If you picked up a cat or kitten from the street or from a shelter, the time of birth of the animal may not be known. However, there are ways to determine the approximate age of a cat, experts say. To do this, you need to examine the animal, paying attention to its teeth, coat and weight.
Teeth allow you to determine the teenage or advanced age of a cat. A kitten’s milk teeth begin to appear when it is about two weeks old. By eight weeks, kittens have all their milk teeth. At four months, these teeth begin to fall out, and adult teeth grow in their place. Typically, the process of changing teeth ends by seven to eight months, and after that it becomes more difficult to determine the age of the animal.
However, the teeth of an adult animal can also tell how old it is: for example, the more tartar on the teeth, the older the cat. By the age of two years, a cat’s teeth may turn a little yellow, and between the ages of three and ten years they become more and more noticeably yellow. In addition, worn teeth lose their sharpness and appear duller. Some of their ends may even have been broken off. Obvious signs of wear will indicate that the cat is definitely more than five years old. And cats over ten years old tend to have badly worn teeth, and some of them are even missing.
It also helps to determine the age of the cat’s puberty. Males usually reach maturity by six months, with females having their first estrus at five to nine months of age. Cats are considered to be most fertile between the ages of 18 months and 8 years.
The age of kittens can be roughly determined by their weight. It is believed that they gain about half a kilo every month. This means that by three months, kittens weigh about 1.5 kg, and by four – about 2 kg. However, this method is not very reliable, since only healthy animals will have a healthy weight for age.
Most cats grow to their adult size by one year old. But some breeds, such as the Maine Coon, can take up to four years to gain weight. Young cats have better muscle tone because they are more active. Older cats may be more bony on the rump or shoulder blades and more saggy skin.
And finally, you can look at the cat’s fur. In kittens, the fur is usually short and thick – in young cats it is thin and soft, but becomes thicker and coarser with age. Its color may also change, as it may darken or become lighter. Older cats often turn gray. Younger cats also take a closer look at their fur, while older cats can no longer take care of their coats so carefully.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
