As you may know, the age of cats is not the same as the age of humans , and it is really interesting to know how many human years are equivalent to cat years. In this article, we explain how many human years are equivalent to cat years and provide you with a complete table to easily calculate it.
And if you want to know how many years a cat lives , don’t miss our post on the life expectancy of cats.
How to calculate a cat’s age in human years
Calculating the age of cats compared to humans can seem complicated, since cats do not age at the same rate as we do:
- Infancy : A cat’s infancy is extremely short, lasting only a few months.
- Adolescence : Adolescence is concentrated in the first 2 years of life.
- Adulthood : They reach adulthood during the next 8 years.
- Maturity : Cats are considered mature from the age of 10 onwards. This is a delicate stage in which they require special care. Check out our complete guide to caring for a senior cat .
With these references in mind, below we will tell you how to make an approximate calculation of the equivalence of cat years with human years.
Although this is not an exact result, it is quite approximate, and much more accurate than the popular belief that one human year is equivalent to seven cat years.
Cat age equivalence with human age
As you can see, calculating the equivalence of your cat’s age with the age of humans is not complicated. However, for all those who do not like to do mathematical operations or do not want to complicate things too much, we leave below a conversion table to know the approximate age of your cat in human years:
| Cat age | Human age |
| 0 – 1 month | 0 – 1 year |
| 2 – 3 months | 2 – 4 years |
| 4 months | 6 – 8 years |
| 6 months | 10 years |
| 8 months | 15 years |
| 1 year | 18 years old |
| 2 years | 24 years old |
| 4 years | 32 years old |
| 6 years | 40 years |
| 8 years | 48 years old |
| 10 years | 56 years old |
| 12 years | 64 years old |
| 14 years | 72 years old |
| 16 years old | 80 years |
| 18 years old | 88 years old |
| 20 years | 96 years |
| 22 years old | 104 years |
Is it true that one human year is equivalent to seven cat years?
No, this is an incorrect popular belief. The equivalence is more complex. For example, at the end of its first year, a cat is about 18 human years old , and at two years old, about 24 human years old . After that, each year is equivalent to about 4 human years.
Life stages of cats and their correspondence in human years
Below we describe each of the life stages of a cat and how they translate into human years.
- Kitten (0-6 months) A cat’s childhood is short but very important for its development. At this stage, a kitten aged 0-1 month is equivalent to a human baby aged 0-1 year. At 6 months, it already has the maturity of a 10-year-old human child.
- Junior (6 months – 2 years) Adolescence extends from 6 months to 2 years. A 1-year-old cat is approximately 18 human years old, and at 2 years old, it reaches 24 human years.
- Adult (2 – 10 years) Adulthood is a stable phase. It lasts from 2 to 10 years. A 4-year-old cat is approximately 32 human years old , and at 10 years old, it reaches about 56 human years.
- Senior (10 years and older) Cats are considered seniors at 10 years of age . A 10-year-old cat is equivalent to a 56-year-old human . At 14 years of age, they are about 72 human years old, and at 20 years of age, they are 96 human years old.
Taking proper care of your cat at each of these stages will not only improve its quality of life, but can also extend its longevity, allowing you to enjoy its company for many years to come. Visit our next post for more tips on how to make your cat happy .
What is the average life expectancy of a cat?
The life expectancy of a cat can vary, but on average, a domestic cat lives between 14 and 16 years , which is equivalent to about 72 to 80 human years . Some well-cared-for cats can live up to 20 years or more, which would be approximately 96 human years .
Although it is true that cats are very long-lived animals , we remind you that once your cat is over 10 years old, it is already considered “elderly”, so don’t forget to take it to the vet regularly. Only then will you be able to identify some diseases of older cats in time .
