Contents
- 1 cats
- 2 How to determine the age of the cat
- 2.1 Cat's teeth
- 2.2 Cat's fur
- 2.3 Cat's claws
- 2.4 The cat's activity rate
- 3 Video What do you know about cats?
the cats
The cat has many names, including the cat and the dress, and it is one of the most common pets that a person raises in his home, for many reasons, including its cleanliness, appearance, love of fun and play, and the ease of training it in the behaviors of life with humans. Domestic cats currently live and inhabit all parts of the world, and there are hundreds of different breeds of them, but they are all classified - from a scientific point of view - under one type, which is the domesticated cat (in Latin: Felis catus). It is believed that the human relationship with these animals began 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. Where the ancient Egyptians trained them to chase and catch rats that are harmful to their crops, and the role of cats in human culture has grown over the ages, as they have become one of the closest living creatures to humans.
Cats are mammals belonging to the feline family, and their bodies are covered with fur. Their senses of smell, sight, and hearing are very sharp, and they have the ability to see at night thanks to a reflective layer behind their eyes. An adult cat weighs between two and four kilograms, and its nose is delicate, and there are lines on the skin of the nose that resemble a human fingerprint that distinguish one cat from another. It walks on four feet, and its front feet are shorter than the hind feet, and it moves by moving the right limbs together and the left limbs together. The sound of the cat is called meowing.
Cats feed mainly on raw animal meat, whether from birds, reptiles, rodents, or fish, as well as the meat of livestock provided to them by humans, and they have a high skill in hunting; it can use its sharp teeth and claws to eliminate many small animals, and its flexible body also helps it hunt; With her body flexibility, she is able to climb, jump, and cross through openings smaller than her size, and she has a long tail. The cat reaches the age of maturity at nine months, and when mating, the female carries for about two months and gives birth to 3-8 puppies at a time, and she takes care of them and breastfeeds them for a period of no less than two and a half months, after which they are weaned and begin to search for their own food, and they reach puberty after about Five to seven months of age.
How to determine the age of a cat
There are several methods that can be followed in a cat to know its age, and all of them give an approximate age estimate, as they are not completely accurate, but the most important of them is to study the formation of the cat's teeth.
Cat's teeth
Not many people know that cats are born without teeth, and a week after birth, milk teeth begin to appear, and after a few months have passed, they begin to replace them, as happens in humans. They fall out one after the other to be replaced by permanent teeth. The number of milk teeth in the cat’s mouth is 26, and the permanent teeth are 30. They are divided into incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Dental examination is the most effective and reliable way to test the age of the cat, as it is still in the stage of growth and development in young cats, while it is in the stage of wear and tear in elderly cats.
However, attention must be paid to two important issues when trying to estimate the age of a cat based on the condition of its teeth. The first issue is that if this animal was taken care of and taken to the vet repeatedly, its teeth would be in a much better condition than their default condition, and thus its age would be estimated as being less than it really is. As for the second issue, it is that the condition of the teeth may differ between one cat and another, even if they are of the same age, and therefore it remains a purely approximate indicator.
It is possible, through observing the teeth, to estimate the age of the cat, as shown in the following table:
| the age | the description |
|---|---|
| week | There are no teeth in the mouth. |
| 2-4 weeks | The deciduous incisors begin to appear. |
| 3 - 4 weeks | Milky canines begin to appear. |
| 4 - 6 weeks | The deciduous premolars begin to appear. |
| 8 weeks | Completion of the growth of milk teeth. |
| 3-4 months | Permanent incisors begin to appear. |
| 4 - 5 months | Fangs, premolars, and molars begin to appear in place of the milk teeth. |
| 5 - 7 months | Complete growth of permanent teeth. |
| year | White, clean and fully developed teeth. |
| 1-2 years | Yellowing and calcification of molars. |
| 3 - 5 years | Calcification begins to appear on all teeth, with the possibility of eroded teeth. |
| 5 - 10 years | Calcification and erosion of the teeth increases, and dark colors appear on the teeth, extending to the gums. |
| 10 - 15 years | Erosion in the teeth is severe and missing teeth may appear. |
cat's fur
Observing the fur helps estimate the age of the cat because of its growth with the age of the cat, and the following table shows the stages of fur development in cats:
| Category | small | young man | pyramid |
|---|---|---|---|
| the age | Less than 9 months | From 9 months to 10 years | Over 10 years old |
| Fur description | It is soft like fluff, has some viscosity, and is light in color. | Rougher, glossy olive, darker in color, and clean. | Gray hair appears in the cat's fur, and the cat neglects to clean itself, so lumps and knots appear in the fur. |
Cat claws
It is possible to distinguish between cats on the basis of youth and senility. As the cat ages, its claws become coarser, their length increases, and dead skin accumulates around them, and some cats become unable to hide their claws. One of the signs of aging is broken claws and their weakness.
Cat activity rate
As the cat ages, its activity and love for play in general becomes less, its ability to hunt weakens, it sleeps for longer periods, and even its appetite for food decreases significantly. Likewise, sexual maturity is an essential indicator of age, especially for younger and older cats. Adult cats also show a marked interest in defending their territories and leaving urine and claw marks around their borders to warn rival cats of approaching.
