Deciphering Cat Ages & Phases
Of all of the myths involving companion animals, one which continues to persist (and nonetheless drives me batty) is the notion that cats (and canines) get older at a tempo of seven years for each human 12 months.
Frankly, this concept has by no means made a lot sense to me. We’ve all seen (or at the very least know of) cats who’ve lived to the age of 20. The truth is, at one level I had over 30 20-year-old cats in my veterinary follow. Utilizing the 1-equals-7 rule, a 20-year-old cat could be the equal of a 140-year-old particular person, which merely isn’t potential. Let’s now take into account replica. Cats and canines can get pregnant and produce offspring as early as 6 months of age. Utilizing the 1-equals-7 rule, a 6-month-old cat is equal to a 3½-year-old human. Can folks have infants at this age? After all not! The 1-equals-7 rule doesn’t work for the easy cause that cats age quicker after they’re youthful and decelerate after they’re older.
The right way to examine cat years to human years
A lot of years in the past, the American Affiliation of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the American Animal Hospital Affiliation (AAHA) collaborated to create an age-comparison chart that takes this into consideration. (See sidebar.) In accordance with this chart, a 1-year-old cat is equal to a 15-year-old particular person, and a 2-year-old cat is sort of a 24-year-old particular person. After that, you add 4 human years for each cat 12 months. This can be a extra logical strategy and, in my expertise, it appears fairly correct. Notice: This chart doesn’t apply to canines. Canines have completely different age equivalents relying on their dimension (large canines have shorter life spans than small canines, for instance). Cats are all roughly the identical dimension, so the chart is common for cats.
What number of life phases do cats have?
One other subject associated to age and longevity is cat life phases. There are a number of opinions on this topic however no consensus. The variations are principally based mostly on semantics, and whether or not you are usually a “lumper” or a “splitter.” Lumpers want to group some phases collectively into a bigger class, whereas splitters want to subdivide the phases. The one frequent floor amongst all of the variations is the primary life stage: kitten.
The up to date age-comparison chart talked about above additionally describes the life phases of a cat, dividing it into six distinct phases:
Kitten: 0 to six months
Junior: 7 months to 2 years
Prime: 3 to six years
Mature: 7 to 10 years
Senior: 11 to 14 years
Geriatric: 15 years and older
Splitters have been most likely proud of this six-stage model, though as a cat veterinarian, I had blended emotions. I by no means knew precisely the place to attract the road between “grownup” and “senior.” Dividing older cats into “mature,” “senior” and “geriatric” classes based mostly on these age ranges appeared smart. Nonetheless, dividing youthful grownup cats into “junior” and “prime” felt a bit contrived.
In a not too long ago up to date (2021) report, the AAFP/AAHA described 4 fundamental age-related feline life phases:
Kitten: beginning to 1 12 months
Younger grownup: 1 to six years
Mature grownup: 7 to 10 years
Senior: Older than 10 years
In case you’re a lumper, you most likely love this streamlined model. I’m content material with the primary three classes and their related age ranges; nevertheless, I really feel that the senior stage must be additional divided, leading to a five-stage classification that, for my part, covers all of the bases:
Kitten: beginning to 1 12 months
Younger grownup: 1 to six years
Mature grownup: 7 to 10 years
Senior: 11 to fifteen years
Geriatric: 16 years and older
I’ve seen variations of the variations described above, however with the time period “tremendous senior” changing the time period “geriatric.” I believe some folks really feel that the phrase geriatric is simply too scientific, or that it carries damaging connotations. As a veterinarian, I want the time period geriatric, though I perceive why cat mother and father would fancy the time period tremendous senior, because it invokes awe and surprise and makes the cat sound like a superhero, which is a reasonably cool idea.
Discovering the suitable care on your cat at every stage
The primary cause veterinarians divide a cat’s life into phases is to assist us formulate well being and wellness plans which are acceptable for that individual life stage. The sicknesses and behavioral adjustments we’re more likely to encounter, and the diagnostic exams which are really useful, will differ relying on these phases. Whether or not you, as a cat mother or father, want the four-stage classification (kitten, younger grownup, mature grownup, senior), a five-stage model (kitten, younger grownup, mature grownup, senior, geriatric) or a six-stage mannequin (kitten, junior, prime, mature, senior, geriatric) is a matter of non-public choice. As a cat veterinarian who feels that every one cats die too younger, the truth that so many life stage charts acknowledge the existence of a geriatric or tremendous senior stage tells us that cats reside longer than ever earlier than, and that’s one thing we will all agree is great information.
Cat to human age chart
You may view the whole 22-page AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Tips launched in 2021 at: aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/life-stage-feline-2021/feline-life-stage-home/.