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 yr.
Frankly, this concept has by no means made a lot sense to me. We’ve all seen (or a minimum of know of) cats who’ve lived to the age of 20. In reality, 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 can be the equal of a 140-year-old particular person, which merely isn’t doable. Let’s now contemplate copy. 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? In fact not! The 1-equals-7 rule doesn’t work for the straightforward purpose that cats age sooner once they’re youthful and decelerate once they’re older.
Methods to examine cat years to human years
Plenty 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 under 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 yr. This can be a extra logical strategy and, in my expertise, it appears fairly correct. Word: This chart doesn’t apply to canines. Canine have completely different age equivalents relying on their dimension (huge 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 levels do cats have?
One other matter associated to age and longevity is cat life levels. There are a number of opinions on this topic however no consensus. The variations are principally primarily based on semantics, and whether or not you are typically a “lumper” or a “splitter.” Lumpers desire to group some levels collectively into a bigger class, whereas splitters desire to subdivide the levels. 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 levels of a cat, dividing it into six distinct levels:
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 had 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 primarily based on these age ranges appeared smart. Nonetheless, dividing youthful grownup cats into “junior” and “prime” felt a bit contrived.
In a lately up to date (2021) report, the AAFP/AAHA described 4 fundamental age-related feline life levels:
Kitten: delivery to 1 yr
Younger grownup: 1 to six years
Mature grownup: 7 to 10 years
Senior: Older than 10 years
When 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; nonetheless, I really feel that the senior stage ought to be additional divided, leading to a five-stage classification that, in my view, covers all of the bases:
Kitten: delivery to 1 yr
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 just too medical, or that it carries damaging connotations. As a veterinarian, I desire the time period geriatric, though I perceive why cat mother and father would fancy the time period tremendous senior, because it invokes awe and marvel and makes the cat sound like a superhero, which is a reasonably cool idea.
Discovering the precise care in your cat at every stage
The principle purpose veterinarians divide a cat’s life into levels is to assist us formulate well being and wellness plans which might be applicable for that specific life stage. The sicknesses and behavioral modifications we’re more likely to encounter, and the diagnostic checks which might be really useful, will differ relying on these levels. Whether or not you, as a cat dad or mum, desire 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 private choice. As a cat veterinarian who feels that each 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 possibly can view your complete 22-page AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Pointers launched in 2021 at: aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/life-stage-feline-2021/feline-life-stage-home/.