According to the stereotype, one year of human life is equal to seven years of cat life. In fact, a one-year-old cat is much more mature than a seven-year-old child. How to correctly calculate the age of your beloved pet compared to human age? Many cat owners want to calculate the age accurately and correctly. There are some rules that will help you correctly calculate the age of your pet. It is more difficult to do this if your cat was homeless.
How to convert a cat's age to human age
It is worth noting right away that it is unlikely to be possible to accurately calculate how old a cat is in human age. The intelligence and psyche of an animal are structured completely differently than that of a person, so calculations give very approximate results. Of course, animals mature faster than people. A one-year-old child is still a baby by human standards.
A one-year-old cat is a human teenager of 14-15 years old. By this time, the pet has already reached puberty and can get food and take care of itself. The cat has already gone through the process of socialization and knows its owner and family members. Able to avoid danger.
By two years of age, the cat's age in human terms is approximately 24 years.
Males are actively fighting for territory and females, cats are ready for pregnancy and the birth of kittens. Each subsequent year can be counted as four.
How to prolong a pet's life?
Be attentive to your pet: learn to recognize signals indicating that the cat is sick. Our domestic carnivores are good at hiding pain, so your observation and discipline can prolong the animal's life.
Proper, species-specific nutrition will help prolong your pet’s life. The sooner you start feeding your domestic predator the way nature intended, the higher the chance of avoiding serious illnesses in old age. SUPERPET is a species-typical BARF food that contains everything necessary for the development and maintenance of cat health. This is a raw diet for daily feeding.
By keeping an eye on your pet's health and wrapping it in care and affection, you can celebrate your cat's “centenary” anniversary.
Calculation by formula
To calculate how old a cat is compared to human age, you can use the formula:
- N=24 + (n-2) x 4, where n is the age of the cat, from which the first two years should be subtracted, equating to 24 years of human life.
- Thus, if the pet is 8 years old, then the cat’s age by human standards will be N = 24 + (8-2) x 4 = 48 years.
What to do to extend the life of a cat
The owner must take proper care of his pet so that he lives as long as possible. There are several recommendations that are worth studying before getting a kitten:
- Carefully monitor the animal’s diet, try to buy balanced, high-quality food;
- Buy additional special vitamins and nutritional supplements that can prevent vitamin deficiency. These drugs are sold at any veterinary pharmacy;
- Take into account all the recommendations that are related to the peculiarities of caring for a particular breed;
- Play with your pet more often, if possible - let it go for a walk so that the animal can lead an active lifestyle;
- Take care of his health. Be sure to get all the necessary vaccinations, seek help from a veterinarian at the first signs of any illness, keep the bowl always clean, and provide constant access to water;
- Give your animal love and attention, which will definitely have a positive effect on its longevity.
Calculation using specialist observations
Many experts are inclined to believe that during the first five years, each year a cat lives is equivalent to 7 human years.
- From 6 to 12 years old, each year a pet lives can be counted as 4 human years, and after 12 years as three human years.
- Using this calculation, we find that an 8-year-old cat lived 5 x 7 + 2 x 4 = 43 years by human standards.
How old is your pet?
It happens that owners don’t even know the age of their pet. A cat can come into your home from a shelter or simply from the street. When the animal is very young, up to about a year old, then no one will have any difficulties with approximate determination of age. This problem may arise if the animal is already an adult.
In this case, only a veterinarian or a fairly experienced breeder . They quite accurately determine the year based on the condition of the animal’s teeth.
Calculation method using coefficient.
This method is considered the most accurate, although it is not entirely perfect. To calculate the coefficient, scientists used the physical condition of animals, the level of intelligence, and the level of socialization of humans and cats.
- Although determining the level of intelligence of pets is a very difficult process.
- Some cats have difficulty litter box training, while others can do complex tricks.
- The essence of the method is to calculate the coefficient of correspondence between the age of a cat and a human.
- The coefficient value ranges from 6 to 26 during the first year of life, and then decreases to 7.8 in subsequent years.
On the Internet you can find a table of the age of cats by human standards indicating these coefficients.
Age indicators
Typically, calculating a cat's age is not a problem if you have had the kitten since birth. However, if you have a rescue cat or a stray cat, you may not be sure. The first thing you can do is look at your teeth. For example, if you see baby teeth appearing, it's most likely a kitten. However, if you notice tartar stains, your cat is likely an adult or older cat.
You can also look for additional signs of puberty. If your cat is spraying urine or showing his testicles, he is probably about 5 months old and going through puberty. Cats this age will be in heat, which you can see and hear. Pay attention to other signs such as fur and eye development.
Tables of correspondence between cat and human ages
On websites and forums dedicated to cats you can find different tables for converting a cat’s age to a human’s. These are “Comparative table of age correspondence from birth to one year”, “Comparative table of age correspondence from 1 year”.
Data from different sources may differ significantly, as zoologists observed different breeds of cats.
Many factors influence the maturation process of a cat:
- Place of residence;
- Nutrition;
- Breed;
- Individual qualities.
For example, purebred British cats fully mature only by the age of three, and street cats are already fully developed animals by the end of the first year of life.
Monitor your cat's aging process
When calculating your cat's age in human years, it is important to understand that various factors can affect the comparative age of your cat and human. These may include variables such as heredity, diet, environment, and physical and medical care.
While it's likely that you have no say in heredity, you do have control over other factors that influence your cat's aging process. For example, if you have an older cat, you can meet their needs by exercising weekly, brushing their hair and teeth daily, and feeding them the right diet.
However, if you have a kitten, you may want to pay attention to key developmental milestones in the first eight weeks. In the first week, you will want to understand that your kitten will be born with her eyes closed and ears curled, and will weigh somewhere between 90 and 100 grams.
Around the third day, you can expect the umbilical cord to fall off. After seven days, the weight should double. Watch for your kitten's eyes to open and baby teeth to begin to form in the second week. During the third week, the ears become pointed and several kittens begin to explore their environment.
By the fourth week, you can expect more teeth and improved hearing. After weeks five to eight, you can expect your kitten to have full sight, try to eat solid food, and see changes in eye color and activity. During this time, you should prepare for your kitten's first vaccination.
Cats of any age should be closely monitored when it comes to things like development, nutrition, and vaccinations.
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Growing up and lifespan of a cat
Just like in humans, a cat's maturation goes through several stages. The first stage, “childhood,” occurs in the first six months of a kitten’s life.
- By six months, the cat’s age by human standards corresponds to 7-8 years.
- From seven months to two years, a cat goes through adolescence.
- It is generally accepted that at two years a cat is already a fully formed individual, like a person at the age of 25.
- From three to six years old is the most active age of a cat. She is ready to fight for territory and have offspring.
- During this period, pets are the most vigorous and healthy. For a person, this is the age from 25 to 45 years.
From the age of seven, the gradual process of aging begins. Cats become less playful and sleep more. At this age, it is advisable to regularly take your pet to the veterinarian to prevent diseases that may develop in adulthood. The age of a cat is from 7 to 10 years, which is approximately the age of a person from 45 to 55 years.
- After 11 years, the aging process becomes more noticeable, but a cat is quite mobile until the age of 15.
- The pet's vision deteriorates, and problems with teeth and fur may occur. The cat becomes more lethargic.
- During this period, special attention should be paid to nutrition so that the animal receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals. For a person this is a period of 65-75 years.
In most cases, cats live to be 16 years old, which is 79-80 years in human years. But with good care and a balanced diet, cats can live more than 20 years and die at a very old age.
Science knows the winner of the Guinness Book of Records, a cat who lived for 38 years.
Long-lived cats: records, breeds
Long-lived cats can live 29 years, which has documented evidence. But there are cats that lived longer and are listed in the Guinness Book of Records:
- Cream Puff from Texas (08/03/1967 - 08/06/2005), 38 years, 3 days.
- Sphynx Granpa Rex Allen, a hybrid of Sphynx and Devon, from Texas, although he was born in Paris (02/01/1964-04/01/1998), 34 years, 2 months.
Both animals lived with Texan Jake Perry. It is believed that the long life of these animals in one owner is explained by their diet: bacon, broccoli, eggs, asparagus.
But the oldest cat is considered to be Lucy, Lower Wales, England. Her age cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty. This is an ordinary yard cat, whose age its new owner tried to determine after the death of its owner. He found witnesses who confirmed that the cat was born in 1972 and in 2015 she was 43 years old.
Lifespan of cats
The lifespan of a cat depends on many factors. Street cats rarely live longer than 7-10 years, as they are forced to look for food, are exposed to danger from people and dogs, and often get sick.
- Breeds that were recently bred through inbreeding usually live 10-12 years. This is due to hereditary and genetic diseases that are common in such animals.
- Breeds whose history goes back several centuries, such as Siamese cats, Persians and British cats, live 15-20 years.
- Outbred pets can live up to 25 years.
Males live two to three years less than females, this is evolutionarily determined by their need to fight for territory and females. An elderly cat can no longer defend its interests.
For owners who are interested in how to determine the age of a cat by human standards, there is a lot of information in specialized literature and on thematic websites.
The choice of calculation method is a personal matter for each furry pet owner. If a cat lives in good conditions, eats properly and undergoes medical examinations, then it can please its owner for many years.
Cat age
When purchasing a furry friend, the owner and household members must understand that cats do not live as long as humans. When figuring out how many years a cat goes through a year, the owner is most often interested in the animal’s life expectancy. An indicator such as the average life expectancy of furry couch potatoes depends on many factors.
Of course, the lifespan of a cat is a very average indicator. Pets are known to live 30 years or more. However, such long-livers are rather an exception in the world of furry couch potatoes.
Cat age chart by human standards
When your cat is 2 years old
Your cat is already two years old. He not only learned to play on your weaknesses and manipulate you, he became a politician. He always knows when to do something that is “not allowed” without getting a slipper on the ears for it. He knows how to understand your mood and not get under the “hot hand”, sometimes he knows exactly when he needs to sweeten things up not for himself personally, but for the owner - even if he feels good, there’s such a sad face, you can see there’s something wrong at work. Does this behavior remind you of a young man or girl who is 24 years old?
When your cat is 5 years old
Your cat is five years old, and you understand that he has turned from a pet into a “house boss”, or a tyrant. Now he is the master of the house, and you are as a servant, he is the boss - and you are just the labor force to serve him. Try to drive him away from your favorite spot on the couch! He will then take such revenge on you that it won’t seem like enough. Even your personal guests who come to your home are under his close observation and assessment. If he doesn’t like someone personally, he can easily express his attitude by peeing in his shoes. And if it’s the other way around, he can rub his feet for hours, expressing his gratitude and sympathy. By the way, biting can be quite painful, because biting in cats is analogous to a human kiss. Doesn't this remind you of a self-sufficient person aged 36-38? When have opinions already been formed and there is no need to hide them?!
