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How Many Human Years Do Cats Live

How To Help Your Cat Live Longer

There are six simple steps you can take to help increase the life expectancy of your cat.

  • Get them neutered  Neutered cats tend to live longer as it prevents them from picking up diseases through mating and they are less likely to roam far from home which decreases the chance of road traffic accidents and cat fights
  • Have regular vet checks Taking your cat to the vet for a check-up at least once a year will help you to catch any health issues early so they can receive effective treatment
  • Get them vaccinated Making sure your cat is up-to-date with all their vaccinations will help to protect them from any nasty diseases that could shorten their life
  • Encourage exercise Whether your cat goes outdoors or not, try to spend a little bit of time each day encouraging them to play so they can get some exercise and stay physically fit
  • Feed a healthy diet Make sure your cat is eating a complete cat food suitable for their age as this will contain all the nutrients they need for a long and healthy life. Avoid giving too many cat treats as these can be high in calories and cause them to put on weight
  • Keep then indoors at night The risks of your cat being involved in a road traffic accident or fight with another cat are higher at night, so we recommend keeping them indoors when its dark
  • For more advice on keeping your cat healthy, visit www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/health

    Do Male Or Female Cats Live Longer

    There hasnt been a ton of research on this, but a 2014 study in the UK looked at more than 4,000 deceased cats and found that female cats tended to live about two years longer

    Another interesting tidbit: Neutered male cats live 62 percent longer than unneutered ones, according to a , and spayed female cats live 39 percent longer than unspayed ones.

    Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay

    How To Tell Cat Age By Teeth

    If you just bought a meow home, You might be wondering how old is my cat? The most trusted and objective way of determining a cats age is by examining its teeth. Knowing a few anatomy facts is a good starting point.

    • A kitten that is 2 to 4 weeks old will have its baby incisors coming in.
    • A kitten that is 3 to 4 weeks old will have its baby canines coming in.
    • A kitten that is 4 to 6 weeks old begins growing its baby premolars on the lower jaw.
    • A kitten that is 8 weeks old has all of its baby teeth fully grown.
    • A kitten that is 4 months old begins growing its permanent incisors.
    • A kitten that is 5 to 7 months old has all of its permanent teeth fully grown.
    • A cat that is 1 year old has clean and pearly white teeth. There should be no signs of plaque formation and tartar buildup.
    • A cat that is 2 years old may have a dull yellow teeth discolouration.
    • A cat that is 3 to 6 years old has slightly worn out teeth. There may be signs of plaque buildup and tartar formation.
    • A cat that is 10 to 15 years old will have missing teeth, signs of gum disease, bad breath and moderate to severe plaque buildup on the remaining teeth.

    How Long Do Cats Live And How To Calculate Your Kittys Age In Human Years

    Even with their whimsical, capricious, and often misunderstood ways, cats bring us joy on a daily basis.

    Sure, owning a feline pet might cause you troubles from time to time. But its all worth it after hearing your kittys soft purring when you snuggle with it after a long and tiresome day at the office.

    Every pet parent out there dreads the day he or she has to say goodbye to their fluffy pal. Unfortunately, even the healthiest kitties dont live forever. They go through various growth stages just like people do, but their overall lifespans are significantly shorter than ours.

    You might have heard of record-breaking kitties which have lived up to 30+ years. The average cat, however, passes away at a much younger age.

    Breed plays a key role in the feline longevity. The fluffy Ragdoll, for example, can live up to 25 years.

    Indoor Cats Versus Outdoor Cats

    How Long do Cats Live?

    Whether your cat resides completely indoors or goes in and out throughout the day can have more of an impact on their lifespan than some cat owners may realize. There are some more obvious reasons why indoor cats live longer lives than their outdoor counterparts. Some that you may already be able to guess. 

    Most obviously, indoor cats have easier access to food and freshwater than outdoor cats do more often than not. Whether your cat is an indoor or outdoor cat, you probably still take them for their needed cat vaccinations

    Even with proper vaccines, outdoor cats are exposed to far more dangers than indoor cats lives are. Dangers that vaccines and other medicines cannot protect them from. A few of the lifespan threatening dangers that outdoor cats may encounter include ticks, cars, other animals, and many other stressful encounters that can shorten a cats lifespan. 

    Assessing Your Cats Age

    Cats obviously mature much more rapidly than people, but once they are fully developed physically and behaviourally from about 3 years of age for many years their outward appearance changes very little. They usually still appear very youthful, and it can actually be very difficult to tell the age of an adult cat.

    Despite the youthful outward appearance, inside the cat will be getting older. It is much easier to understand how to manage our cats lives, health and behaviour if we can associate their age with an equivalent of our own human years. It has often been suggested that we simply need to multiply a cats age by 7 to get a comparative human age. However, this is very crude and does not take into account a number of aspects of how cats mature and age. A much more appropriate method is to take the end of the first year of the cats life to be equivalent to 15 human years, the end of the second year to be approximately equivalent to a 24-year-old person, and thereafter to consider each year of a cats life to equate to approximately 4 human years.

    The chart we have provided can be used to easily determine approximately how old your cat is in human terms. It should be remembered that this is just an estimate though as each cat, just like each human, is an individual and rates of maturation and ageing will vary.

    Select your cats life stage below to find out more about your cat and the preventative healthcare it should be receiving.

    How To Tell Your Cats Age In Human Years

    07th March 2019

    For their size, cats live quite a long time. Generally, an animals longevity is proportional to its size .

    A tiny mouse has a short lifespan, a rabbit somewhat longer and a dog between 7 and 20 years depending on its breed or size, its activity, or both. Cats arent much bigger than rabbits, but whereas the rabbit may live about 8 years, a cat will live on average about 1214 years, and its not unusual for cats to reach their late teens or even their early 20s.

    How Long Do Wild Cats Live

    With all this talk about how indoor life, veterinary care, and nutrition can extend the lifespan of a cat, what about the cats that live in the wild? Unfortunately, the pressures to surviving in the wild are even greater for wild cats. The lifespan of a wild cat is drastically shorter. While tigers in captivity commonly make it into their 20s, the average lifespan in the wild is far less at 10 to 15 years. Its pretty typical for half of a litter to  not make it more than two years as well. Lions follow along the same lines as the tiger, while mountain lions experience a slightly shorter lifespan at 8 to 13 years. On the smaller side, a bobcats life expectancy is only around seven years, while the wildcat is closer to 14.

    What Is The Average Lifespan Of A Cat

    One of the toughest parts of loving a cat is acknowledging the fact that the average lifespan of a cat is much shorter than the average lifespan of a human. This, unfortunately, means that your kitty will most likely pass away before you do. The comparatively short average lifespan of a cat can be difficult to accept. My beloved gray tabby, Bubba Lee Kinsey, passed away from cancer last summer, and I still miss his naptime snuggles, persistent headbutts and delicate meow, which always sounded too sweet and meek to come from such a handsome and robust predator. Still, I feel lucky to say that Bubba was my best friend and companion for 17 years, which is actually a fairly long cat lifespan .

    When it comes to determining the average lifespan of a cat, several factors play significant roles. While genetic factors do influence the average lifespan of a cat, many other lifestyle variations are even more important which is actually good news, as it means you can do a lot to make sure your kitty lives a long and happy life.

    Oldest Cat In New Zealand

    The oldest known cat in New Zealand is Sarah, who lived for 33 years as a resident of Christchurch. Sarahs original owner got her as a fifth birthday present and sadly left her behind 20 years later when moving to a new house.

    Fleur Ford was the neighbour at the time, and she happily adopted 20-year Sarah, becoming her pet mum for the next 13 years. Sarah nearly made it into the Guinness World Book mentions, a process her vet had applied for on behalf of her pet parents.  

    However, shortly before the admin was completed, Sarah needed to be put down at age 33 due heart failure. Sarah was well-loved and is affectionately remembered by her pet parents and her vet.

    In a Stuff article, Ford recollects her cats euthanasia. She describes how It was so lovely for her because she was very dignified. It was so beautiful, I cry when I think of it. Read about putting a pet to sleep.

    • Age. 33 years
    • When. March 1982 September 2015
    • Breed. Moggy

    Watch this video of Sarah the Kiwi cat:

    Ok Then How Do Cats Really Age

    Most of us perceive cats in three ways kittens, adults, and seniors. But theres so much more to it. As the kitten grows bigger and into adulthood, it actually goes through the equivalent of 15 human years in its first year alone.

    The first year of a cats life equals 15 human years.

    During the first two months of kittenhood your feline furball is already three years old in terms of human years. And by the time it reaches two calendar years, its already nearly 24 years old. After it passes the two-year mark, it ages nearly four years per each calendar year.

    In other words, by the time five calendar years have passed, your cat will be 36 years old.

    However, outdoor cats age faster than domestic ones because they are far more affected by their environment and living conditions. As such, a five-year-old outdoor kitty could easily be 48 years old.

    So, lets sum it up. During the first couple of years of a felines life it ages rapidly. After that the aging process slows down to 4 people years per 1 cat year.

    Two Ways To Look At Age

    Though the common perspective on cat years and human years is trying to figure out how old our cats are in human years, that conversion can be applied both ways.

    That is to say, if you consider the maximum age of a human to be 100 years, then, based on the Cat Calculator, the maximum age of a cat is 20.8 years. On the other side of the coin, if you consider that, as The Cat Bible suggests, 16 human years is comparable to 84 cat years, then a 100-year-old human could be said to be the equivalent of 525 cat years.

    Though this is a generally less practical way to consider the relative aging rate, it does serve as an important reminder The way we experience time, the length of our human years, and the meaning we assign to certain-numbered years , is a matter of perspective. Some other oft-quoted ideas come to mind: Its not the years in your life, but the life in your years and Youre only as old as you feel.

    How old is your cat according to this formula? Or perhaps I should ask, how old are YOU in cat years?

    Recommended

    Why Convert Dog Years To Human Years

    Health Archives

    Giving your pooch, a human age is not just a whim. Knowing their age in human years helps you determine its life stage. Once its life stage is determined it is easier to understand its needs and provide life-stage specific care.

    In the canine world, there are six life stages:

  • Puppy at this point dogs go through major physical mental changes. During this phase, it is important to focus on socialisation, training, nutrition and handling.
  • Junior at this point dogs are sexually mature but still physically growing. This stage is usually marked by certain behavioural issues like short attention span, fear and wandering.
  • Adult at this point dogs are socially mature and finished growing physically. However, they need proper attention regarding behaviour, physical activity, nutrition and medical needs.
  • Mature at this point dogs do not have specific needs but do require annual vet exams.
  • Senior at this point dogs eat less, sleep more and are reluctant to physical activity.
  • Geriatric at this point dogs need bi-yearly vet examinations because their physical health can quickly decline. When parenting a geriatric dog, it is important to recognise if your dog is suffering.
  • Documented in the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest hound in the world is from here in Australia, and He is a cattle dog named Bluey. He was put to sleep on 14th November 1938. He lived for 29 years and 5 months. If you converted 29 years using the below chart that would be 130 human years.

    Which Breeds Live The Longest And Shortest

    Surprisingly enough, theres not much reliable data on this point. Different sources will give you different answers, but the breeds that are commonly cited as living the longest include the Siamese, Burmese, Balinese, and American Shorthair.

    It should be noted, however, that mixed breeds often live longer than their purebred counterparts. We wouldnt be surprised if a mix of any of the above breeds outlived them all.

    On the other side of the spectrum, theres no definitive answer to the cats with shortest lifespans question either. Typically, though, Manx, Singapura, and Munchkin cats all have fairly short lives, as they rarely live past 14.

    These lifespans assume that the cat is kept indoors and is well taken care of. If you let your cat roam around outside or feed them junk food and never give them any exercise, their life expectancy will plummet.

    What Cat Has Lived The Longest

    Creme Puff, a cat who was born in 1967 and died in 2005, is said to be the oldest cat in recorded history.

    She lived to an age of 38 years and 3 days old in human years, which puts her at 169 years old in cat years!

    Creme Puff and her other feline family membersmany who also lived into their 30swere fed raw, natural food dietsno processed canned or kibble. That may have helped them all live so long. However, you should talk to your veterinarian before changing your cats diet.

    Does your cat act their age in cat years? Or does it seem like they act more their age in human years? Let us know in the comments below!

    How To Calculate Your Cat’s Age In Human Years

    At first it’s a little tricky, but then it gets very simple, Becker says. That’s because cats will develop rapidly in their first two years of their livesreaching the human equivalent of the mid-20s by the time they’re 2 years old.

    Here’s how Becker lays out the process: A 1-year-old cat is the equivalent of a 15-year-old human. Then, a 2-year-old cat is 25 in human years. Then it gets much easier: Each year of a cat’s life is roughly equal to four human years, so a 3-year-old cat is about 29; a 4-year-old cat is 33; a 5-year-old cat is 37; and a 6-year-old cat is 41. And so on and so on. If your cat gets to 20, she’s around 97 human years old.

    Unlike dogswho have different human age equivalents depending on their sizethe formula for cats is universal because they’re all roughly the same size.

    To find out the exact human age of your cat, look at the chart below!

    How Do Cat And Human Years Compare

    Youâve probably heard the âfactâ that dogs age seven human years every 365 days, but what about cats? According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association , hereâs how your catâs age in âcat yearsâ compares to their age in human years:

    • A cat ages roughly 15 human years during their first year.
    • Then, they age another nine years during their second year.
    • Each additional year of age is equal to around four human years.

    Why Do Outdoor Cats Live Shorter Lives

    Outdoor felines face a range of potentially life-threatening dangers, including:

    • Cars, trucks, and other vehicles
    • Cats, dogs, and wild animals
    • Parasites like fleas and ticks
    • Poisons, including pesticides and fertilizers
    • Toxic plants like lilies

    Cats who wander outdoors also risk theft or capture by animal control authorities. The chances of returning home increase dramatically when pets are microchipped and registered in the appropriate database.

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