"How long do cats live?" is a question we are often asked.  Of course the answer is "how long is a piece of string?".  The oldest cat we have ever had at our centre reached nearly 24 years of age!

The table below illustrates the life stages of cats with an approximate human equivalent age.  If you think a cat is old at eight years, ask yourself are you, were you or will you be old at 48?

 

 

Life-
stage

  Age

 

Equivalent
human
age

 
Expected behaviour

kitten  0-6mths  0-10 years
 All fluff and breezes, your baby cat is on a steep learning curve and the first few months of his life are the time when he'll develop many of the traits and characteristics that will be with him throughout his life.  It is important that you play with him and handle him to allow him to gain a trust in humans.

Junior
 7-24 months
 12-24 years
 Your young cat is reaching full maturity during this stage of her life.  If not already done females should be spayed to prevent unwanted litters, and toms should be castrated to prevent wandering and fighting.  Junior cats can become over-confident and may wander further afield than you'd like.  Make sure they are microchipped in case they get lost.

 Prime  3-6 years
  25-40 years
 In the prime of her life, your cat will be fit, but may be starting to assert her place in the hierarchy in your home.  It is at this age that many behavioural issues begin to manifest themselves.  Seek advice from your vet if your cat begins to show aggression, stress-related marking or other territorial habits.  Take care not to let your cat become too over-fed at this stage too.  Setting a good pattern of eating will lay the foundations for a good eating regime for life.
   Mature 7-10 years
 41-56 years
 Initially you probably won't notice a great deal of difference between this and the previous life-stage.  However, as your cat gradually moves towards his senior years he may well begin to slow down a little.  This is a gradual slowing down and you may not really notice it.  But be aware that your cat is now middle-aged.  Adjust his diet to take account of the reduction in activity that he will probably display.
   Senior 11-14 years
 57-72 years
 Now getting on in years, it is likely that your cat will be much slower and may have early indications of some of the conditions that affect older cats.  Make sure he has a check up at least once a year by your vet, who will be able to identify such conditions as athritis and hyperthyroidism.  He may still enjoy a relatively active life, and hunters may still hunt, but he may also find it harder to jump onto high surfaces and may sleep longer.
   Geriatric 15+ years
  73+ years
Now in the autumn of his life, your geriatric cat will probably have slowed down and may spend a great deal of time sleeping.  It would be unusual for a cat of this age not to have developed one or more of the common conditions that affect older cats - kidney deterioration, heart disease hyperthyroidism - amongst others.  He may still have odd moments of madness, but these will be tempered by lots of sleeping.  Enjoy these years.

(Life stages reproduced by kind permission of The Feline Advisory Bureau)

 

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