How old is a cat in human years?

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by Dan Scott

Created on: August 07, 2009 Last Updated: August 08, 2009

Have you ever taken the time to wonder how old your cat is compared to the typical human? When will the kitten start slowing down a little? When will my cat become an elder statesman? Here is a quick chart to show you approximately what age your cat would be equal to if, heaven forbid, it suddenly became a human.

As you can see, the first couple of years equate to the pre-teen and teenage years. High energy, inquisitive, always exploring and pushing the limits of their world would be the best way to define this stage.

The next four or five years, your cat is, what in human terms, out playing softball or football after work. Very active, although not as frenetic as a kitten. Outgoing, still learning, and enjoying life to the fullest.

If the early years are the baseball years, the next few years I will call the golf years. Your cat still wants to be active, out and about and showing how athletic they can still be, but they are starting to slow down a little bit, enjoying a more leisurely pace, and enjoying looking as much as pursuing life. They are much more likely to walk as to run at this stage.

At about eleven or twelve, your cat is entering its retirement years. They are starting to slow down more, and in human terms would prefer a nice game of bridge, or to simply watch the sports on TV. They walk all the time now. It would take something exceptional to get them to move. They still like to take an occasional "nip" as it were, but it just doesn't affect them like it used to.

Finally, your cat has entered its final years. He is moving very slowly, he doesn't jump up like he use to, but he still wants the attention and petting as much as he ever did. This is not a time to introduce a kitten, he will be like the old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. This is the time to make the most of your remaining time with your cat, and to make their last years a pleasure for them.

Cat Years Human Years

1 15

2 24

3 28

4 32

5 36

6 40

7 44

8 48

9 52

10 56

11 60