How to Calculate Cat Years to Human Years: Cat Age Chart

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if cats could live long as us humans and be able to be with us longer? Sadly, cats’ lifespan is much shorter than the human lifespan. But, do you know how to calculate cat years to human years?

We all know how old is our cat, when she was born, and how long she has lived with us. Still, that doesn’t mean that their one year of age is equivalent to our year. Often knowing the real age of our felines can help us understand their behavior better. As we all know, kittens love to play and act just like kids, and this period lasts for about a year. When cats live one year they have actually reached the human age of seven.

For that reason, it is a popular belief that one cat year is equivalent to seven human years. Is that really true? – Well, yes and no.

Cats grow faster in the first year and then slower

Due to this misconception, many people calculate cat years to human years in the seven years equivalent. Simply put, many believe that if a cat is six years old she would be 42 years old in human years. This is not quite right. So, when the cat reaches the age of one she has grown the same as a seven-year-old kid. According to some studies though, cats in the first two years of their lives are actually grown and have the equivalent human age of 24.

After the second year, each cat year is approximately equivalent to four human years. This is a result of the following calculation – in the first year cat has an age of 15, the second year the cat has grown 9 more years, and after that, each year is equal to four human years.

Cat Age Chart: How to Calculate Cat Years to Human Years

What is the age of your cat? How can you compare it to human age?

You can simply use this cat age calculator or do the math yourself. For example, if your cat is 5 years old it means that she is over 24 years old. After their second year, the equivalent of a human year is four. Therefore, if your cat is five years old you would need to add four for each year. So, 24 plus three times four which is 36.

In case you aren’t sure how old is your cat – if you’ve adopted it at a later age or took a stray cat, it’s not that hard to determine the approximate age. Some of the indicators are the cat’s teeth, eyes, and coat. Yellow stains on all their teeth indicate that they are at least three years old. If they are missing teeth then they are for sure senior cats which means they are over 10 years old.

If you look at a cat’s eyes and see that they have some cloudiness then it also means that the cat is older. Soft fur is a sign of a young kitten.