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In a bid to get as close as possible to the incredible creatures we share our homes with, we tend to humanise them – we try to make sense of them based on our own human reality. A specific curiosity is how our kitties age – as we move through our lives hand in hand for decades, how young do they feel? What experiences are we sharing? Does an early spell of teen dramatics explain this sudden spout of aggression?
How can you calculate how old your cat is in human years?
Legend has it that each human year is equivalent to seven cat years, however a one year old cat can be considered much more independent and mature than a seven year old child. More in depth research tells us that the first two years of a cat’s life are roughly equivalent to the first 25 of a human’s. Then after they reach their second birthday, the pace slows down and for each 1 human year we add 4 in cat years. How’s that for some maths?
How long does the average cat live?
Although we wish they’d live forever, the average age of a domesticated cat is roughly 16-18 (80-88 years in human years) with some pushing on into their twenties. The oldest cat ever on record was named Creme Puff and lived to the grand old age of 38, quite the mature fluffball and equivalent to 168 in human years.
Lifespan does vary slightly depending on your cat’s breed and also on whether they are indoor or outdoor beings. Though inside pals tend to enjoy a life of luxury, a little less exercise and a few extra snacks, they’re mostly out of harm’s way, free to live out their days in peace.
If you rescued your furpotato and you’re not sure how many times they’ve travelled around the sun, book in with the vet and they’ll look at some clues to find out.
Find out more about how to look after your older feline here.
Check out our cat conversion chart to work out exactly how old your little furry bean is in human years:
