What Do Cat Years Go By?
One of the best indicators of your cat’s age is its teeth. Older cats tend to have stained teeth than younger ones. Kittens first come in with teeth at around two to four weeks old. Permanent white teeth indicate that your kitten is around a year old. If you notice that your kitten’s teeth are yellowing or have some tartar on them, your cat is about one to two years old. By five years, a cat is likely to have tartar on all of his teeth.
a one-year-old kitten is developmentally equivalent to a 15-year-old human
Cats grow quickly, so they are often compared to people when comparing their ages. A one-year-old kitten is roughly equivalent to the development of a 15-year-old human, while a two-year-old cat is compared to a 25-year-old. During these crucial first months of life, kittens are highly curious, and may start chewing on things they shouldn’t. They grow quickly, and by six months of age they are developmentally equivalent to a 10-year-old human. A six-month-old kitten requires a series of vaccinations and is usually spayed or neutered. Getting your kitten spayed or neutered is also a good idea, as this can detect any hereditary health issues or prevent a cat from developing certain behaviors
A newborn’s temperature is around 97-98deg F. This temperature rises slowly to 100deg F by four weeks of age, so newborn kittens depend on external heat sources for their first few weeks. Their high surface area-to-body-weight ratio, immature metabolism, and immature vasoconstrictive abilities all make them susceptible to cold. Luckily, the development process does not take forever, and a one-year-old kitten’s seizures are developmentally equivalent to that of a fifteen-year-old human.
a two-year-old cat is roughly equivalent to a 25-year-old human
Cats age faster than humans, reaching full maturity within their first two years. By age two, a one-year-old cat is the equivalent of a human who is about 16 years old. By age six, a cat is about the same age as a forty-year-old human. The conversion is not a precise one, however. In general, every human year is roughly equivalent to four cat years.
A two-year-old cat is roughly equal to a twenty-five-year-old human. The first two years of a cat’s life are about fifteen years of human life. After that, growth slows and the cat reaches geriatric age. Interestingly, many cats reach senior status without displaying any visible signs. This is probably because of the way cats grow, and their metabolism, as well as the environment, influences their age.
Cats generally live for many years. This mileage varies depending on genetics and the type of care they receive. Indoor cats can live for 12 to 18 years. Some have even reached the twenty-year-old mark. By this calculation, a two-year-old cat is roughly the same age as a 25-year-old human. So, while you might think it’s strange that a two-year-old cat would be equivalent to the same age as an old human, you’d be wrong.
