Ask the Vet: How old is my cat?

Q.  My girlfriend got her cat from the SPCA, and they admitted they weren't exactly sure how old the cat was. Are there any things pet owners can do to determine their pet's age if they otherwise don't know it?

A.   A kitten is about one pound for each month they are old. So a three-pound kitten is approximately three-months-old. This is generally true until the kitten reaches about six months of age.

A young cat between the ages of one and four-years-old usually has pearly white teeth with little tartar. As the cat grows older, the tartar and calculi start to build up and the teeth become discolored.

At about eight to nine years of age, a cat’s eyes will start to become cataract and will gradually increase in density as the cat gets older.

Remember these are all generalizations and may not hold true for each cat.

                                                                               -- Rob Santos, DVM