How long do cats live?

I think 15-20 years...at your cats' age, if she is still jumping up on the desk, must not be too arthritic. You could put her down if she was arthritic and in pain....$15 for a little shot to go to sleep. My vet told me not to use hairball medicine...that it is natural and normal to puke up a hair ball a coupla times a month...he said the hairball medicine was too hard on their kidneys............maybe you could double up on her dosing..........

It takes more than a few doses of the hairball medicine before they usually pass them... I am assuming you are giving Laxatone?? or what?? The oldest cat I have seen come into a vet clinic was 23 and still acted like a kitten..

I know how you feel. Just got brand new carpet put in my bedroom, and awoke the other day hearing that heaving/hocking/puking sound. Thought I was dreaming that I was in clinicals, but no, it was the cat puking up a long, orange, hairball right in the middle of my new carpet. AAAAgh!

I haven't found that the hairball medicine works very well either.

My cat is 17, a bit stiff in his "behindpaws" (how do you call them?), but still abel to jump on the table and eat everything still standing there.
He pukes every other day, but he always did, he eats far to fast and bururururughh............
My vet also told me not to give that hairballstuff, healthy cats don't need that.
My cat is much thinner, especially the last bit of his tummy, but here the vet said, normal for an old cat.
His kidneys are fine, his liver is having a hard time sometimes, but as soon as his poop changes to thin and lightbrown (sorry, another poopstory) I change his diet to lowfat and he is ok again.

Don't worry, cats have 7 lifes, Renee

LOL! I thought I was the only one plauged by hairballs...with 5 cats, 3 of them long hair somebody is always harfing (why do they have to look so much like turds?).

After trying several things I had been having really good luck with hairball treats...just ran out and don't remember the brand...they come in a little canister and have a blob of goo inside, they kinda look like a little brown after dinner mint. My vet said the treats were OK to use.

My Mom swears by the OIL from a can of tuna fish (doesn't work if you buy the packed in water stuff), I have never seen her Person harf and he's always licking himself someplace.

We lost our old kitty 10/00. She was 16. I got her while my youngest was in the hospital after being born (he was 6 wks early). Is the only reason I rembered her age.

Aren't pets just wonderful sometimes? Cats can live up to 20 years, but most of them are a mess by then! We use the hairball medicine and it doesn't work! Sometimes brushing your cat everyday can help a lot with the hairball situation. Good Luck!

One of my cats has had a problem with hair balls too. Does your cat eat grass? My cats are indoor cats, with the exception of our little fenced in patio here at the apartment. They both like to go out there at night and eat the grass. I think it's the "natural" cat hair ball medicine/reliever.

I did find these hair ball treats at Walmart in a zip loc pouch. I give Zeus about 3/day and he hasn't been hacking. I tried giving Zoe one, but she threw it up, so I bought her some cat treats, gave her a few of those(she thinks Zeus is getting something she's not)and she threw them up too. So she doesn't get any treats. THANK GOD she didn't puke on the carpet. We just moved and we have new carpet. Well, I take that back...one of them ate too much and puked it up on the floor by my side of the bed. My Mom bought me this carpet cleaner(for pets) and it worked wonderfully!

This is what we've done: they eat dry food, so we limit the amount we give them every day. These two eat about 1 and 1/2 cups of dry food, and drink plenty of water. We usually let them go out and "eat the grass" every night, and so far, no more hair balls or puking episodes. YAY!!!! :hatparty: The other night I actually went outside and cut some grass for them and brought it in the house. We're supposed to keep an eye on our pets at this new complex, and with the back door open and the a/c on, not to mention the mesquitos...well, it was all I could handle.

Gah, sometimes I think my cats are only going to live as long as it takes me to kill them. Joking, obviously, but they can be trying sometimes.
My fat old geezer is approaching his 15th year (I think; he was a pound kitty and noone had any idea when his birthday was) and aside from a cataract he is pretty spry. He is also an indoor-only cat, and I've been told that makes a difference.