Our little felines, the cats, have a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years, depending on the breed, so they can be with us for a good part of our lives. For this reason, it is important to know the changes they experience as they grow, mature or age. While it is commonly assumed that each dog year is multiplied by 7 to calculate the equivalent in human years, in cats this is not the case.
Do you want to know which phases make up the life cycle of a cat? If you continue reading this article on our site you will be able to know the exact age of your cat according to how old it is, as well as the different needs according to the six stages of the life cycle in cats.
Kitten or puppies (0-6 months)
The first stage in a cat's life is called a kitten or puppies and runs from the time of birth to 6 months of age, which is equivalent to the first 10 years of a person's life.
- During the first hours of life: it is important that the kittens ingest the mother's colostrum to obtain the antibodies, since then your intestine becomes impermeable to immunoglobulins.
- During the first month: the kittens are fed exclusively with mother's milk, from 4-5 weeks the weaning by gradually eating solid food, starting with wet food or moistened feed. If you want to know more about weaning in cats, when and how? don't hesitate to consult this post.
During this stage the kittens are continuously growing and developing little by little, so the changes will be very fast. Generally, this stage is in which cats are more active and mischievous, being continuously alert and pending and learning from any stimulus. It is important that the first 3 months they meet their mother, from whom they will learn numerous behaviors by imitation.
In addition, at this stage we find the socialization period of a puppy cat, which ranges from the first 2 to 7 weeks of life. This is an important phase in the future behavior of a cat and in which we must accustom him to different situations so that in the future he does not suffer so much stress and is a more trusting and friendly cat. These situations can be:
- Transit trips.
- Contact with other animals: including cats and people of all ages.
- Get them used to noises.
- Manipulating the visit of strangers.
- Hygiene: be it body, dental, ear and eye hygiene.
In this phase you can also carry out the sterilization of cats and queens, especially from 4 months, before the first heat in females in order to reduce the risk of developing diseases that affect the reproductive organs such as:
- The pyometra
- Cancer
- Ovarian cysts
- Uterine cancer
- Breast Cancer
In males, the risk of testicular and prostate tumors and behavioral problems derived from sexual hormones is also reduced. In general, sterilized cats are more homelike, calm and affectionate, lacking the stress that being confined when they need to reproduce can cause them. This stress can lead to frequent yowling, scratching, inappropriate urination and bowel movements, and other behavioral problems.
It is also important that at this stage the kittens are checked to check their good he alth and give them the first essential vaccinations such as trivalent at 6-8 weeks with revaccination every month up to 4 months, feline leukemia at 2 months with revaccination at one month and rabies at 3 months.
Check the Schedule of vaccinations for cats in this article on our site that we recommend.
Junior or young cat (7 months - 2 years)
This stage of your cat's life spans the first 7 months and 2 years of his life, which correspond around the 11 to 27 years of a person, that is, adolescence and early youth.
At 7 months the cat is practically adult size and sexual maturity, especially in precocious short-haired breeds such as siamese Cats are already strong and playful, with a lot of energy due to their young age and with a desire to live, explore and play at all times.
If it has not been sterilized, the hormones begin to do their thing and jealousy appears in the cats with their shrill meows, their scuffles and their attempts to escape, the cats' outings in search of females and territorial marking with behavior problems.
At this stage we also find the booster vaccination of the three diseases mentioned above, to protect them from the pathogens that cause these conditions, especially frequent in young cats of this stage. In this phase of life the most frequent he alth problems are those derived from infectious diseases, especially frequent in cats, especially in males, which come out outside and are in contact or in conflict through fights with outside cats. At this age, they are also frequently run over and injured by running away from home and "going crazy" due to their joviality.
At this stage cats must begin to eat correctly ingesting the necessary daily amount according to their individual conditions, neither more nor less, especially in vaccinated specimens whose energy requirements are lower but their appetite is not. Playing with cats at this stage is essential to avoid frustration, unhappiness and behavior problems.
Young Adult (3-6 years old)
Your cat's 3 to 6 years old are equivalent to the stage of 28 and 43 human years Being an equivalent, the cats at these ages already have their personality and their habits very marked, so if it has not been done before, now it is difficult for them to adapt to new routines.
At these ages cats continue to suffer from infectious diseases, especially if they have not been vaccinated, as well as parasites, increased risk of appearance of digestive problems such as inflammatory bowel disease, food hypersensitivity and dental diseases such as periodontal disease or feline chronic gingivostomatitis. For this reason, check-ups at the veterinary center never hurt even if we see that our cat is he althy, young and strong.
Behavioral problems related to sexual hormones will continue to appear as long as they have not been sterilized previously and, although they are somewhat calmer, they will continue to want to playvery often and your energy will remain high , so don't neglect daily gaming moments.
Mature (7-10 years)
This stage is equivalent to the ages between 44 and 59 human years Cats in this stage progressively reduce their desire to play and their energy, allocating a little more time to rest and to observe each other. For this reason, if we do not continue to adjust the daily food cats can gain weightHowever, not because your cat has turned 7 years old does not mean that he no longer wants to play, but many of them will often continue to ask you for playtime that you must give him for his happiness and the development of his natural behavior.
During this phase it is important that they have at least one annual check-up at the vet in order to control their he alth status, as they begin to enter the age of risk of numerous diseases of mature and older cats such as:
- Kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Hyperthyroidism
It is important that they always have water at their disposal, if possible on the move through a fountain for cats to encourage their consumption and protect the kidney, since chronic kidney disease increases its probability after 7 years of age and can become very serious if it is not detected in time. If you notice that your cat urinates and drinks more, has a bad condition of the hair, vomits and has urinary problems, it is possible that it is already suffering from the kidney.
Senior (11-14 years old)
A cat's 11 to 14 years is equivalent to 60-75 human years At this age cats tend to rest a lot and to play much less, although at times they can continue to request it. Chronic conditions such as kidney disease, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), diabetes mellitus, and hyperthyroidism often worsen or appear. The latter is at this time when it has the greatest risk of appearing, being the most common endocrine pathology in the older cat and that can be suspected if your cat has more appetite but has lost weight, increased its activity, due to its vocalizations and has vomiting.
It is essential that senior or older cats have at least an annual veterinary checkup and whenever they change something in their behavior by very subtle that any symptom of disease is or appears, they should go to a veterinary center. In addition, from this age the tumors become much more frequent than in young cats, which can reduce their quality and life expectancy, especially those that are not diagnosed in time.
Geriatric (+15 years)
When a cat is 15 years old or older it is already considered a geriatric cat and corresponds to the last years of a person's life The Cats at these ages can suffer from chronic bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, which can be suspected if the cat is reluctant to climb heights, spends a lot of time resting and meows when certain arthritic areas are caressed.
It is also common for them to develop diseases such as senile dementia, similar to that of people and which can manifest itself with problems of nocturnal meowing and behavior problemssuch as urinating and defecating outside the tray and hiding for long periods of time.
In addition, it increases the risk of suffering from all the diseases typical of cats, especially those of older cats such as:
- Kidney disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- The hypertension
- Tumors
Veterinary check-ups must be frequent, especially in sick cats and the diet must be adjusted to the new needs of a geriatric cat.
The game of geriatric cats is very infrequent but especially in cats without joint damage or osteoarthritis they can continue to request it on occasions. They may appear calmer and more tranquil, tolerating caresses and manipulations better because they are less energetic and are already very used to their caregivers due to the many years of coexistence.
