PhD student Mimi Mayer-Payne with study participant
The University of Liverpool's Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study (CatPAWS), which follows a cohort of pet cats from their middle-age years and into later life, is celebrating more than nine years of improving the health and welfare of cats over seven years of age.
Part of the Feline Healthy Ageing Clinic, sponsored by Royal Canin, the study recruited its first cat in February 2017. Over the last nine years, 243 cats have been recruited, the oldest of which is Pou Pou who is now over 18 years old.
PouPou at his most recent appointment
The study has enabled the collection of longitudinal data to assess health, lifespan and 'healthspan' (the period of life spent in good health), resulting in several scientific publications.
First ever clinical trial now recruiting
Now, the clinic is recruiting for its first randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of a nutritional intervention on ageing. Owners of eligible cats who are enrolled will receive complimentary cat food for the 12-month trial period, in addition to complimentary gold standard veterinary health screening at their appointments.
The new study aims to determine if, and how, nutrition can improve the ageing process and extend healthspan in cats. Researchers will monitor physical characteristics, behaviour, the development of chronic conditions, and overall markers of healthy ageing.
Owners interested in enrolling their cat should register their interest through a recruitment questionnaire.
A study participant
Latest findings advance understanding of feline ageing
CatPAWS' most recent findings, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, examined patterns of disease development and mortality in the first 209 cats, with key findings including:
- Almost all cats (96%) developed at least one age-related health problem during the time they were followed up (2017 to 2024).
- 'Multimorbidity', the development of more than one chronic disease in the same cat, was common, with 84% of the cats developing two or more chronic conditions.
- The most common conditions were dental disease (84%), orthopaedic abnormalities (82%) and heart murmurs (59%).
- Multimorbidity increased steadily with age, demonstrating that ageing affects multiple body systems rather than individual diseases in isolation.
- Cats with mild muscle loss in middle age had approximately twice the risk of death compared with cats with normal muscle condition.
- Pedigree cats had approximately double the mortality risk of mixed-breed cats.
- The findings suggest that healthy ageing interventions should begin in middle age, before obvious illness develops.
Principal investigator, Professor Alex German, said: "Thanks to long-term investment in the Liverpool Feline Ageing Clinic by Royal Canin, CatPAWS will be able to run for many years to come, bringing ever more important research insights. CatPAWS' longitudinal study design enables us to examine a more complete picture of health and ageing, by observing the same cats over time, rather than relying on single snapshots. In time, findings from CatPAWS will be used to educate owners and veterinary professionals about how to spot the development of age-related diseases and better care for pet cats in general."
