The Age Of Your Cat, Tricks To Guess How Old It Is
Knowing the age range in which your pet is is important, because it will help you make decisions about what specific needs it has, for example in terms of food, exercise or hygiene.
But guessing at a glance the age of your cat is not easy, especially if you adopted it as an adult. Normally for this the veterinarian is used, who will be able to tell you an approximate age according to certain physical characteristics. However, we can give you some tips so that you can guess the age of your cat.
Denture
An easy way to know the approximate age of your cat is by looking at its teeth. Puppies are usually born without teeth and the milk begins to come out around the second week of life, all being visible (cats have 26 milk teeth) around the seventh week.
You can differentiate between baby teeth and permanent teeth because they are much smaller than permanent teeth, they look like rice, and they begin to shed as the cat’s jaw grows. This process takes about 5 months and by the seventh month of life your cat will have already replaced all the baby teeth with permanent ones.
Normally a white set with permanent teeth indicates that the cat is less than a year and a half. From the age of two, visible layers of tartar begin to form on the back teeth, so if you notice that the back teeth are a little yellow and the others are white, it may indicate that your cat is between 3 and 5 years.
Yellow teeth indicate a feline over 6 years of age, and more wear is beginning to show on the teeth . Between the ages of 10 and 15, cats begin to lose them (although this can be avoided through proper dental hygiene).
However, this method is not entirely reliable, a cat may show shade or loss in its teeth due to health problems or in the gums, as well as the appearance of tartar can be reduced by means of prophylaxis.
The fur
Another way to know the average age of a cat is through the coat. Puppies up to about 5 months have a matted undercoat that keeps them protected from the cold. This coat falls off, so you should brush them more often, especially if it is a long-haired breed.
Normally the follicle generates an oil that helps them to mark the territory, and you will see the shiny hair while maintaining a constant grooming (as a general rule they take care of this themselves, but it is good that they help them with the brush). As they age, this oil becomes scarcer, so you will see a decrease in the shine of the animal’s coat after 6 years.
Some skin problems can appear due to the fact that he begins to neglect his grooming from the age of 12, so you should be careful to brush him frequently. . Another thing that you will be able to observe is the appearance of gray hair on his face after the age of 13.
The eyes
The eyes are a good indicator of the health of your cat, but they can also help you to know when it is older. Cats, like dogs and humans, can develop cataracts when they enter old age, for example, a cloudiness forms in the iris, which usually needs treatment after the age of 10. This problem is very unusual in young animals, however, it can be derived from other diseases such as diabetes.
Physical activity
As a cat ages, its physical activity decreases, although this depends on the cat, you will notice a huge difference between the energy and food consumption of a cat under three years of age, which tend to be always active, compared to a cat higher. As they get older they will spend more time at home, sleep more, and have less appetite.
You should watch that they hydrate and groom themselves, but if they do not, you should help them, as well as control that they do a little physical activity when they reach mature ages.
