Cat Years and People Years

Posted by
Jennifer Copley
Jul 25, 2008

The number of cat years in a people year can only be estimated. Tracie Hotchner, in The Cat Bible, offers a breakdown of human and cat years up to 16 human years:

1-month-old kitten = 6-month-old human baby
3-month-old kitten = 4-year-old child
6-month-old kitten = 10 human years old
8-month-old kitten = 15-year-old human
A 1-year-old cat has reached young adulthood, the equivalent of 18 human years

After the first year, approximate equivalents are:

2 human years = 24 cat years
4 human years = 35 cat years
6 human years = 42 cat years
8 human years = 50 cat years
10 human years = 60 cat years
12 human years = 70 cat years
14 human years = 80 cat years
16 human years = 84 cat years

According to PetEducation.com, 20 human years is 98 in cat years. The oldest cat on record lived 34 years, though there are owners who have made unverified claims that their cats are even older. Breeds of cat that tend to live the longest include the Siamese and the Manx. See How Long Do Cats Live? for information on cat longevity.

For more facts and statistics, see:

Jan 14, 2009 9:37 AM

Jennifer Copley :

24 is still very young, and this is just a rough guide - some breeds seem to age a bit faster than others.

Cats can become pregnant well before they reach 1 year old, and at 2 years old, a cat is an adult in the physiological sense, though as with people, the body matures faster than the mind. Many adult cats retain their playful, childlike qualities for years, and because domestic cats are dependent on their owners, in some ways they will always be kittens.

Rather than aging 7 years for every year, the aging process for cats is faster in the early years and then slows after that. And with good nutrition and medical care, cats are living far longer on average than they used to, much like people.

Feb 1, 2009 4:13 PM

Guest :

Hey,thanks you so much for these very cool informations bout cats.Well then,now i know why our 1st cat,which was born last 2004,no longer play with his fave toy but i kept on playing with him and i got no reaction from him anymore..he is 35years already in his cat years.lol!And our 2nd cat,was born last year,havin an affair with a female cat now becoz he is already an adult.wow!amazingly crazy.I thought he is still baby.Really!THese are cool info!!

Apr 7, 2009 6:19 AM

Guest :

Hi..Last night my 2 year old female cat attacked my 8 year old male cat in the middle of the night while we all were sleeping. There was fur all over my room (the older cat is declawed and the younger one is not)and also a little blood on my comforter. Before I left for work today, the girl cat was hissing and growling at my older cat. What's going on?? They usually get along great!!