Cat age in human years

A cat grows up and matures in its first year, then ages more slowly. Choose your cat's age: the answer comes from the cat age chart vets use.

Cat's age

Choose your cat's age and the answer appears here.

Approximate, rounded to whole years.

Cat age chart: 1 to 20 years

Each row is the human age that matches the cat's age, and the life stage it falls in.

Cat age in human years (1–10)
Cat's age	Human years	Stage
1 yr	15	Young adult
2 yr	24	Young adult
3 yr	28	Young adult
4 yr	32	Young adult
5 yr	36	Young adult
6 yr	40	Young adult
7 yr	44	Mature adult
8 yr	48	Mature adult
9 yr	52	Mature adult
10 yr	56	Mature adult

Cat age in human years (11–20)
Cat's age	Human years	Stage
11 yr	60	Senior
12 yr	64	Senior
13 yr	68	Senior
14 yr	72	Senior
15 yr	76	Senior
16 yr	80	Senior
17 yr	84	Senior
18 yr	88	Senior
19 yr	92	Senior
20 yr	96	Senior

A cat's life stages

This is how the AAHA and AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines divide a cat's life.

Kitten

under 1 year

The fastest-growing year: the cat grows up and matures.
Young adult

1–6 years

A grown, energetic cat — in human terms, from about 15 to 40.
Mature adult

7–10 years

In human terms about 44 to 56: a mature age, when weight and habits are worth watching more closely.
Senior

11 years and over

In human terms 60 and over. Vets usually suggest more frequent check-ups for an older cat.

Food by life stage

Kitten food is made for a growing cat, until about a year old. Food for older cats is often labelled "senior" or "7+".

More on puppies, kittens and older pets: Kitten Senior cat

Frequently asked questions

Is one cat year seven human years?

No. A cat grows up and matures in its first year: a one-year-old cat matches a person of about 15, a two-year-old one of about 24. After that each cat year equals about four human years.

When is a cat considered old?

Under the AAHA and AAFP guidelines a cat is a senior from 11 years, and a cat of 7 to 10 is a mature adult. An 11-year-old cat matches a person of about 60.

Does a cat's breed or size change the calculation?

Not the way it does for dogs. Adult cats weigh much the same, mostly 3–8 kg, so one chart serves every cat. Dogs are counted by size.

Is the calculator accurate for my cat?

It is an approximate guide. Each cat's ageing also depends on health and lifestyle — whether it lives indoors only, for instance. A vet is the best judge of how your cat is ageing.

Sources

Chart: the cat-to-human age comparison in the AAFP and AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines — the first year about 15 human years, two years about 24, then 4 a year.
Life stages: the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (kitten, young adult, mature adult, senior).

This is a general guide, not a veterinary assessment: a vet is the best judge of how your pet is ageing.

Have a dog? Dog age in human years