Find information about how your pet’s age relates to human years and how to care for your aging feline.
The old standard that one cat year equals seven people years is not quite accurate.Early feline development is much more accelerated than are humans.A one year old cat is more like a 15 year old person and a two year old feline is more like a 24 year old person.Each year thereafter, one cat year equals about four human years.A six year old feline has the physiological age that is roughly equivalent to that of a 40 year old person.A 15 year old feline is equivalent to a 76 year old person, and a 20 year old is equal to a 96 year old person.At what age exactly is a cat considered old?The world health organization classifies people from 60 to 74 years of age as elderly.Those from 75 and older classified as aged.If you apply our human age/cat age formula an elderly feline would be about 12 to 15 and an aged feline would be about 15 and over.
If felines have a fault, it is that their lives are so much shorter than our own.You bring home a baby kitten and the next thing you know it’s a senior feline.If you adopt an adult cat the days you share are even fewer.Preserve your memories for life has a way of moving at such a rapid pace that we neglect to cherish the present.Nature designed the cat to perfection but even perfection is susceptible to aging.
The digestive system changes as feline age. The intestines and kidneys are less efficient then they were and as a result the cat often loses weight and their coats become dull.Changes in the diet including more easily digested protein and higher levels of vitamins and minerals may help to counter these effects.Humans have an important effect on the lifespan of our feline pet through our intervention in caring for them.Pet cats are more likely to live out their full potential lifespan than are feral cats.Generally speaking pet cats live more than twice as long as a cat in the wild, and inside only cats in the city live longer than pet cats that are allowed to roam the city.
Your aging feline can age gracefully with mental and physical activity, appropriate nutrition, warmth, comfort and well designed toys may help your pet age comfortably.Aging brings disorientation.Some aging felines pace the room, others may forget where the pottie box is or how to use it.Some become more vocal and some, like elderly people, become snappy.All these changes may be age related, but may also be a sign of treatable illnesses.
Your aging feline should be seen, like all pet cats, by your veterinarian on a regular basis.
Compare Cat years to Human years
CAT'S AGE
EQUIVALENT HUMAN AGE
COMMENTS
2-3 months
9-12 months
Kittens/humans weaned. Kittens are becoming less dependent on the mother.
4 months
2-3 years
Talking/adult communication in children. Under natural conditions, the kitten is fully independent of the mother.
6-12 months
12-15 years
Sexual maturity, most females now fertile and able to have young although they may not be fully-grown.
2 years
24 years
Could have raised children.
3-6 years
28-40 years
Human career-making
6-9 years
40-52 years
Middle age spread, menopause for some women.
9-13 years
52-65 years
Human menopause and retirement. Most cats are beginning to take things easier.
13-17 years
65-85 years
Active but ageing. Signs of senility in some individuals, senses less acute, injuries heal more slowly or incompletely. Internal organs less efficient.
17-19 years
83-92 years
Probably frail due to loss of bone density, subcutaneous fat and muscle tone. Skin more fragile. Hearing, sight and mobility affected. Less supple.
19-22 years
92-100 years
Amazing.
22+ years
100+ years
An exceptional individual
30 years
136 years
Several cats have recently attained this age.
34-36 years
152-160 years
Official longevity records noted in the Guinness Book of Records.
43 years
188 years
Unofficial (unverified) longevity claim; cat was apparently still active and was killed by a train.
accelerated than are humans.
than our own.