Life Stages of Cats and Human Equivalents

So just how old is a senior cat, and when do cats go from being kittens to being adults? And are there stages in between? And do we count five years for every year to equal the human equivalent, or seven?

While we can generalize over the course of a cat's life using "7" to multiply to reach a human equivalent, the result is way off the mark at the beginning and end of life. Consider that they can have babies as young as four months old in some circumstances, yet if we multiplied "7" by, say ".5", we'd get "3.5". To reach a real human equivalent for the ability to reproduce we'd have to figure it out another way.

The Feline Advisory Bureau developed the life stages as a poster as part of its WellCat Programme, and it's a great reference for where your cat is in her life. Hmmm, right now I have four "prime" cats, one "mature" cat, and two "geriatric" cats. I'm sure the Fantastic Four adore being termed "prime", but I'm not so sure Mimi likes being called "mature" (humans aren't fond of that term in reference to life stages either), and Kelly and Cookie are totally over the "geriatric" tag! But even without their attitude about the titles of the stages, it's a good indicator of where they are and what they need.

This information was contained in the Feline Advisory Bureau 2008 Annual Review, www.fabcats.org. I've illustrated it with my pencil sketches of my own cats through the years, in all their ages.

Kitten, birth to 6 months
0 – 1 month = 0 – 1 year
2 – 3 months = 2 – 4 years
4 months = 6 – 8 years
6 months = 10 years

Junior, 7 months to 2 years
7 months = 12 years
12 months = 15 years
18 months = 21 years
2 years = 24 years

Prime, 3 years to 6 years
3 = 28
4 = 32
5 = 36
6 = 40

Mature, 7 years to 10 years
7 = 44
8 = 48
9 = 52
10 = 56

Senior, 11 years to 14 years
11 = 60
12 = 64
13 = 68
14 = 72

Geriatric, 15 years+
15 = 76
16 = 80
17 = 84
18 = 88
19 = 92
20 = 96
21 = 100
22 = 104
23 = 108
24 = 112
25 = 116

This information and more is also included in my Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book. Note cards featuring the pencil sketches are also available in the Marketplace on my website. The calendar, note cards and more are also available in my shop at Carnegie Antiques, 432 West Main Street, Carnegie.

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All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used in any way without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.