If the cat is 13 years old by human standards. How to find out how old a cat is. Methods for determining cat age

Whiskers, paws and tail – are these documents or not? And if so, where is the date of birth stamp? How to determine the age of a cat if you see this cat for the first time and know nothing about its past? It turns out that you can find out the age of a kitten by external signs, and the result will be quite accurate. If the cub is a newborn, then this is easy: everyone knows that kittens are born blind. But adult animals are just a mystery to the layman. If you meet one of these on the street or in a nursery, you can guess how old the cat is. This information is necessary for proper care and preparation of your pet’s diet.

It’s interesting how veterinarians determine the age of animals: they never make mistakes and report how many months a kitten is, with an error of no more than a week, up or down. Just don’t forget that a week of life for a kitten is not at all comparable to a week in our human understanding. Finding out the age of a cat by human standards is useful not only out of curiosity, but also in order to better understand four-legged pet and satisfy his needs. That's why we want to tell you how to determine the age of a cat so that you can do it yourself.

How to find out how old a cat is? Caring for a cat at different ages
Age in cats, like in people, leaves its mark on both physical and mental health. psychological state. If you started little kitten, then over the next 10 years he will delight you first with growing up, therefore with the strength and beauty of an adult animal, after which the cat will gradually begin to age and, like a person, weaken, move less and doze longer. It is important to know how old the cat is in order to distinguish natural signs aging from disease symptoms and other behavioral disorders. On average life cycle cats obeys the following scheme:
So that your cat becomes a long-liver and/or just lives happy life, be patient and respectful of all features on different stages his life. Remember that your pet is only part of your life, while you are his whole life.

How to determine the age of a kitten by its teeth?
Caring owners are ready to take everything into account age characteristics, the only question is how not to make a mistake and correctly determine the age of the cat. Ideally, exact date The breeders or first owners will inform you of the birth of the kitten. A kitten picked up on the street or taken from a nursery should be shown to a doctor as soon as possible. The veterinarian will assess the baby's health and tell you how many weeks the kitten is. But, if you want, try to determine the kitten’s age yourself:

Open and look into the mouth - carefully so as not to damage fragile bones. Assess the number and location of teeth. If the kitten is less than 1 month old, then you will only see a few baby incisors.
If all the baby teeth are in place (they are smaller and seem to be translucent compared to the permanent teeth), then the kitten is already 4-6 weeks old.
If some of the baby teeth have fallen out, and permanent teeth are just beginning to appear in their place, then the kitten is 4 to 5 months old.
Full set of 30 permanent teeth They say that the cat is at least six months old. In this case it is better to use additional signs to determine the exact age of the cat.
After 3 years permanent teeth gradually begin to wear off. First this happens to the incisors, then to the canines. The fangs of a five-year-old cat look less sharp than in their first youth and may turn yellow from plaque.

If permanent teeth begin to fall out, it means the cat has reached the age of 10 years. Try to provide him with additional minerals and feed him soft food, meat without hard cartilage and bones.

How to determine the age of a cat by its whiskers?
It’s worth finding out the cat’s age not only for the sake of drawing up a menu for it, but also for calculating correct dosage medications, socialization and adaptation to people. Cats use landmarks and senses that are different from ours and not always understandable to us. For example, a cat's whiskers are as important for orientation in space as vision is for us. Imagine having to live blindfolded! And the mustache also gives away the age of the cat, especially if it is colored in a single color. After 9 years, the mustache begins to turn gray, and white, or rather colorless, hairs are visible among the dark whiskers.

How to determine the age of a cat by human standards?
Comparing pets with yourself is inevitable because they are perceived, and often behave, as full-fledged members of the family. To better understand your cat’s habits and mood, try calculating your pet’s “human” age:

There is a stereotype that it is enough to multiply the number of years by 7 to calculate the age of a cat by human standards. In fact, this is not entirely true, and adjustments should be made for real age.
In the first weeks, it is almost pointless to draw analogies: baby animals become independent much faster than human children. A more or less adequate comparison is possible when the kitten is six months old - now it resembles you and/or your children at the age of 3 years.
A one-year-old kitten is similar to a fifteen-year-old teenager, he is able to independently adapt to life, behaves boldly and recklessly, and is very interested in representatives of the opposite sex.
A two-year-old cat is comparable to a 24-25 year old person. From this age, each year of the animal’s life is equal to 4 human years; simple arithmetic is enough for inquisitive owners.
For a cat that lives to be 12 years old, each year is considered 3 human years. Accordingly, a 12-year-old cat and a 60-year-old grandmother are practically the same age.

This way you can find out how old the cat living under the same roof is with you, and finally understand why the cat behaves this way and not otherwise. The most old cat lived in the world for 38 (!) years, and 20-year-old and even 25-year-old cats periodically appear in entertainment media news. It can be assumed that their life was not only long, but also happy. And if happiness is when you are understood, then try not only to feed and pet, but also to understand the animals correctly. Let them please you and warm your home for as long as possible!

Do you know how to calculate a cat's age to a human's? If you haven't had a cat since the first days of its life, you may have a hard time imagining how long it will last. at the moment. Usually a similar question, how to determine the age of a cat by human standards, arises among children, but it may also be of interest to adults. If you are an avid cat lover, it is a shame not to know such seemingly banal things about your pets.

However, it should be understood that due to the characteristics of the body, metabolic rate and other reasons, middle age cats are small by human standards. Unfortunately, most of us survive more than one generation of felines.

Converting cat age to human age

First, let's define the comparison criteria. If you try to study a question based on mental development cats, then you will get a completely illogical and unstable coordinate system. Although furries are very intelligent creatures, it is incorrect to compare their intelligence with human intelligence.

A person does not live by complex instincts, and can develop throughout life, moreover, with at different speeds. In cats, these possibilities are more limited. And here we can rather talk about “life experience”, which an adult cat has more than a young cat. And the adult age of a cat by human standards is easier to determine by physical indicators.

The age-related development of cats and people has common features:

Helplessness at birth;
High activity in adolescence;
Health and mobility problems in old age.

How to determine the age of a cat by human standards: different systems for converting cat years

During the time that cats have been domesticated animals, we have managed to create many systems that allow us to convert cat years to human years. Some of them work better, others have very questionable accuracy, and earlier I showed you a visual table.

The first way is to multiply the cat's years by seven. But if you compare a seven-year-old first-grader and a one-year-old cat, you will easily understand where the discrepancy lies. An animal at this age has already reached puberty. For a child, this is childhood.

The second system is a little more complicated. Based on it, the first year of life is approximately equal to fifteen human years., and the second is nine. That is, we calculate a cat’s age to a human’s as follows:

The one-year-old cat is 15 years old;
The two year old is 24.

Based on this methodology, each next year equal to four human. But even such a system does not give an accurate result.

Another way to calculate a cat's age by human standards is more complicated. The life of an animal is divided into cycles. The first five years are the stage when each year is equal to a human seven. After five years, a year is equal to 4 human years. If a cat lives to the ripe old age of 12, every New Year equal to 3 human. But over time, this method becomes less and less popular due to inaccuracies.

Therefore, “cat experts” - felinologists have developed a more complex calculation method that uses special coefficients.

Translation for small kittens cat age in human it looks like this:

The first month of a cat’s life corresponds to 6 months for a child (coefficient – 5);
Second month – 10 month old baby (coefficient 6);
The third month is a two-year-old child (coefficient 8);
4-5 months – children from 5 to 8 years old (coefficients 15 and 19, respectively).

Next, cats begin a turning point in life associated with puberty. For example, the adolescence of cats by human standards is 6-8 months, approximately equal to human ages of 14 and 16 years. Like us, at this time they begin to show interest in the opposite sex. The coefficient rises to an impressive 24-28.

Then, every year the coefficient begins to decrease, because the animal is no longer growing, but is getting older, in the literal sense of the word. That is, here nature distributed everything, like in humans. For example, a cat who is one year old is like a person at eighteen - lively, curious, but has already learned something in life. At three years the coefficient reaches 10, and we get 30 human years. At five, the coefficient is 8, that is, 40 years, 10 years - coefficient. 6, and at twenty - 5. So, if your pet reached his 20th birthday, then he can be compared to a 100-year-old veteran. This is a definite success. Now you know how to calculate a cat's age using the most accurate method.

Lifespan of cats

On average, a cat lives from 10 to 14 years, depending on its health, conditions created by its owners, climate and many other factors. And they affect the length and quality of life.

When determining how old a cat is by human standards, you should also take into account the breed of the animal. Life expectancy also depends on whether the cat in front of you is a purebred or a barn cat. Crossbreeding for the purpose of selection shortens life, because any mutation causes various disorders. It is known that closely related ties lead to various problems in the offspring.

Every animal lover has at least once wondered how to calculate a cat's age in human years. And not so much for the sake of interest, but to better understand your tailed comrade. With such knowledge, for example, you can forgive the bad behavior of a small 2-month-old kitten, because by human standards it is still just a baby, no more than 1 year old. Or is it easier to get used to the illnesses that have appeared in an elderly 11-year-old cat, because in our opinion he is already a 62-year-old pensioner. So, below is a table that corresponds to the age of cats by human standards:

Age of the cat	Person's age
	6 months
	10 months


5 months
6 months
7 months
8 months

The listed figures are not made up, but are presented in one of the main cat documents - the International veterinary passport. Of course, the age of cats in human terms is determined approximately from the table. Much depends on (for example, maturity occurs only at 2 - 2.5 years, but outbred cats mature much earlier). It is also worth paying attention to the character of the pet (some animals from an early age are distinguished by calmness and excellent behavior, while others love to play and fool around until old age).

Is 1 year of a cat's life equal to 7 years of a human's life?

It is widely believed that the age of a cat by human standards is calculated as follows: 1 year of an animal’s life is equal to 7 years of a human’s life. That is, a one-year-old kitten is a first-grader schoolboy, a 2-year-old pet is a 14-year-old teenager, and a 3-year-old pet is an adult young man. But if we think sensibly, then we shouldn’t equate our human 7 years with a cat’s 1 year. Firstly, a cat at 1 year is usually a mature animal, completely ready for reproduction. Should he be compared to a 7-year-old human child who is still far from maturity? Secondly, many cats are able to remain interested in partners, games, delicious food until very old age. And if you believe our comparison table of the ages of cats and people, then a 12-year-old cat is, although an elderly, but still vigorous 65-year-old person, and according to the formula “one year in seven”, an animal of 12 years is a very old man or an old lady of 84 years old .

Stages of cat development

We know how to determine the age of a cat by human standards. Let's take a closer look at the periods of pets' lives from birth to old age:

Infancy. This period lasts in children from birth until the age of 1 year. In kittens, this stage is shorter in time - from birth to 2 - 2.5 months. Month old kitten tries for the first time adult food, which the owner gradually introduces into his diet. The animal is no longer so defenseless, it sees well, but is still too dependent on its mother. By the end of the first month the weight fluffy pet reaches 0.4 - 0.5 kg. By the age of 2 months, a baby kitten has 30 teeth, he begins to eat, and does not need much food. mother's milk. The weight of a kitten at the age of 2 months is 0.7 - 1 kg. Like one year old child, the cat is already showing character, exploring the territory around him every day;

Childhood. If in humans a child is considered to be a boy or girl from 1 year to 12 - 14 years, then in cats this stage lasts up to 5 - 6 months. 3-4 month old kittens stick their noses wherever they can. They are as curious as 2 - 5 year old children. They already perfectly distinguish praise from scolding. By 4 months, the kitten’s appearance changes: the fur becomes more beautiful, the color of the eyes changes, and the angularity disappears. By the time the childhood period ends, kittens are interested in individuals of the opposite sex, just like children. Animals that are six months old have partially present molars, and the weight of furry friends reaches 2 kg. At this age, early or;

Adolescence. Teenagers or adolescents are considered people aged 14 to 17 years. That is, teenage cats are animals from 6 to 8-9 months old. Pets older than 7 months shed for the first time, their body is quite strong, their weight reaches 2.5 - 3 kg. Female kittens are capable of healthy cubs (although giving birth before 1 - 1.5 years in cats is undesirable);

Youth. For people, this wonderful time lasts from 18 to 30 years. In cats - from 1 year to 3 years. Animals older than a year are strong and fully formed individuals. They are active, full of energy, love games, but do not do stupid things like kittens;

Maturity. For us humans, maturity lasts from 30 to 60 years. For four-legged Murziks - from 3 to 10 years. The animals are still quite young, but the first signs of ill health may appear: problems with the skeleton, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease. Pets get tired faster than in their youth; they prefer a quiet nap on their favorite sofa to catching butterflies. Like people over 30, cats over 3 years old are accomplished individuals with their own habits;

Old age. I really don’t want to indicate numbers that relegate people and their pets to the category of oldies! Human old age is considered to be from 60 years old, and for cats - from 10 years. An animal that has crossed the 10-year mark probably has some kind of sores. Like old man, the cat is not ready for drastic changes: a change in diet, moving, new people around. It is within the power of the owner to provide for the pet (purchase good food, preventive visits to the veterinarian, affectionate treatment). But don’t think that the old cat has completely lost his taste for life. Elderly animals sometimes love to play and communicate with their owner. Old age is a relative concept. Both in people and in cats.

Determining the age of cats and kittens “by eye” is not so easy. Most exact method- This is to look at the animal’s passport. Less accurate is based on the condition of the teeth. A veterinarian can do this. However, this method has an error that arises from various reasons. For example, solid food poor care behind the oral cavity, infectious or inflammatory processes in it. Knowing how old your pet is by your standards, you can expect him to run around and play, or, conversely, to have a more relaxed lifestyle. The older your beloved cat gets, the more care she needs. You may also have to go to the veterinarian more often for a preventive examination.

The age of a cat and a male cat by human standards

Many owners are interested in how to convert the age of cats to “human” in order to approximately know the condition of the animal. It’s no secret that the older the animal, just like a person, the worse health and well-being. And it's worth knowing when your pet becomes elderly.

Young kittens that have not yet reached the age of one, real children, gradually turn into teenagers. The cat year is the “human” fifteenth anniversary. A cat's next birthday can be compared to a human's 24th year of life. good age. And everyone next year- this is an addition to the previous one human age 4 more years.

For example, if your animal has crossed the threshold of three years, then the human age of cats will be 28 years. Four years - 32 human years. And so on. It’s not at all difficult to count (5 – 36, 6 – 40, 7 – 44, 8 – 48 and so on). Think about it: when a cat reaches 16 years of age, that’s a full 80 years by human standards.

Your purr will celebrate its hundredth “human” anniversary when it reaches 21 years of age. However, this is a very “serious” age for cats; not everyone can live up to it.

Below is a table of age correspondence between cats and humans.

How old do cats and kittens live?

There are very rare cases when a cat’s age “exceeds” 16 years. However, long-livers who have lived side by side with their owner for more than 20 years are also registered.

But just imagine what it’s like for an animal. It becomes deaf over the years, becomes blind, and the risk of developing oncological diseases. Yes and internal organs they work much worse. Sometimes they refuse altogether.

The oldest cat could live up to 28 years. Just imagine that if you translate it into “our” years, it turns out to be 128. Not every person lives to see their centenary, let alone such numbers.

Much depends on the owners. How carefully and caringly he treats his pet. It is very important to plan your diet correctly. Don’t forget that the older your meowing lump is, the more carefully you should select its food and enrich it with vitamins. Try to give soft foods more often. Still, teeth may fall out, the stomach no longer digests it so well.

Many owners are interested in the question: how old is a cat by human standards?

As your pet ages, its behavior changes greatly.

From a small playful kitten, he turns into a calm cat, spending more time sleeping and less time on outdoor games.

Cats have time goes faster than people.

To determine the age of your pet, you can refer to the correspondence table.

The first option is calculation with a coefficient

To find out how old a cat is by human standards, a coefficient is often used.

This number determines the number of human years a cat lives in one year.

For each age group have their own characteristics

The calculations are based on social and emotional characteristics.

After all, comparing the logic of a person and a cat is not entirely correct.

Of course, this table contains only approximate data.

If the exact age of the cat is not known, a veterinarian will help determine it approximately.

At the same time, he will assess the health of the pet’s teeth and the condition of the body as a whole.

Important! It is extremely difficult to obtain reliable data on the level of intelligence in cats, therefore all methods of converting from age to human age are only approximate.

Although the coefficient gives general idea, how old is a cat by human standards, it cannot be said that this is accurate data.

You should not think that at two years old the cat is fully formed intellectually and has adapted socially.

Such a table rather shows the aging of the body, its wear and tear.

Older cats are calm and measured

Option two - age ratio

Moreover, each year is equivalent to several years of people’s lives.

The first year of life is counted as 15 human years.
Second year - by 24.
Each subsequent year adds 4 years to the age, this figure remains unchanged until the age of 16.
After 16 years, each year lived is equal to 3.

With this calculation system, a two-year-old cat is perceived as a 24-year-old girl, and when she reaches 12 years old, as a 64-year-old lady.

Using this recalculation option, a number of analogies can be drawn.

For example, up to 1 year (like a person up to 15 years old), a cat learns to take care of itself, get along with its owner, and so on.

At the same time, the animal goes through puberty.

At two years old, the cat already has a formed character and knows how to demand from the owner what she needs (or simply wants).

Her behavior at this stage really resembles young man or a girl of 24 years of age.

If we continue this calculation, by the age of 15 (which is 76 years in human terms), a cat, like an elderly person, may develop diseases.

And her behavior can change according to her age.

Age-specific features include the following:

decreased interest in games;
the appearance of behavioral characteristics characteristic of adults.

Breed affects age characteristics

Important! Appearance and character age-related changes depend on the breed of cat.

Option three - basic arithmetic

In this case, each year of the furry pet’s life will be equivalent to 7 years. human life.

The result is not the most accurate.

A cat that has reached the age of one is much more independent than a 7-year-old child. After all, she is driven by instincts.

However, many more animals live to be 20 years old than people live to be 140.

These kittens are still very small

The main disadvantage of this method is that it does not allow one to compare the stages of development in humans and animals.

That's why this method less preferable in calculations.

What to do if the pet's age is unknown

If a cat was picked up on the street, it will be difficult to determine how old it is at the moment.

However, age is important to know in order to find out how old a cat is by human standards.

Determining age can be entrusted to a veterinarian

If your cat's diet contains enough vitamins and minerals, the process of tooth wear and loss will noticeably slow down.

The condition of the teeth says a lot about the age of the cat.

Does breed affect life expectancy?

Actually the answer to this question is yes. They can live much longer:

mongrel cats;
animals of natural or long-bred breeds.

Exotic cats breeds

Older cats need to rest more often

Does an animal's lifestyle matter?

For cats to live happily ever after, they need to create as much favorable conditions. These include:

proper, balanced nutrition;
cozy, warm house ;
no injuries;
periodic visits to the veterinarian;
protection from external unfavorable factors.

In addition, the following factors affect life expectancy in cats:

heredity;
presence/absence of genetic diseases.

It is worth noting that sterilized cats and castrated cats have a longer life expectancy than individuals participating in procreation.

No stress during mating season has a positive effect on their condition.

Neutered cats live longer

Interesting! According to the observations of veterinarians, the life expectancy in most cases in cats is from 10 to 15 years.

What can the owner do

Sometimes it’s interesting to know how old your favorite cat is by human standards.

To prolong its life, it is important to take proper care of it. Here are some recommendations:

Monitor your cat's diet. Her menu should be balanced.
Provide your pet with everything essential vitamins, the use of special supplements will prevent vitamin deficiency.
Consider veterinarian recommendations for caring for a specific breed.
Make sure your cat leads active image life - play with her, if possible, go for a walk with her.
Keep her healthy. This includes timely, preventive measures, regular visits to the veterinarian. If your cat is sick, consult a doctor immediately and do not try to treat it yourself.

Along with all these measures, the importance of the attention and care that the cat feels every day cannot be underestimated.

The owner's love will have a positive effect on longevity.

Conditions for a comfortable life are also important: suitable for travel.

Interesting! Among the long-livers is the cat Ma from Great Britain, who was included in the Guinness Book of Records. She lived 34 years!

Babies are more playful and active than adults

Calculating how old a cat is by human standards is not so easy.

In fact, the psyche, thinking and habits furry pets very different from the thinking and behavior of people.

Thanks to the coefficients and tables, you can only approximately imagine what age your pet is now.

At the same time, a number of factors influence the life expectancy of cats.

How old is a cat by human standards - three ways to calculate

How old is a cat by human standards? This is interesting for every owner to know, and for calculations they use a coefficient or simply equate several human years to one cat year.

If you are an exemplary owner and take care of your pet, then the question of how to find out how old a cat is should not interest you, you already know this. Well, if for some reason it happened that this information passed you by, then you will be wondering how the age of cats is calculated.

This is not about you being an irresponsible owner or anything else, things happen different situations, and you, for example, could pick up a kitten on the street, or a fluffy asshole could bump into you when you were returning home from the store or work. Anything can happen and no one is immune from it. In such cases, there are a number of factors based on which you can predict at least the approximate age of the pet.

By the way, the most well-known ways to extend the life of your pet are: proper care for the cats, and also for her.

How to determine a cat's age by its teeth

Carrying out such an experiment will not be easy, since an adult pet is unlikely to allow you to admire its mouth for a long time. The method allows you to determine the age of a cat with an accuracy of up to two months.

Determining the age of a cat by its teeth

At the age of 1 month, a small kitten begins to develop milk teeth.
A 5 month old pet's teeth are changing.
If the central incisors are worn out, this means the approximate age is 1.5 years.
When the middle incisors are worn out, the cat is already about 2.5 years old.
At 5 years of age, fangs usually wear out.
At 6 years old upper jaw undergoes changes as the incisors begin to wear off.
The rubbing surfaces of the jaw change between the ages of 7 and 9 years.
If the incisors begin to fall out, this may indicate an age of 10 to 15 years.

There is no point in sticking to a measuring scale, since each cat has a different lifestyle. For example, if the cat’s food was of poor quality, then the teeth begin to deteriorate earlier.

Puberty

This method is only applicable for small kittens. The age of puberty in cats can range from 7 to 9 months. However, due to the characteristics of the breed and its lifestyle, this age may occur either earlier or later. This means that if you are hoping to accurately determine the age of a cat, then this method is not for you.

Cat puberty age

Under the best circumstances, the error will be 1 month; under the worst circumstances, it will reach 4 months. Moreover, if you consider that cat years are different by human standards, then such uncertainty will not give you anything.

Cat's age based on fur

This method, like the previous ones, does not provide a 100% guarantee, but many rely on it. So, if a cat has soft fur, then it is likely that she is not yet a year old. But there is such a flaw that with proper care of the pet, it always has soft fur, so it is stupid to focus on such an indicator.

Cat's age based on fur

In addition, depending on the breed, it turns out that it is generally impossible to determine age by wool, since there are those whose hair is hard from birth. These include:

American Wirehair cat;
Bohemian Rex;
Dutch Rex and others.

If you notice that your cat's fur is falling out in clumps, this is a clear sign illness and it is better to consult a veterinarian.

Is it possible to tell the age of a cat by its eyes?

The older the cat, the more likely it is that its eyes will see worse and this will appear outwardly blurred. These cloudy areas are visible to the human eye, so if you notice the appearance of such areas, it is better to see a veterinarian.

It is difficult to determine how old a cat is based on this sign, but it does exist. However, the appearance of a cloudy look may well tell us not only about old age, but also about such a disease as blindness.

Age of a cat by human standards - table

The limit is different for many breeds, the most common are presented below:

It is difficult to say definitively how many years cats live at home, since each breed has its own life period. The ratio of the age of a cat and a person is often interpreted differently, but this does not mean that you cannot take a closer look at it. If we do not take this ratio into account, then normal age for a cat this is 70-90 years, which by human standards equates to approximately 17-20 years. If the pet lived less, most likely there were health problems.

If you don’t take into account cat age, but only human age, then 18 years in our world is very short.

Cat age by human standards - table

Lifespan of a cat

We have already figured out how to find out how old a cat is. Now you need to determine how long the pet will live approximately based on its routine and the owner’s care for it. There are 6 rules that, if followed, will allow your pet to live happily ever after:

Balanced diet. The absence of this directly leads to a deterioration in the quality of life and, as a consequence, a reduction in its duration.
Free your cat from stress. In the background psychological problems Household members may develop various diseases.
Cats need freedom. There is no need to lock your family member in a tight cage - this violates his freedom. In addition, he may even be older than you, if you remember that a cat’s age by human standards is much higher, then you should understand that at 7-8 cat years a pet is, in principle, considered a bit old.
Visit your veterinarian regularly. This precaution will protect your pet from unexpected infections. It is recommended to vaccinate cats according to age in order to ensure a decent and healthy life.
Love the cat. Weasel has never caused harm, but has always done only good.
Make sure that castration is timely, since if you delay this matter, you can injure the cat’s psyche.

Do you know how to calculate a cat's age to a human's? If you haven't had a cat since the first days of its life, you may have a hard time imagining how old it is at the moment. Usually a similar question, how to determine the age of a cat by human standards, arises among children, but it may also be of interest to adults. If you are an avid cat lover, it is a shame not to know such seemingly banal things about your pets.

However, it should be understood that due to the characteristics of the body, metabolic rate and other reasons, the average age of a cat by human standards is small. Unfortunately, most of us survive more than one generation of felines.

Converting cat age to human age

First, let's define the comparison criteria. If you try to study the issue based on the mental development of the cat, you will get a completely illogical and unstable coordinate system. Although furries are very intelligent creatures, it is incorrect to compare their intelligence with human intelligence.

A person does not live by complex instincts, and can develop throughout life, and at different speeds. In cats, these possibilities are more limited. And here we can rather talk about “life experience”, which an adult cat has more than a young cat. And the adult age of a cat by human standards is easier to determine by physical indicators.

The age-related development of cats and people has common features:

Helplessness at birth;
High activity in adolescence;
Health and mobility problems in old age.

How to determine the age of a cat by human standards: different systems for converting cat years

The first way is to multiply the cat's years by seven. But if you compare a seven-year-old first-grader and a one-year-old cat, you will easily understand where the discrepancy lies. At this age, the animal has already reached puberty. For a child, this is childhood.

The one-year-old cat is 15 years old;
The two year old is 24.

Based on this methodology, each subsequent year is equal to four human years. But even such a system does not give an accurate result.

Another way to calculate a cat's age by human standards is more complicated. The life of an animal is divided into cycles. The first five years are the stage when each year is equal to a human seven. After five years, a year is equal to 4 human years. If a cat lives to the ripe age of 12, each new year is equal to 3 human years. But over time, this method becomes less and less popular due to inaccuracies.

Therefore, “cat experts” - felinologists have developed a more complex calculation method that uses special coefficients.

For small kittens, converting cat age to human age is as follows:

The first month of a cat’s life corresponds to 6 months for a child (coefficient – 5);
Second month – 10 month old baby (coefficient 6);
The third month is a two-year-old child (coefficient 8);
4-5 months – children from 5 to 8 years old (coefficients 15 and 19, respectively).

Lifespan of cats

On average, a cat lives from 10 to 14 years, depending on its health, conditions created by its owners, climate and many other factors. And they affect the length and quality of life.

There have been many record-breaking cats in the history of the species. But not all of them are known to specialists. Here are just some examples:

First place - 40 years old. The cat Lucy, who was born in Wales, lived about this long. Nobody knew exactly how old she was. Perhaps she managed to cross the 40-year-old mark;
Second place - 38 years old. This is the age of Cream Puff from the USA, Texas;
Third place - 24 years old. The English cat Poppy, although she did not set a record, receives a well-deserved “Bronze”;

It becomes difficult to determine how old a cat is by human standards after the 20-year mark. And every animal develops and ages differently. It depends on the diet and conditions of detention.

You can often hear a question from cat lovers about what is the age ratio between cats and people. Different people They say that 1 year of a cat’s life is equal to three, five or even ten years of human life. This creates confusion and new questions. This question may seem idle to some, but upon closer examination it is of great importance.

Do you know that 1 cat year is equal to 7 human years?

“One year for a cat is equal to seven years for humans.” This is the answer that inquisitive cat lovers most often receive to their questions. However, this approach to drawing parallels between human and cat life has long been recognized as almost meaningless, since it has an excessive number of errors and exaggerations. will find the answer to this question.

In fact, if this ratio were accurate, then the age of a one-year-old kitten would correspond to a schoolchild primary classes, a two-year-old could be classified as a teenager, and a twenty-year-old cat could be correlated with a 140-year-old centenarian, which has not yet been recorded (unlike twenty-year-old cats). Therefore, 1 year of a cat’s life is certainly not equal to seven years.

One year of a cat's life is equal to 5-25 by human standards

Maybe then the figure of seven years is exaggerated and should be reduced by about half. You can try, but then it turns out that 1 year of a cat is equal to three to four years of human life and, accordingly one year old cat Corresponds to a three to four year old child.

Finding the exact ratio of one year of cat and human life is almost impossible.

But people at this age go to kindergarten, and within a year cats already become, if not parents, then at least sexually mature individuals. In this case, a twenty-year-old cat will be considered 70-80 years old by human standards (which is quite adequate), while a ten-year-old cat can be considered 30-40 years old by people, which is hardly true, since at this age there are already enough signs of aging in cats expressed.

What complicates the task is that while the life expectancy of humans is approximately the same and does not differ too much depending on race or habitat, then in cats the difference can be colossal. If the life expectancy of most cats is approximately 10-12 years, then some breeds live quietly (of course, if you provide good care and maintenance) up to 20 years - the difference by human standards is unthinkable. Therefore, to say that 1 year of a cat is equal to some specific “human” figure is completely incorrect.

Based on this, it becomes clear that the relationship should be sought not by simply converting cat years into “human years”, declaring that 1 year of a cat is equal to such and such a figure, but by comparing different life stages.

talk about intellectual development, maturing and fading is hardly worth it, since even the most smart cat on the one hand, no smarter than a child, but on the other hand, it can demonstrate brain abilities that are inaccessible even to adults. Physical form also cannot be a criterion, since even an elderly cat demonstrates much more agility than boys and girls. The following criteria remain: mastering basic physiological skills (walking, running, etc.), puberty, and the onset and course of aging.

With this approach, it will become clear that at different life stages, 1 year of a cat’s life is equal to either 5 or 25 years of human life.

You can try to give the following ratios of cat and human ages:

A kitten aged one to two months corresponds to a 6-10 month old baby.
Upon reaching three months, he can be equated to a two-year-old baby.
Four to five months correspond to 5-8 years of human life.
Most cats reach puberty at 6-8 months, while in humans this stage occurs at 14-16 years (it is at this age that the difference between a human year and a cat year reaches its maximum).
1 year of a cat's life is equal to 18 years of a human, only if it is the first year of life.
A three-year-old cat is already a thirty-year-old woman.
At five years old, you can look at your pet as if he were forty years old and expect him to have a midlife crisis with all the ensuing consequences.
And at ten years old, a cat could easily retire, since this approximately corresponds to the age of sixty in humans.
Further, the ratio again becomes minimal, as at the beginning of a cat's life, and those cats that live to be twenty years old can correspond to hundred-year-old people.

True, some confusion is brought into this fairly accurate picture by those cats that lived to be 30-35 years old. In order to adjust their life to human life, the ratio will have to be further reduced. At this age, 1 year of a cat is equal to approximately one year for a person, and 35 year old cats and cats can be considered 130-135 year old.

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Cats' habits change with age, and often the owners of these animals try to find out the cat's age by human standards so that their pet's antics and tricks do not take them by surprise. Determining the age of a cat by human standards is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The fact is that the thinking of people is radically different from the habits of our pets, since they live only by instincts.

Time passes much faster for them than for people. There are 3 main ways to determine how old a pet is by human standards:

Odds table;
Ratio;
Simple arithmetic.

Remember that all the cat ages provided in the table by human standards will be very approximate, since it is impossible to accurately assess the level of intelligence of the animal even with a thorough examination.

Odds table

The most popular method is to use a coefficient table. This is a special number that approximately determines how many human years pass while a pet lives 1 year.

It is incorrect to compare the psychological characteristics, logic and thinking of cats and people, so scientists have created a special plate showing the ratio of cat and human ages:

This plate allows you to find out how old the cat is by human standards. If the exact age is unknown, any veterinarian can determine it (using the animal’s teeth and general condition organism).

The coefficient shows only the rate of aging of the cat’s body, and not at all the formation of its intelligence.

Age ratio

The age of cats in human terms can be determined using a ratio. With this calculation option, one year of a pet’s life should be equated to a certain number of years of a person’s life. Example:

15 human years is 1 year of a cat’s life;
24 human years is the second year of a cat’s life;
Then, each year of the cat’s life adds 4 human years to its age, until the figure reaches 16 years;
After this period, each year is equivalent to 3.

In this way, you can track the maturation of the cat. A two-year-old cat and a 24-year-old guy can easily be considered peers. At this age pet character is already fully formed.

Age-related diseases usually begin by age 15 (76 human years for a cat). The behavior of the pet also changes significantly:

Interest in any cat games decreases sharply;
Drowsiness appears;
Diseases associated with wear and tear on the body may begin.

Age characteristics, behavior and character can be influenced by the breed of the animal.

Simple Arithmetic

A very simple way to find out how old a cat lives by human standards is to multiply the animal's age by 7. This method gives the most inaccurate result of all those listed above, for example, a one-year-old cat is more independent than a child aged 7 years. The reason is that our pets are driven mainly by instincts, which help them adapt faster. Also, cats more often live to be 20 years old than humans are to live to be 140. This arithmetic method, in which the year of a cat’s life by human standards is equal to 7 years, does not make it possible to compare the stages of development of intelligence.

Converting a cat's age to human age using the proposed systems is not difficult. The main problem is that none of the existing methods will not give an accurate result.

If the cat's age is initially unknown

Often, compassionate lovers of our furry little brothers take one of them from the street, and in this case it is quite difficult to determine the age of the animal, even approximately. But in order to know how old a cat is by human standards, you simply need to know his exact year of birth.

A veterinarian can help you with this matter. Experienced doctors can easily determine the age and years of a cat in relation to a person during examination. oral cavity animal.

If the owner does not have the opportunity to take the animal to the veterinarian, you can try to study the issue yourself.

Tooth development:

All milk teeth erupt in a one-month-old kitten;
Indigenous - at the age of 6 months;
At the age of 1.5 years, the lower central incisors are worn away;
At the age of 2.5 years, the middle lower incisors begin to wear off;
By 3.5 and 4.5 years, the central and middle lower incisors wear out, respectively;
By the age of 5.5 years, fangs may wear off;
By 6, the condition of the upper extreme incisors worsens;
Up to 9 years of age, the rubbing surfaces of all lower incisors change;
Aging of the central upper incisors begins at approximately 10 years of age;
By age 12, the animal may lose its central incisors;
At the age of 15 he may be left without teeth.

These numbers may vary depending on the quality of life, diet, and breed of animal. Adding all the necessary ingredients will help preserve your cat’s teeth for as long as possible. minerals and vitamins in food.

Once you have calculated exactly how old your pet is, a cat age chart can be applied in human years.

How lifestyle affects a cat's longevity

To prolong the life of a pet, it is necessary to create the most favorable conditions for it, such as:

Balanced food;
A cozy and warm place to relax and sleep;
Avoid physical and psychological harm;
See a veterinarian regularly;
Protect the animal from all unfavorable factors that can shorten the cat’s life (for example, solve the problem of stress during the mating season).

It is important to know that castrated cats and sterilized cats live, as a rule, longer than individuals who take part in procreation.

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 food additives, which 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 sign of any illness, keep the bowl always clean, provide permanent access to water;
Give your animal love and attention, which will definitely have a positive effect on its longevity.

Comparison of the age periods of a cat and a person

Infancy

The period of infancy in a kitten passes more quickly than in humans. It only lasts a few weeks. During this time the kitten experiences difficult period, cognizes new world, learning to walk.

Kittens are born blind, deaf and completely helpless. After a week, the protective film on the ears disappears, and eyes open 5-9 days after birth. In the second week, teeth begin to cut. If we translate this age into human terms, then in our children this period begins 5-9 months after birth.

Month-old kittens are already running and jumping, that is, this is about a year and a half of a cat by human standards. A three-month-old cat is comparable in intelligence to a two-year-old child.

Childhood

Cat children develop very quickly, so it is not easy to compare this period with human children. At 4 months of life, these animals are already actively playing and communicating with other pets., recognize “friends” and “strangers”, can take care of themselves without the help of their mother (lick fur, wash their face, sharpen their claws, feed themselves). They learn all this from their mother’s example, although instincts also play an important role.

During the first year of life, a cat goes through all the stages of growing up, which is comparable to 18 years of human life. That is why you should pay maximum attention to the education of your pet before he develops habits and games that you don't want or can't tolerate. You must teach him that he cannot go to the toilet wherever he wants, that he cannot sharpen his claws on furniture, etc.

Adolescence

You cannot treat adult cats like children; you cannot help but react to aggression, “puddles” and other harmful pranks, thinking that with age this will all stop by itself. Remember that a 6-month-old cat is comparable in human years to an already developed human teenager.

In his habits and character there are very big changes, which often resemble the behavior of teenagers.

Although the kitten looks small and cute, like a child, it begins to test the boundaries of what is permitted. If the owner wants to raise an obedient cat, it is necessary to firmly and promptly stop “rebellion”.

The next unpleasant surprise for cat owners at this unusual age of animals is puberty. At the age of 6.5 months, cats go into heat, and cats, in turn, can react to them, since they are already quite ready for mating. However, it is undesirable to allow mating, because during this period the cat is not yet ready for childbirth or motherhood, but she can become pregnant.

Youth

During its youth, the cat is strong, agile and tireless. For purebred cats This is the best period for various competitions and exhibitions. Up to 7 years of age, the animal is optimally suited to have healthy offspring.

Maturity

This period can begin at the age of 6-10 years. By human standards, this is approximately 40-55 years. The cat can still play sometimes, but more often he behaves calmly. People who are engaged in professional breeding of purebred cats remove animals that have reached this stage from mating.

Old age

An elderly cat is considered to be an animal aged 10-12 years, although there are individuals that live up to 20 years.

Therefore, such an honorable age does not necessarily symbolize the proximity of death. It all depends on the conditions of its detention and state of health. For example, street cats rarely live to be 10 years old, and domestic ones often cross the 16-year threshold.