How Old Is My Cat?
If you purchase a new cat from the local pet store or a cat breeder, determining your cat age won't be much of a challenge. However, knowing the age of a kitten or a cat can be challenging when you’re adopting or rescuing older cats.
As a cat owner, you must have a fair estimate of how old your cat is. This helps ensure that all vaccinations are on time and appropriate. Knowing its age will also guarantee that your cat's diet, care plan, and overall progress is within the acceptable growth timelines.
You can always connect with a vet to help you get an approximate age of your cat or use the alternative formula.
How Old is My Cat In Human Age?
While there is no solid and scientific calculation to convert cat age in human years, in general, the first two years of your moggy's life is equivalent to the first 25 human years. After this, every additional year will be equal to four cat years.
This will mean that if your feline buddy is six years old, it’s equivalent to 42 human years.
- 1-month-old kitten = 6-month-old human baby
- 3-month-old kitten = 4-year-old child
- 6-month-old kitten = 10 human years old
- 8-month-old kitten = 15-year-old human
- A 1-year-old cat has reached adulthood, the equivalent of 18 human years
- 2 human years = 24 cat years
- 4 human years = 35 cat years
- 6 human years = 42 cat years
- 8 human years = 50 cat years
- 10 human years = 60 cat years
- 12 human years = 70 cat years
- 14 human years = 80 cat years
- 16 human years = 84 cat years
How to Know Cat Age?
Certain body parts can be a great indicator of a cat’s age and should help you arrive at an educated estimate.
- Teeth – a kitty's first baby teeth come out between its second to fourth weeks, so this can be a tell-tale sign. A cat's permanent teeth will develop above the baby teeth at around 3-4 months. These permanent teeth will completely displace the baby teeth, and by six months of age, the adult teeth will have permanently settled. If you get an adult cat, you can determine the age on the severity of staining on your cat's teeth. However, this might not be completely reliable since you have to consider its health history and the amount of oral care it might have received from its previous owners or the rescue shelter.
- Coat – a kitten’s hair or fur is baby-fine and soft to touch. As your cat grows and develops, its coat takes on a thicker and coarser texture. There would also be changes in the actual color, either becoming lighter or darker. As the cat transitions to old age, there might be some gray or white patches in its coat. Another tell-tale sign would be the way the cat grooms itself. Cats love to groom and clean themselves, but older cats tend to slack on the habit due to age, weight gain, and medical problems.
- Eyes – kittens and cats in their maintenance and progressive years would have bright and clear eyes sans any discharges and tearing. Elderly cats usually have cloudy eyes. If your cat’s eyes are prone to tearing, it will be a safe assumption that the cat is ten years old or older.
- Sexual Prime – male moggies reach their maturity at five months, so there would be puberty indicators that you can anticipate or keep an eye on, like territorial spraying. For females, they usually have their initial heat or estrus cycle between the age of 5-12 months, although their weight and the length of daylight would impact their first cycle. Expect a she-cat to express her estrus cycle vocally and visibly. Female cats get pregnant by 7.5 months. This is, however, a difficult determiner of your cat’s age especially if it has been spayed or neutered in the past.
What’s the Average Life of a Cat?
The life expectancy of a cat differs based on its environment and the general care that it receives. Felines living indoors last longer compared to those who live outdoors.
On average, cats live about 16-18 years and even up to the revered age of 20.
Another factor that contributes to life expectancy would also be the breed. Some naturally outlive the other breeds. For instance, Siamese cats are believed to have the most prolonged longevity of 34 years old, which is roughly 153 human years.
Now, that’s a well-lived life!