Sonja, I remember plenty of snow even in the south (of England) when I was growing up, but here in the southeastern US we hardly ever get any. Cats are more likely to suffer in the heat - we get plenty of upper 90's and even into the 100's in summer. I have an old boy rescued from the drainage ditches around where I live, Merlin. He was estimated to have been about 6 years by one vet and 12 years by another when I rescued him in 1992, which would make him either 16 or 22 now! I think 16 is probably more like it. He's a little thinner now than he was once he got healthy after being rescued, but still pretty frisky. Not many teeth left, but they weren't too good when I got him, anyway. He weighed only 7.5 lbs back then and was missing most of his hair on his head and neck - had just a mohawk down the middle. It was pretty funny to see this "skinhead" cat slinking along in the drainage ditch - his body and legs hidden from view in the ditch, and only his naked head and sparsely furred tail sticking up. He had a big old neck and was of course unneutered when I rescued him - no leuk or FIV or FIP, as feared, but he was diabetic for a while. Once well, he went up to 17 lbs. for a while. Merl is a black longhair who would have been pretty if he hadn't scratched off all that fur due to a God-awful case of earmites.
Then I have Kiki, a dilute calico feral (peach, grey and white). She was fixed at about 3 years of age, and was 9 when a friend died and I had to take her in (or she would have been shot or trapped by the pound). It was amazing she had survived outside for 9 years, particularly since she has chronic URI and had few teeth left (has none now after two dentals). She had never been touched by human hand before I got her, but lets me comb her now (but one move the wrong way and she swats you). She's now 12. I think cats like Terry and Merlin and Kiki are a testament to surviving the odds.
