Humans are thought to have kept cats as pets for over 10,000 years, with the first domesticated felines evolving from African wildcats.
Since then they have become the world’s second most popular pet, just behind dogs when it comes to the animals we most like to welcome in to our homes and our hearts.
In the UK alone there are more than 10 million feline friends in households.
And there are a huge range of types of cat to choose from - according to The International Cat Association there are 73 ‘standardised breeds’, along with a bewildering number of crosses.
A recent report by the Royal Veterinary College found marked differences in how long different breeds tend to live for - with some living more than twice as long as others.
Researchers analysed data of 7,936 cats over a three year period, taken from vets in the UK, finding that overall cats had an average life expectancy of around 11.7 years.
They also found that crossbreeds lived slightly longer than pedigree cats on average - 12.5 years and 11.2 years respectively.
Here’s how long they found you can expect 10 of the most popular breeds to live for.
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1. Burmese
The beautiful Burmese often comes out top in cat lifespan surveys, and so it proved again - with an expected lifespan of 14.4 years. | AFP via Getty Images
2. Birman
Joint top spot went to the Birman - which you can also expect to live for 14.4 years. | AFP via Getty Images
3. Crossbreed
Showing that pedigree cats don't tend to alway live the longest lives, crossbreed 'moggy' cats were found to live for an average of 11.9 years. | Canva/Getty Images
4. Siamese
We are Siamese if you please - these exotic cats were found to live for 11.7 years on average. | AFP via Getty Images