We love a kitten we adopt till we are far into our golden years. Owners of cats gradually develop the skills required to provide for their pets, including the specifics of spaying and neutering, bathing and vaccinations, as well as weight management and nutritional preferences. We soon learn that cats go through a variety of developmental stages, requiring new kinds of care. Fortunately, we can better understand our cats’ development when we have a general idea of how old they are in human years.
Your cat’s age in human years
Cat owners can convert their cat’s age in a number of ways; the method that follows uses averages. In other words, each cat grows in a unique way. One purebred cat that matures considerably more slowly than others and takes three to four years to achieve full maturity is the Maine Coon. In terms of genetic development, diet, activity, domestic care, and medical care, cats mature similarly to people. For instance, a kitten can be six or seven weeks old but appear to be physiologically much more mature than a newborn human.
Regardless of the averages on the chart, it’s useful to know how old your beloved cat is in actual human years:
- Give your cat’s first year of life the equivalent of 15 human years.
- After then, the second year is doubled by nine years. For instance, a 2-year-old cat will be around 24 human years old.
- Then, add four human years to the amount of years your cat has lived.
- Refer to the attached cat age to human age chart to verify your calculations.
Your pet’s aging process can be managed
Calculating your cat’s age in human years is important, but it’s also important to realize that a variety of factors could affect how old your cat is in comparison to a human. Genes, nutrition, environment, availability to physical and medical treatment, and other factors may be included in this. There are additional factors that can be altered that affect how old your cat gets, even if it’s likely that you have little control over heredity. If you have an aging cat, for instance, you may take care of all of their special needs by giving them a weekly physical, brushing their teeth and fur every day, and feeding them wholesome food.
However, if you own a kitten, you might be able to see significant developmental stages throughout the first eight weeks. Your kitten will be born during the first week with its eyes closed, ears folded, and weight between 90 and 100 grams. Around day three, you might expect the umbilical cord to be severed. Within seven days, weight should have doubled. Make sure your kitten’s eyes open and that in week two, its baby teeth begin to erupt. In the third week, some kittens start to explore their environment and develop pointed ears. By week four, you might expect growing a few more teeth and getting better hearing. Between weeks five and eight, your kitten should be able to see clearly, try eating solid food, change the color of its eyes, and grow more active. Make use of this opportunity to prepare for your kitten’s first vaccination.
All cats should have their growth, food, and vaccinations closely monitored.
Signs of aging
Finding out your cat’s age is usually not an issue if you have owned it since it was a kitten. You might not be certain, though, if your cat was a stray or a rescue. Start by looking at your teeth. For instance, a kitten is probably to blame if you observe baby teeth coming in. If, however, you notice tartar streaks, your cat is probably an adult or senior cat.
You might search for further signs of sexual maturity. Male cats that are spraying urine or showing off their testicles are most likely 5 months old and going through puberty. This age group of female cats will go into heat, and you will be able to see and hear it. The development of the coat and the eyes are further warning signs.
How long cats can live
Up to the age of six months, your pet is referred to as a kitten. Then, until it is two years old, it goes from being a kitten to a junior. Between the ages of three and six, your cat’s peak years of development begin, and between seven and ten, it enters the mature stage of life. Finally, care requirements change dramatically as your cat ages (between 11 and 14 years). In fact, life changes even more for your cat after it reaches the geriatric stage, which occurs at an incredible age of 15 years or more.
Your cat might live a long time depending on your lifestyle. Consider, for instance, whether your cat lives indoors or outdoors. Some wild cats may live for four to five years, compared to the average lifespan of 13 to 17 years for domestic cats. Even yet, an indoor cat can live for up to 20 years without experiencing any problems. However, an overweight cat is more likely to survive only 12 to 15 years.
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