Cats living much longer lives due to human-like operations including hip replacements

Cats are now undergoing hip replacement surgeries , a procedure typically associated with older humans, and it is resulting in the animals living longer .

These operations are part of a range of medical treatments for cats that are extending their lifespans into the 20s, including heart surgeries, chemotherapy, and transplants.

Unique breeds such as the Scottish Fold, owned by celebrities like Taylor Swift , often require treatment due to health issues related to their distinctive features.

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The Cork Cat Hospital, a pioneer in feline medicine since its inception 15 years ago, is witnessing remarkable progress in the field. Clare Meade, the hospital's lead, shared: "We're sending a cat for hip replacement surgery soon, [which] will involve some surgeons flying in from Europe. The kind of cutting-edge surgery is incredible."

She added: "We have a wonderful new specialist hospital which has opened up in Co Cork . It has MRI and CT in-house. They do mind-bending science-fiction type of work on our animals."

Discussing a recent case, Meade said: "We had a cat recently who had a blocked kidney, and they put a stent in so the kidney would keep working, and they put in a new tube from the kidney to the bladder and kept him alive. But it all costs money, obviously."

While hip replacements have become routine for dogs, thanks to the work of Tipperary-born Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick, the procedure remains more complex for cats.

Clare remarked: "I can take a blood test now and have a result in 15 minutes for the cat and the owner. When I qualified, if a cat was over 10 years of age, it was considered old, now you're not considered old until you're 15 years of age."

"We would have loads of cats that come to us that are between 15 and 25 years of age, and they are doing brilliantly well."

Expressing her concern about the rise in popularity of extreme breeds, Clare cited celebrity influence and social media trends as contributing factors to these animals' often severe and lifelong health issues due to their genetic makeup.

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She detailed: "Extreme breeding is one of our big challenges. The extreme-type Persians are a really good example of where human beings get involved and they mess things up, really badly."

"There are the beautiful traditional Persians, who just have really long hair and slightly bigger eyes. And then you have the extreme type Persian with ultra-flat faces, very much like the English Bulldogs."

Discussing the specific issues with certain breeds, she mentioned that the folded ears which give the breed an appearance akin to a human baby are the result of abnormal cartilage that also impacts every joint in the animal's body.

Clare concluded: "The Scottish Fold cats have the most disgusting arthritis in every joint in their body, and they have that from a very, very young age, almost from a kitten. And therefore they live a life of intense pain."

"So, it's almost like having a baby intentionally with advanced rheumatoid arthritis and doing it over and over and over again."

Clare mentioned that owners might shell out anywhere from €700 to €2,000 for designer felines, while exotic hybrids such as Bengals could fetch prices as high as €5,000.

Reacting to JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" remark, the cat expert took the words in stride.

Clare commented: "I think the cat lady one is just really funny. I don't see how you can insult them or be disparaging about what they do. If they filled the US Senate, the world would be a really good place."

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