Outdoor Cats Life Expectancy How Long Do Outdoor Cats Live In Cat Years
Outdoor cats can have a significantly shorter life span then indoor-only cats, often living only two to five years. Pet parents in urban and suburban areas are strongly encouraged to keep their cats indoors.
Tell us: How old is your cat in cat years? How old is your cat in human years?
This piece was originally published in 2017.
How Does The Cat Age Calculator Work
You simply need to enter the age of your cat into the Cat Age Calculator. Once you press the calculate button, you´ll see your cat´s age in human years straight away!
More of a dog person? If you´d like to find out the age of your dog in human years, our selection of Animal Calculators includes a Dog Age Calculator.
How Do Cats Age
As you can see, the common 1:7 ratio is very misleading cats age much more quickly in their first two years of life and then the aging process slows down and continues more steadily after that.
How did veterinarians settle on this cat age to human age calculation?
When it comes down to it, the AAHA states that their guidelines are based on the physical and behavioral changes that occur at different stages of a cats life and then these stages are matched to stages of human life.
In other words, a one-year-old cat is physiologically similar to a 15-year-old human in their own respective ways, both the cat and the human are at similar stages of growth and development.
Of course, as with humans , there will be some variation in the way your individual cat ages. But unlike dogs, there seems to be much less variation with different cat breeds and the way they age. With dogs, youre much more likely to see smaller breeds live longer. Even when we look at cats by breed, the variations dont seem large enough to contribute to these kinds of age differences.
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What Is The Life Expectancy Of Cats
As with people over the years and advances in medicine, cats have almost doubled their life expectancy. Now each cat is different and your health, care, and nutrition will be essential to determine the years you will live.
Another important factor is whether it is a domestic cat or a cat that lives on the street. The more exposed you are to the dangers of the street the less life expectancy you will have.
In general, a stray cat can live for 2-3 years without castrating and about 5-6 if it is neutered. But their conditions and health will be fundamental to their life expectancy. In the case of domestic cats the average life is 15 to 21 years.
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Month : Your Kitten Will Sleep More
Still very much a baby, but growing into a young adolescent, your kitten will start to sleep more during the day just like an adult cat does. Expect more than half the day to be filled with cat naps, so try to have a comfy cat bed in your kitten’s favorite spot.
When your kitten isn’t sleeping, it will still be exploring and playing, but its confidence level will be higher than when it was just a toddler. It will also be more coordinated as a young adolescent and will demonstrate just how social it wants to be with you. Socialization and bonding time has always been important to your growing kitten, but at this age, your hard work will have finally paid off and you may see your kitten starting to snuggle with you voluntarily.
If you have not already had your female kitten spayed and it has spent time with an intact male cat, then there is a chance that your kitten is pregnant. Cats can get pregnant as young as six months of age so it’s very important to get your female kitten spayed if you don’t want more kittens.
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Month 1: Your Kitten Is Now A Cat
At one year of age, most people will now consider your kitten an adult cat. Most cats are full-grown by one year of age, so from here on out, your cat will simply grow mentally. Learning and training never end. Your cat will always explore, make decisions, play, and develop both good and bad habits, and it is up to you to steer it in the direction you would like it to grow. Remember to always use gentle and positive training methods and a good scratch behind the ears can go a long way!
Common Questions About Tabby Cat Growth
Now that youve got a good understanding of how a tabby cat can grow and a basic timeline, you might have some other questions. Below are a few common questions most domestic cat owners have.
How Big Do Tabby Cats Get?
When someone asks about how big a tabby cat gets, they are usually referring to any adult domestic shorthair cat with patterns in their fur. Remember, the term tabby actually refers to the coat pattern, so its not actually a breed of cat. Considering the size of a cat depends mostly on breed and genetics, the real question should be how big do domestic cats get?.
Some domestic cats can get as big as 16 inches in height while others might only get as big as 8 inches. The average height of an adult cat will be somewhere between 9.1 9.8 inches. Compared to a dog thats quite small as dogs average between 6 44 inches!
If youre wondering how heavy tabby cats can get, the numbers also continue to vary. The average adult cat can get up to around 8 12 pounds in weight. Some breeds weigh less, and some breeds weigh considerably more.
In general, female cats will weigh less than male cats on average. Male cats typically weigh 2 4 pounds heavier than their female counterparts. Male domestic cats weigh between 10 12 pounds on average. Female domestic cats weigh between 6 12 pounds. Some of the larger breeds will tip the weight scale in the heavier direction. Below is a list of the heaviest cats that also feature the tabby coat pattern:
- Siberian
- Maine
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Signs Of A Senior Cat
Just like in humans, there are some tell-tale signs of senior status among cats. While senior cats are often still healthy and full of life, they may begin to slow down a little. As your cat transitions into senior status, itâs important to take note of any changes as drastic shifts could be indicative of serious health conditions.
Senior cats may exhibit:
- Weight loss and loss of muscle tone
- Frequent urination
- Confusion or disorientation
Beyond physical decline, senior cats may also exhibit dementia. Some common signs of feline dementia include frequent meowing, disorientation, and excessive sleeping.
Senior cats can still have many wonderful years ahead of them, so donât be discouraged or distraught if your cat is starting to slow down. Simple lifestyle tweaks, such as specially formulated food can help your senior cat make the most of their twilight years.
Later Years Of Cat Life
As a cat begins to age, they will start to experience more complications. Its important that cats receive yearly checkups at the vet and get tests for a variety of diseases and health conditions. The later years are around 7 10 years of age. The human equivalent will be somewhere between 40 50 years in age.
This is the period of time when your once active cat will start to slow down in their physical activity. Stimulating them is important because without constant physical activity they will start to gain weight sometimes considerably.
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How Old Is My Cat In Human Years
Although theres no reliable scientific way to calculate the relationship between human and cat years, its generally agreed that the first two years of a cats life are roughly equal to the first 25 of a humans. After this, each additional year is around four cat years. This means if your cat is six years old, their equivalent cat age in human years will be around 41.
Month : Kitten Teeth Development
By nine months of age, your adolescent kitten is almost full grown and all of its baby teeth should be gone. Teething should cease, but your kitten may still discover how fun it is to chew on things. Monitor your kitten’s biting and chewing behaviors closely and make sure they do not get out of hand. Your kitten should never bite a person or other pet unwarranted. If aggressive behaviors start to show, then be sure to nip them in the bud right away and start training your kitten not to bite.
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How Old Is Your Cat In People Years
Beginning at around age 9, your cat enters senior years. At this stage, cats often begin to develop diseases common to their senior-human counterparts, such as diabetes, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and cancer. In fact, one out of 10 pets that appears healthy, has an underlying disease1.
First, identify your cat’s real age using this chart. Then, discuss ways to keep your pet healthy with your veterinarian.
How old is your cat in people years?
When Is A Cat No Longer Considered A Kitten
Your kitten will develop so much in her first year it’s actually a little crazy.
“The first year is the terrible twos and the teenage years in one year,” Becker says.
Oof. That’s why it’s probably a good idea to consult this guide on how to care for your kitten. Then, you’ll want to make sure you have all the essentials.
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How To Tell Your Cats Age In Human Years
07th March 2019
For their size, cats live quite a long time. Generally, an animals longevity is proportional to its size .
A tiny mouse has a short lifespan, a rabbit somewhat longer and a dog between 7 and 20 years depending on its breed or size, its activity, or both. Cats arent much bigger than rabbits, but whereas the rabbit may live about 8 years, a cat will live on average about 1214 years, and its not unusual for cats to reach their late teens or even their early 20s.
Ology To Calculate The Age Of A Cat
Practically, there is no mathematical formula because the age of a cat does not follow a linear curve compared with the human age. Like many animals, “childhood” and “adolescence” occur much faster than humans.
So it’s rather from observations of the ages of cats that veterinarians have established a correlation table to see an equivalence in human age:
| Cat real age |
|---|
Throughout his life, the cat, just like human, sees physiology, health and physical change.
Here are some pointers:
- age to neuter a cat: A cat can be neutered at any age but it is best to perform this castration when the animal reaches sexual maturity and before its first reports. This age is around 8 months for males.
- age to sterilize a cat: A female cat can be spayed at any age but it is best to conduct this operation as soon as the animal reaches sexual maturity and before her first heat. This age is around 6 months for females.
- Life expectancy of the cat: a cat can live 15 to 20 years.
How do we call?
- a young cat : a kitten
- a female cat : a cat
- a male cat : a cat !
And you, how old is your cat?
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Cat Age In Human Years Conversion Table
Vets have established an approximate correlation cat age chart to see an equivalence in human age. The chart listed below shows the 6 stages of cat development as well as the equivalent human age. Though not an exact science the chart below also indicates how cats mature at a much faster rate than humans do.
| Cats Age |
|---|
| Many cats will reach this stage, some do not show signs of being so old. |
How To Determine A Cats Age
As different breeds age at different rates, there isnt a simple formula to estimate a cats equivalent age. Like dogs, who dont actually age 7 human years for every dog year, cats age much more rapidly during their first 2 years of life than at any other point.However, while cats cannot tell us how they feel at different stages of life, vets can use comparative indicators to estimate their age in human years. The key indicators which can apply to most cats include:
- Condition of teeth Cats get their first set of teeth between 2 and 4 weeks old, and a full adult set means the cat is at least 6 months old. Conversely, cats with yellow teeth and tartar are more likely to be middle-aged, while cats with missing teeth are most often senior cats.
- Texture of coat The older the cat, the more coarse and thick is the fur. Like humans, they will also start to lose their colour and turn grey.
- Brightness of eyes Young cats have smooth irises and bright, clear eyes. The older they get, the cloudier they become and are more likely to have discharge.
- Muscle tone Again, like humans, cats lose tone and shape in their muscle and skin as they age. This loss of tone is due to older cats being less able to digest their food as well as they could when they were younger, and usually happens between 10 and 14 years old .
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How To Convert Cat Years To Human Years
Cats are much older than they look. The general rule of working out a cats human age depends on the growth, development and life stage she is in.
If youre still wondering how old your healthy cat is, a rough equivalent of cat years to human years is calculated as 15 human years for cats that are 12 months and younger, then go up 9 years to work out kittys second birthday, and finally each cat year after two is an additional three or four human years.
How Old Is Your Cat In Human Years
Adrienne Kruzer, BS, RVT, LVT, has worked with a variety of animals for over 15 years, including birds of prey, reptiles, and small mammals.
Alex Barlow / Getty
Historically, people often think every year of a cat’s life is equivalent to seven years of a human’s life, but cats actually age must faster than that. And with age, we know that diseases often follow, but cats also act differently at certain life stages. Because of these things, it’s not only helpful, but also important to be able to understand what your cat is going through at each stage of its life.
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Indoor And Outdoor Cats
Indoor cats often live a much more sheltered and slow-pace life, and are less likely to cause themselves injury through wear-and-tear, accidents or by getting into fights with other animals. Consequently, outdoor cats may age much faster than their indoor counterparts.It is thought that, indoor cats age 4 human years for every year they live, while outdoor cats age 8 years. This quickly leads to a big discrepancy between life expectancy and physical age gaps. A 5-year-old indoor cat may be the equivalent of a 36-year-old human, while an outdoor cat could be physically closer to a 48-year-old person. With this reasoning, by the time the cats are 10, the indoor cat is the human equivalent of 56, while the outdoor cat is 88. Just as human athletes tend to suffer more worn out joints in their old age after years of high impact, so do outdoor cats suffer physically after living more active lifestyles.Again, these are just indicators and every cat is different. Genes and diet play just as much of a role in cats life expectancy as breed and lifestyle, so it is important to feed your cat a healthy diet so they grow up strong, fit and happy.
Some Cats Age Quicker Than Others:
A cats life experience can influence how rapidly they show signs of aging. Cats, like ferals, who have lived harsher lives will often show signs of aging sooner than those who live indoors.
As an example, outdoor cats can have tougher lives than indoor cats , and outdoor cats may appear to be older than indoor cats of the same age.
Whatever age a cat is, its important to remember that just as in humans, to some extent at least, age is just a number: if a cat has high-quality cat food, a comfortable home with a carefully monitored litter box, low levels of stress, effective parasite control, regular checkups with their DVM veterinarian, and overall attentive, caring owners who pay attention to health issues, they can belie the number of years that they have lived, remaining strong, fit and contented for far longer than you might expect.
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