“You shouldn’t keep a cat for more than ten years, or your household will fall into disharmony!”If my chubby 15-year-old orange tabby heard this, he would probably smack me in the face with his tail and say:“I’ve been eating your treats for years—how exactly am I disturbing your feng shui?”
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The Truth Behind the Old Saying — Do You Really Know It?
In fact, when the older generation says, “You shouldn’t keep a cat for more than ten years,” they never meant that you should abandon an elderly cat.Instead, it was their way of offering a “heartbreak prevention guideline.”This kind of feeling becomes clear the moment you read through stories shared by netizens.Netizen @Son of a Farmer:When he was in elementary school, his grandfather spent 15 yuan to buy him a tabby cat.The cat lived for 15 years — grew up with him and even accompanied the family through his grandfather’s passing.When the cat finally left, the entire family couldn’t bring themselves to keep another cat for over a decade.“It’s not because it got old… it’s because we couldn’t handle our hearts breaking again.”Netizen @Xiao Yu:Grandma adopted a stray calico named “Laifu.”For 12 years, Laifu and Grandma were inseparable.After Grandma passed away, Laifu waited every day at her favorite resting spot, and eventually died from refusing to eat.“She wasn’t a pet. She was Grandma’s second child.”The average lifespan of a cat is around 12–15 years.When they spend their entire lives accompanying us, the pain of losing them can feel just like losing a family member.And as a psychological self-defense mechanism, humans naturally created the self-protecting advice:“Don’t keep a cat too long.”
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Breaking the Superstition! A Ten-Year Cat Is Actually a Lucky Star
Let’s be clear: if your cat lives long, it means your home is peaceful and your cat is well cared for — your “cat guardian score” is full marks.With proper scientific care, cats living into their 20s or even reaching 30 years old is not rare — that’s equivalent to a 140-year-old human!For humans, close interaction with pets lowers anxiety levels, reduces stress, and provides a deep sense of emotional security — something only pet owners truly understand.My own chubby orange cat was diagnosed with congenital heart disease when adopted, and the vet said he “wouldn’t live past 5 years.”But thanks to daily 5-minute feather-wand cardio sessions + prescription food, he’s now proudly upgraded to “Elder Orange.”
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Longevity Guide: Helping Your Cat Easily Live Beyond the Golden Ten Years
Avoid These Diet Traps.Certain bottled waters (like Nongfu Spring) contain magnesium levels too high for cats. Long-term drinking increases the risk of urinary stones.Plain boiled water or low-mineral water is the best choice.Use “canned food hydration tricks” to help your cat drink 200ml a day effortlessly.Health Checkup Checklist (Copy-and-Paste Version):Ages 1–6: Annual antibody test + dental X-ray.Ages 7–10: Cardiac ultrasound + thyroid panel every 6 months.Age 10+: Quarterly SDMA kidney screening + joint evaluation.Anti-Aging Tips.Use a laser pointer to encourage jumping — strengthens hind leg muscles and prevents senior paralysis.Transform cardboard delivery boxes weekly to stimulate your senior cat’s curiosity and desire to explore.
After keeping cats for many years, I finally understand the “tough mouth, soft heart” of the older generation.They were never afraid of “raising a cat for more than ten years.”What they were truly afraid of… was the pain of losing them.But!It is precisely because life is limited that every moment of companionship becomes incredibly precious.What kind of cat do you have at home?How old is it now?And if you could only choose one of the following:A. Raise a cat that stays with you for 20 years but will eventually leave.B. Never keep a cat at all to avoid heartbreak.Which would you choose?Feel free to leave a comment or share a photo of your cat — let’s talk about our cat-raising experiences together.
