Dog Years Vs Cat Years Vs Human Years
It is often interesting to compare our own ages to that of our cats. Cats age most quickly in the first year of their life. These guidelines have been created by the American Animal Hospital Association:
- A cat at one month is the equivalent of a human at one year.
- A cat at three months is the equivalent of a human at four years.
- A cat at twelve months is the equivalent of a human at fifteen years.
- A cat at eighteen months is the equivalent of a human at twenty-one years.
- A cat at two years is the equivalent of a human at twenty-four years.
- At the age of three years, a cat is the equivalent of a human at twenty-eight years. From the ages of three to eleven add four human years for each additional cat year.
- At eleven a cat is the equivalent of a sixty-year-old human. Then continue to add four human years for each additional cat year.
Keen to get your cat out and about? Check out my posts on Is Cat Walking Possible?, 7 Best Escape Proof Cat Harness Options, 5 Best Carrier for Cats choices, 14 Best Cat Carrier for Car Travel options and 4 Top Travel Litter Box options.
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When Does A Kitten Become A Cat
Some people like to ask about when does a kitten become a cat and apparently, many give different answers. Some say the kitten becomes adult around six months while others say the cats will be adult when reach one year old.
Even though your kitten already became an adult, they maybe still act like mischievous kitten, however her needs will change so you also need to change the way you take care of the adult cat.
Kitten Care: Things To Do To Before You Get Your Kitten
Register with a vet Buy a cat carrier Buy a bed, food and water bowls , litter tray, toys, brushes / combs. Buy a break-safe collar and have an identity disc made with your cats address details on it Prepare your home: Secure any trailing wires Ensure all toxic plants, human foods, medicines, cleaning chemicals are out of the kittens reach Create a scratching post or an area that it is ok for the kitten to fulfil its natural instinct to scratch Set aside a private area for the kitten to feel safe using a litter tray Place food and water bowls in separate locations, cats dont naturally like to eat and drink from the same area Create an area where your kitten can have peace and quiet and feel safe, such as a cardboard on its side, to the cat this is a safe haven, like a cave to retreat to. Litter tray: In the wild, big cats are careful about keeping clean. Thats why they dont eat and go to the toilet in the same place. Kittens are no different, please keep the litter tray well away from the places where the cat eats and drinks.
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Stages Of Kitten Development
- 2 Weeks By this age, most kittens have opened their eyes for the first time.
- 3 Weeks The ear canals have fully opened.
- 4 Weeks The kittens baby teeth have begun poking through the gums. They can also begin exploring their surroundings and are becoming more mobile and curious.
- 8 12 Weeks By this age, kittens are old enough for their first vaccinations, which means they are now old enough to be separated from their mother, which is why most cats go to their new home at about 12 weeks of age.
- 4 Months The kittens baby teeth are beginning to fall out and are replaced by adult teeth. In general, a kitten will have a full set of adult teeth by the time it reaches 7 months of age.
- 5 6 Months Most kittens have now grown enough to be safely spayed or neutered.
From Three To Seven Years
Little by little, we will notice that our cat is not as eager to play as before. Spend a lot of time sleeping and their behavior becomes more territorial if possible. In fact from these ages, it is complicated to accept a new cat in its territory that by the way it is your home. You need to see the cat weight chart and then analyze your cat growth. At this time even your cat licks you and you can see this article why does my cat lick me and know about the pet cats.
From Seven to Twelve Years
From the age of seven, a cat begins to age. They become even more sedentary and calmer. Your friend will spend a lot of time resting and not so much playing. Of course, it will continue to do so at times. But as you get closer to old age you will not have as much desire to pursue toys.
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How Old Are Cats
How long do cats grow? As we have seen, the cat is a feline that has a very fast growth. In just one year your bones and muscles will reach adulthood. This means that certainly, he will be ready to see the world or in the event that he can not leave to be a Lord Cat.
His behavior will notice that it will change little by little. The desire to play will remain high. But as time goes by you will prefer a session of caresses and not so much fun. This does not mean that we do not have to play with him. But we simply will not see him running around with as much energy as when he was a puppy.
But, despite the fact that it is recommended to feed them for adult cats after one year of age. Their development will not be over yet. If during the first months your skeleton develops from the second year we will see that it takes body that it widens. Its when the muscle mass ends up developing. This development can last more or less, depending on the final size of the animal and the breed. But it will usually end at 3 years.
From then on, and from my point of view we will have a truly adult cat, in every way. I hope you have simply got an idea of cat weight chart by age.
Kittens From Birth To Six Months
The first six months of a kitten’s life are filled with eye-opening experiencesliterally. A kitten’s eyes and ears open shortly after birth at around one to two weeks of age, and from there its physical and mental development takes off.;A kitten is exposed to sights, sounds, and smells just like that of a human infant. Each new animal, person, and object it comes in contact with helps to form its personality. Over the course of the next few weeks, the socialization skills of a kitten are greatly affected depending on all of these interactions and exposures.
After a kitten leaves its mother at about two to three months of age, it will start to become more independent and curious. It will explore its surroundings, get into a little trouble, and potentially chew on things it shouldn’t chew while its adult teeth are starting to erupt. Growth happens fast during these months and by the time a kitten is six months old, they are comparable to a 10-year-old child in age.
A;series of vaccinations will need to be performed and kittens are typically spayed or neutered around six months of age. Most hereditary or congenital issues are usually discovered by your veterinarian during this time, if there are any at all.
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Caring For Your Golden Girl
You can also take some easy steps at home to improve your cat’s quality of life in her senior years:
- Choose a high-quality food made for senior cats:Youthful Vitality 7+ Cat Food, for instance, is specially formulated to support brain function, energy and vitality, healthy kidneys and bladder, healthy digestive system and luxiurious fur.
- Give her a warm place to rest: Especially if she suffers from arthritis, she’ll appreciate you moving her bed from a drafty area.
- Think easy access: Give her a litter box, water bowl, and food bowl on every floor of your house. If she seems to be having trouble climbing into the litter box, find one with lower sides or even try an old cookie sheet.
- Help her groom: Many people rarely brush their cats because they are such good self-groomers. But as your cat ages, brushing your cat serves a dual-purpose of acting as a bonding activity and keeping her coat healthy when she can no longer do it alone.
- Continue to Exercise Her: Here are some easy ways to keep your senior cat moving.
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?
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Take Your Cat To The Vet For A Health Assessment
Most cats who live long enough will eventually experience changes in their anatomy and physiology that can be picked up by veterinarians.
For example, certain diseases, like kidney disease or an overactive thyroid, are quite common in older cats but relatively rare in the young. Dr. Horvath says that older cats often become unable to process proteins as easily, so they lose a lot of the protein they eat and start to lose weight.
With a thorough examination, your veterinarian can get a better picture of your cats age.
What Is The Average Life Expectancy Of My Cat
The true answer is that it depends, but indoor cats usually live longer than outdoor cats. On average, indoor cats live 16 to 18 years and some even reach the venerable age of 20.
Life expectancy in cats also varies depending on the breed, as some cat breeds will naturally live longer than others. For example, Siamese and Manx breeds are said to live the longest, so could reach a ripe age in human years!
Did you know that according to some sources, the worlds oldest cat lived to be 34? Thats 153 in human years! Read more fascinating cat facts here.
Cats life expectancies have increased dramatically in the last few decades. Although its never enough, were spending more and more time together with our feline friends and that can only be a great thing.
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Elderly Cat Friendly Home
All the recommendations for a cat friendly home;will work as well for the elderly with a little modification. There is rarely the need to make drastic changes to the home to accommodate your cat as it gets older but small adaptations to the existing cat resources can make a significant difference to the quality of life. If your cat is finding stairs difficult to negotiate, for example, then it may be spending prolonged periods on one level, either up or downstairs. Ensuring that all your cats needs are met on that one level will avoid any risk of being unable to access important resources.
In order to make activity and movement in general easier for your older cat, it is important that it feels comfortable walking. Laminate, tiled or wooden flooring can be slippery and old cats can become unstable on slippery surfaces making them less inclined to be active. Equally, carpet can catch on your cats claws that overgrow easily without regular stropping and remain protracted as the muscles weaken. Cut pile carpets are more comfortable for your cat than loop pile so if your flooring is the latter you can compromise by providing cut pile runners throughout the home to enable your cat to walk in comfort. This is also the ideal surface on which to play, particularly if your cat likes to lie down in the process.
The Life Cycle Of Cats: From Kittens To Seniors
Before we dive into how and when cats grow, its good to understand the basic life stages of a cat. The exact dates vary from cat to cat, but the feline life cycle can be broken down into five stages.
Kitten : Cats grow fastest and change the most in this early stage of development. Its also their most impressionable phase.
Cats continue their growth and maturity. Its important to keep playing with your cat during this stage, so that it feels comfortable and confident.
Prime Adult : At this stage, cats have settled into their lives, and theyre usually in their healthy prime.
Mature Adult : Much like humans, cats become less active as they age, and theyre more prone to gain weight and develop health issues like kidney disease and diabetes.
Senior : Cats lifespans vary, but as they become senior cats, their health often begins to deteriorate.
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How To Calculate Cat Years To Human Years
As you can see in the cat age chart, your cats age is not as simple as a 1 to 7 ratio. However, while other pets like dogs mature differently depending on their breeds characteristics, cat lifespans and maturity rates stay consistent across the species. Typically:
- The first year of a cats life is equal to fifteen human years.
- The second year is equal to an additional 9.
- Every cat year after that is an additional 4 human years.
According to International Cat Care, there are six main stages of a cats life:
Cats age rapidly within the first few years of their lives, reaching the human equivalent of mid-adolescence by the end of their first year.
Some Kittens May Reach Their Full Size In 12 Months
How quickly your kitten reaches his full size depends on how big he is going to get. The bigger his breed, the longer it will take him to be fully grown. Kittens typically stop growing by the age of 12 months.1;However, larger breeds like Maine Coons can take up to two years to reach their full size. Growth typically slows significantly after 12 months, with a fast growth spurt occurring in the first eight weeks.2
It’s worth noting that most cats will reach sexual maturity before they are fully grown. This is similar to a teenager going through puberty, which happens when a kitten is six to nine months of age.3;Around this time, you might consider spaying or neutering your cat. A male cat can father kittens before he’s fully grown, and a female cat can get pregnant before she’s fully grown as well.
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Understanding Your Kittens Nutritional Needs
Perhaps the first step to lifelong wellbeing for your cat is to grasp how and why your kittens needs differ from an adult cats requirements. With her small stomach capacity, your hungry kitten not only requires multiple daily food portions, sometimes up to 18 meals per day and night to get her fill if she was free in nature, she also needs food that is high in protein, fat and balanced in minerals in order to meet her energy requirements. After all, reaching your adult size takes some eating!
In addition, as you well know, kittens have a lot of energy! With all that intense playing, roughhousing and growing going on, it is especially important for your feline friend to get high quality, nutritionally complete and;balanced food. This will provide a healthy foundation for the rest of her life. Consequently, it is generally recommended to give your companion specially formulated kitten food until her first year.
How To Tell When A Cat Has Reached Its Full Size
While it is true that cats can continue to grow after the first year, their growth rate will slow down significantly afterwards. In fact, if youre not paying strict attention, you might not even notice that theyre growing! The best way to understand when your cat has stopped growing is to measure and weigh it each month. Cats continue to gain height as well as length. If you measure your kitty once per month, youll notice when those measurements stop changing.
A cats weight can also reveal their maturity level or approximate age. You can estimate your cats adult weight by weighing them when theyre 16 weeks old and doubling that number. You can expect that figure will be right around your cats adult weight. Its not exact, but its a good estimate. Similar to measuring a cats height and weight, weighing a cat monthly can also aid in determining when he or she reaches full size.
No matter how big your cat gets, it will always need giant-sized portions of love, affection and snuggles!
Want to know more about cats? Check out How Your Cats Behavior Changes With Age, How To Take Care Of A Kitten, and Why Does My Cat Do That? 20 Puzzling Cat Behaviors Explained at Cuteness.com!
This article is provided by Cutenessthe go to destination for passionate pet parents. Cuteness has answers to all of your health, training, and behavior questions as well as the cutest, funniest, and most inspiring pet stories from all over the world.
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