If you take an adult cat or kitten from responsible and caring owners, then they, of course, will tell you the age of the animal and even tell you its birthday. But it happens that before finally finding a permanent home, the animal has to change several owners, or maybe you decided on a noble act and sheltered a homeless animal, in these cases you can only guess about its age. However, there are several ways to determine a cat's age . Of course, they are more or less approximate, but this is better than nothing at all.
Wedding time
If your pet is very small or is at the age of a teenager, an approximate idea of his age can be made at the beginning of puberty. Especially if the animal is a female. So, how to determine the age of a cat by sexual activity? The first estrus of a young lady usually occurs at 7-9 months of life. However, there are especially “early” persons, then this age can shift to 6 months.
Teeth as a birth certificate
If you are interested in how to determine the age of a cat more accurately, we advise you to pay attention to its teeth. If the kitten already has all the milk teeth in its mouth, then it should be from a month or more. A change of teeth indicates that the animals have reached 5-6 months of age. The worn-out lower central incisors are characteristic for 1.5 year old pussies, and the upper ones for 3-3.5 year old ones. By the age of 4–4.5 years, the cat already most often has an obliterated surface of the middle incisors, and at 5 years of age, deformation of fangs is planned. In 6 animals have worn incisors at the edges of the upper jaw. If upon examination you see that the transverse-oval rubbing part of the lower incisors is worn out, set the age in the region of 7-8 years, and the upper - 9 years of life. The central incisors begin to fall out on the 10th year, and by 13-15 they are already completely absent. Of course, knowing how to determine the age of a cat by the state of the jaw, one can more accurately assume its age, although one should not forget that the way of life that leads the animal is reflected in the condition of the teeth. The better the conditions of detention, the later the changes begin, they depend on the nature of the diet.
Old friends
It is common for a person who has a pet at home to humanize him, especially if he has lived together for more than one year. To better understand the age-related changes in the nature and health of the animal, it is not enough to know how to determine the age of the cat. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the life of domestic animals is shorter than human. And the fact that if in a year or two the child is still independent and requires protection and care, then the cat is already an adult, ready for breeding. The well-known system in which the feline year is equal to seven human is not true. A more adequate picture will be given by such a scheme showing the ratio of the age of a cat and a person: in a year, the animal corresponds to a 15-year-old. Two years for a cat are equal to 24-25 human. From 3 to 12 years old every year counts as 4, and after 12 - for 3 years.
Features of feline physiology
Cats express a desire to continue the race early. Until the animal has grown stronger, has not fully formed, it is impossible to allow mating. This can undermine the health of the expectant mother, and kittens are unlikely to be strong and viable. You can only knit mature ladies, but how old cats grow up, not all owners know. Experts consider the best time for this to be 1.5-2 years. During this period, pregnancy and childbirth are no longer dangerous, but we already know how to determine the age of a cat.