Do cats age similarly to humans? As per a recent study, domestic cats do show age-related patterns of brain deterioration comparable to those in humans. This surprising fact could open new arenas for experts to study human ageing and other related diseases.
According to experts, the shorter lifespans of cats could mean that factors affecting ageing can be studied at a much faster rate in cats, when compared to humans. The study has been published in the journal Biology Open.
For the research, scientists looked at 3,754 data points collected across humans, cats and other mammalian species, covering brain imaging, blood chemistry and disease-related patterns. Structural magnetic resonance scans from pet and colony cats were also taken to understand different age-related brain metrics.
"Cats may serve as valuable models for human ageing because there is some evidence that they can develop human-related ageing patterns," the authors mentioned in the study.
What did the study find?
Researchers observed that both humans and older cats can develop age-related neurodegenerative changes later in life. A biological model based on measurable age-related changes was also developed, which revealed that ageing in cats and humans does not progress at a constant rate but instead speeds up or slows down at different stages in their lives.
Based on calculations and observations, the team has found that a cat in its mid-teens corresponds to a human in their 80s.
"It was interesting to see that cats show patterns of age-related brain atrophy similar to those observed in humans. These findings add to growing evidence that companion animals can provide valuable insights into ageing," lead researcher and author Brier Rigby Dames.
