How to determine the age of small and large cats
There are many things that are difficult to know about cats that
have been adopted or purchased, including how to determine the age of cats.
Veterinarian is your best partner in knowing the current age of your cat as well as
in planning a comprehensive care program to ensure
the optimal quality of cat life and longevity.
A thorough veterinary examination of
the cat's body in general will help determine the approximate age of the cat
however, veterinarians tend to look at a few parts of the body in particular
when trying to figure out what current age the cat might be without
resorting to a thorough medical examination that can determine the exact age.
Although it is difficult to know the age of the cat with scrutiny, there are age
indicators that can be observed in the physical composition of the cat.
These indicators are relied upon by veterinarians to determine the age of
the cat and give them an approximate and not as accurate age as we mentioned.
Read also:
How much do cats live for a year?
Learn in this article how to know the age of cats based on
observing parts of the body.
Determining
the age of cats from the teeth
Initial lactic teeth (milk teeth) of cats first appear between two to four weeks
making teeth an excellent way to determine the age of cats
the mouth of a cat at the age of 6 to 8 weeks maximum contains 26 teeth.
Permanent cat teeth grow above milk teeth, and after the cats reach the age of
3 to 4 months, permanent teeth (puberty teeth) will begin to displace
childhood teeth (also called building teeth).
All adult teeth are usually in place at 6 months of age and the number of teeth in
the cat's mouth is 30 years of age. At this moment, dental growth will no
longer be a good indicator of the cat's age, but if the cat is younger than 6
months, this is the best way to know the age of the cats.
For older cats, the amount of coloring or lime on cats' teeth is also an indicator of
age. Cats whose teeth are yellow and carry many limes are often over two years old
but with pet dental cleaning products available on the market
lime may not be a good indicator if the cat is well cared for for.
Teeth remain a good indicator of the approximate age of cats
especially kittens, but they are not 100% guaranteed.
Sexual maturity
- Male cats reach the stage of sexual maturity in a period of about 5 months.
- Signs of puberty in male cats include topical spraying of urine
- and the testicles are more prominent and swollen.
The first period of sexual
hottness for female cats comes between 5 and 12 months old
and although the length of exposure to daylight and the weight of
the cat also have some effect on the cat's first sexual cycle, it will tell you that it is
clearly experiencing sexual hottness and an unusual meow sound.
A female cat can become fertile and give birth for the first time when
it is 7 months and a half old.
Many veterinarians now practise early sterilization of cats and this is not only to
avoid early pregnancy but also because surgery is easier for cats at a young age as
the wound of the operation quickly heals unlike older cats.
Know the age of the cat from the fur
The fur or hair of the cat is thin and soft but as the cat gets older the fur becomes
thick and coarse. It may also change colour and become darker or illuminated in
the dark. When cats reach an advanced age, their fur may carry spots of white
or grey hair, just as it gets with humans at age, and although this is
the coat helps the veterinarian determine the cats' age.
In addition, observing the cat itself can help us know its age. Cats are incredibly
clean creatures, but older cats may start to lax in caring for themselves because
they gain weight with age and show dental problems or painful arthritis
that make them neglect themselves and look unclean.
Knowledge of age from the eyes
Healthy cats in their early years have very clear and bright eyes without
any trace of rupture or tears in the cat's eye. While cats' eyes may evolve in
their later years to become blurry-looking in excess of tears and frequent
secretions, if this is the case with you, only you will be much older as
this usually does not happen until the cat is at least 10 years old.