O'Neill Dan G, Church David B, McGreevy Paul D, Thomson Peter C, Brodbelt David C
Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, UK
Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Group, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, UK.
J Feline Med Surg. 2015 Feb;17(2):125-33. doi: 10.1177/1098612X14536176. Epub 2014 Jun 12.
Enhanced knowledge on longevity and mortality in cats should support improved breeding, husbandry, clinical care and disease prevention strategies. The VetCompass research database of primary care veterinary practice data offers an extensive resource of clinical health information on companion animals in the UK. This study aimed to characterise longevity and mortality in cats, and to identify important demographic risk factors for compromised longevity. Crossbred cats were hypothesised to live longer than purebred cats. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the deceased cats. Multivariable linear regression methods investigated risk factor association with longevity in cats that died at or after 5 years of age. From 118,016 cats attending 90 practices in England, 4009 cats with confirmed deaths were randomly selected for detailed study. Demographic characterisation showed that 3660 (91.7%) were crossbred, 2009 (50.7%) were female and 2599 (64.8%) were neutered. The most frequently attributed causes of mortality in cats of all ages were trauma (12.2%), renal disorder (12.1%), non-specific illness (11.2%), neoplasia (10.8%) and mass lesion disorders (10.2%). Overall, the median longevity was 14.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 9.0-17.0; range 0.0-26.7). Crossbred cats had a higher median longevity than purebred cats (median [IQR] 14.0 years [9.1-17.0] vs 12.5 years [6.1-16.4]; P <0.001), but individual purebred cat breeds varied substantially in longevity. In cats dying at or after 5 years (n = 3360), being crossbred, having a lower bodyweight, and being neutered and non-insured were associated with increased longevity. This study described longevity in cats and identified important causes of mortality and breed-related associations with compromised longevity.
增进对猫的寿命和死亡率的了解，应有助于改进繁殖、饲养管理、临床护理及疾病预防策略。兽医综合诊疗研究数据库收集了英国基层兽医诊疗实践数据，提供了关于伴侣动物临床健康信息的丰富资源。本研究旨在描述猫的寿命和死亡率特征，并确定影响寿命缩短的重要人口统计学风险因素。研究假设杂交猫比纯种猫寿命更长。采用描述性统计来描述死亡猫的特征。多变量线性回归方法研究了5岁及5岁以后死亡的猫的风险因素与寿命的关联。从英格兰90家诊所就诊的118,016只猫中，随机选择4009只确诊死亡的猫进行详细研究。人口统计学特征显示，3660只（91.7%）为杂交猫，2009只（50.7%）为雌性，2599只（64.8%）已绝育。所有年龄段猫最常见的死亡原因是外伤（12.2%）、肾脏疾病（12.1%）、非特异性疾病（11.2%）、肿瘤（10.8%）和占位性病变疾病（10.2%）。总体而言，中位寿命为14.0岁（四分位间距[IQR] 9.0 - 17.0；范围0.0 - 26.7）。杂交猫的中位寿命高于纯种猫（中位值[IQR] 14.0岁[9.1 - 17.0] 对 12.5岁[6.1 - 16.4]；P <0.001），但不同纯种猫品种的寿命差异很大。在5岁及5岁以后死亡的猫（n = 3360）中，杂交、体重较低、已绝育且未投保与寿命延长有关。本研究描述了猫的寿命情况，确定了重要的死亡原因以及与寿命缩短相关的品种关联。
