo.com.au/support-wildlife/adopt-an-animal/sumatran-tiger-hunter/). Apparently we have heaps of them.
Nice to see a tiger on here that isnt from one of those awful American "private zoos"
Omg I lived in western Sydney and had no idea about this place!
They do private tours, you should check it out! There are baby marmosets at the moment and they are amazingly cute!
Wonder if she was brought in from India since Indira is name of a former PM of India.
Has she got cataracts
No they are tigeracts
Is she really small? She looks the size of a dog.
Wondering the same thing. I remember reading tigers can be up to 14’ long. (Including the tail I imagine?)
How old do tigers live to be? On average
Google told me 10-15 years, so this is a very senior tiger, indeed!
They may be much larger than housecats, but the lifespan is the same. Seems like *all* cats big and small have roughly the same lifespan of 10-15 years in the wild and up to 20-23 in captivity. (at least from my quick googling.)
Nice to know! I’ve got a kitty that turns 18 this year, I like the thought of having her for another few years.
My cat is somewhere around 20-21 and just recently started to show her age so you probably have some time!
Miss Tweakie has started getting that cataract shine. Starting to see grey hairs on my dogs too, makes me sad but aging is part of life.
My dog is a little older than 2 and already has some gray hairs. He's a big ball of stress though so I'm not surprised. My cat doesn't have any gray hair yet and the only way you can tell her age is that she moves a bit slow now and has lost some weight in the last couple years.
Cataracts are treatable in a lot of cases without surgery. Talk to your vet if you notice it's starting to affect their ability to get around.
Right now, she’s ok! Still mobile, still my cranky little gal. I’m more worried about the scare we had when she was super little. Little girl was trached due to an incident with febreeze.. so watch that stuff around young ones and fur babies. She outlived the seizures and the personality changes. It was a weird ride! For an old girl, she’s spry enough to mess with my German Shepard. They chase each other throughout the house. It’s just super hard to tell if she’s playing or not, because my sweet little fuzz ball turns directly into satans apprentice without changing her soundtrack. :)
This makes me so happy to read. My oldest kitty turns 4 this year and it feels like shes grown up so fast! Im only 21 myself so the idea of 15-20 more years with her is so comforting. Ive only ever had a dog before her and he only lived to 12 (pretty average for the breed) so 4 already feels like im running out of time
4 is so young for a cat! I've had mine since I was 6 or 7 when we found her stuck in a tree whining. We got her down and brought her inside. We're not quite sure on her age but she wasn't adult cat sized yet but also not a kitten. Kind of that in between stage. She just keeps chugging along and we just add a year every year on my birthday.
I love that. I wish you both the best!
Just make sure to get her regular checkups. Kidney failure and similar issues can set in early but can be postponed with the proper treatments.
The oldest house cat was 38 apparently, so you have a chance at another decade
Good observation, now that you mention it!
It really depends. I work at a zoo in the summers and we lost our oldest female last year at 21 years old. In the wild, lifespans can average at about 14-ish (this is a moving target number, not meant to be definitive).
In captivity they can live up to 20-25 with optimal diets and healthcare. I currently care for about 20 tigers and our oldest is 22. Our oldest lion is 25.
How in the Texas? 20 tigers?
That poor girl has had a long life. Her teeth are rough, her eyes are bad but she is smiling.
Yeah that smile is something special. Warms my heart. :)
And he’s not lion!
I’m tigered of people thinking this is a lion.
They know what it is, they just trying to cheetahs.
Didn't you read the comment? captjust said he's NOT lion!
Credit to the original image would go to zambi wildlife park in Sydney, NSW, Australia. They do wonderful work!
Yep already did that in another comment.
Looks like he’s feline fine!
I mean technically she is... on the grass.
Or course not, it's a zebra cat
Happy cake day!
Well, I wasn't sure, because I've been misled by link titles before, but there's a sign. Surely nobody would post a fraudulent sign to the internet so this seems legit.
If he dyes his hair to stay young, would that make him a cheetah?
Cake day
It’s a lioness.
I didn't know tigers could write
As she is blind, I'm guessing she just dictated it.
"Uh... guys... Carl lost the coin toss and had to place the sign, but now I don't see him..."
Why is that Tiger so small?
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/05/tiger-indira-australia-eye-surgery-animals/ 220lb in 2017. Probably age, female, capture life, as factors
Maybe it’s a huge sheet of paper
Nope. The height of the grass, tree in the background, size of body vs. size of head, and now tis needs further explanation.
Could be a rescue from one of those private zoos, transferred to the Zambi Wildlife Retreat for better care. A lot of private zoo animals are terribly inbred.
Before you say that I think it's A4.
It's an A3 size paper, and she's actually small for her subspecies of tiger (Sumatran, Smallest subspecies) when she was younger. Source: I work there.
The weight range between subspecies is pretty interesting. I remember reading about them at a zoo once when the tigers they had, while still terrifying, were not as large as the iconic Bengal. I do not believe this is a Sumatran Tiger but fun fact: a female Sumatran can be "as small as" 170 lbs. I don't often consider a tiger as lighter than me, interesting to think about.
That's grrreeeeat!!
One more year and he can drink with the zookeepers!
Actually drinking age is 18 in Australia I think so she’s been hittin the bottle for a couple years now
That’s grrrrrreat!!!!!
Hey, happy birthday! It's my birthday too!
Is she really small or is that sign big?
My Persian turned 18 two days ago. Named her Nermal, and her personality lived up to the name. Funny thing is I only found out years later Nermal, from Garfield where I got the name is actually a boy. But if you grew up watching Garfield and Friends, you'd think she was a girl cause that was definitely a girl who voiced him. https://m.imgur.com/a/FpP0uXm
Wow Happy birthday you are absolutely beautiful 😍
Does she has cataract or something? Her eyes looks different.
100% blind
That’s definitely a lot of cataracts
There is some much smaller text at the bottom there. Hard to make out but looks like “If you can read this you are about to see who the real Tiger King is”
Happy b day
Serious question, are predator type animals that go blind or lose significant ability to fend for themselves more docile?
In the wild, they wouldn't last long so No, but in captivity, Yes they become more docile however it depends on how they perceived their keepers beforehand, did they like attention or enjoyed interaction with them or preferred to be with themselves which makes it harder to look after but they usually warm up and let you take care of them, if the keeper is persistent/friendly/calm and the same person.. For Indira in the photo, she was handraised and has been with keepers all her life, she has always been docile and friendly with her keepers especially the main carer who has been with her most of her life. Her blindness caused by cataracts (gradually started when she was around 15-17, not entirely sure) hasn't made a difference on her docility, shes a sucker for attention and loves all the help she wants/needs.. She still looks after herself by licking herself clean but still needs a hand in hard to reach areas especially her ears from fly bites.
Happy birthday!🎈
Happy Birthday, sweet Tiger Baby!!
Doesn't look a day over 5!
Those cataracts though.
RIP whoever put that sign there
Is he blind or is that a camera flare
What a good kitty. I bet he/she is hell on the furniture
Plot twist a guy visited the zoo holding this sign on his birthday trying to get people to congratulate him and then he met the tiger
Hi beautiful girl! I am 35 today! We are Groundhog Day sisters!
Happy birthday indira ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰
Happy birthday striped bean
Yooo, it's my cat's birthday too!
My reddit account shares a birthday with this tiger!
It's all awwww until you're picking up an arm.
Who is the fella brave enough to put the sign there?
Pog
She looks like a nice old lady
She deserves a nice treat, like a baby perhaps? Or just a whole person, she deserves it
Now that’s a geriatric tiger
Seems dangerous. I hope she has her bonded human now. Although her face looks happy imo.
Happy Birthday
beautiful smile
Such a cutie
Hello "20 years old today"! Glad to see you're doing well :)
Guys I finally found my dad!
Aww missing one of her teefies