For their size, cats live rather a very long time. Normally an animal’s longevity is proportional to its size (with the exception of tortoises, man and a couple of other animals).
How Old is Your Cat in People Years?
A tiny mouse has a brief lifespan, a rabbit somewhat longer and a dog between 7 and 20 years depending on its breed or size, its activity, or both. Felines aren’t much bigger than rabbits, however whereas the rabbit might live about 8 years a cat will reside on typical about 12 — 14 years, and it’s not unusual for felines to reach their late teenagers or perhaps their early 20s.
There are 6 life stages for felines:
- Kitten — 0-6 months
a period when the young feline is proliferating and is generally not quite sexually fully grown
Also read: 3-6 Weeks Kitten: Care and Development
- Junior — 6 months-2 years
during this time the cat reaches complete size and learns about life and how to endure it
- Prime — 3-6 years
the cat is mature physically and behaviourally, and is still normally healthy and active, looking smooth and glossy and making the best of life
- Fully grown — 7-10 years
the feline is what we call ‘Mature’, comparable to human beings in their mid-40s to mid-50s
- Senior — 11-14 years
takes the feline up to the equivalent of about 70 human years
- Geriatric — 15 years and over
many felines do reach this stage, some disappointing any signs of being geriatric at all!
The table below shows all the stages and also the comparable human age. What these stages let us do is to appreciate how old the cat is inside, since, as has been mentioned, this is typically not extremely apparent from the outdoors, as cats hardly ever go grey or show external signs of pain or illnesses such as arthritis.
Also read: Human Foods That Are Dangerous for Dogs and Cats
