- Jun 7, 2022
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TABBY TALES LIFE STAGE GUIDE Written by Blitz Krieg, Formatted by Floppie
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0 MOONS equivalent to a newborn baby: when a kit is born, they cannot hear or see. Their ears and eyes are sealed tightly and they can only navigate the world through scent. They instinctively seek out the warmth of their mother and the scent of her milk. They are extremely vulnerable and aren’t even able to regulate their own temperature, so it can be deadly if they’re not kept warm. For the first week and a half, they don’t do much but squirm, sleep, and nurse.
◷Sometime in their second week of life, kits open their eyes. Their sight is extremely blurry at first and their eyes are blue in color. They begin to try and walk, but are extremely wobbly and mostly crawl around while they figure out coordination. They can hear now.
◷At three weeks of age, their ears are pricked up and they can hear clearly. Their front teeth begin to emerge at this age, but they’re still nursing. They may begin exploring and wandering around.
◷At four weeks old, their canine teeth begin to grow in. At this point, they are confidently exploring and developing more coordination that allows them to walk, run, and even begin to play. At this age they say their first words.
◷Kits in their first moon are mainly learning to move, focus their vision, explore, and learn about the world around them. Their memory is developing, as is their language, thinking, and reasoning. They are learning to talk during this stage, but cannot say much more than simple words or noises. -
1 MOON equivalent to a 1- to 2-year-old toddler: At five weeks old, kits’ teeth are still coming in and they may try fresh-kill for the first time. However, they are still mostly nursing, and may do so until they’re two moons old.
◷At six weeks old, their teeth have finished growing in and they can eat fresh-kill without worry. They are beginning to learn how to play roughly with other kits and are beginning to realize their teeth and claws hurt!
◷At seven weeks old, their blue eyes begin to shift into their adult eye color, but it won’t be finished shifting until they’re a few moons old. They are coordinated and able to control their movement well at this age, but still learning what they’re capable of.
◷At eight weeks, they are continuing to test their limits, practicing climbing, leaping, running, balancing, and more.
◷1-moon-old kits are beginning to exhibit their increasing desire to explore new things. They may want to leave the nursery at this point to meet clanmates and explore camp. Kits at this age are likely to show greater independence, begin to show defiant behavior, and imitate the behavior of others. They are also learning to talk in extremely short, broken sentences. -
2 MOONS equivalent to 3 to 4-year-old child: At two moons, kits are fully weaned off milk and now eat solely fresh-kill. They should be talking in short sentences and are beginning to understand more how the world works around them. Their curiosity shows; one will often hear 2-moon-olds ask “why?” a lot! As they develop a stronger memory, they should be able to say their name, count, point out colors, answer simple questions, pretend more creatively, and recognize clanmates outside of the nursery. This is the age they will also begin to show affection for family and friends and show a wide range of emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, or bored.
3 MOONS equivalent to 5 to 6-year-old child: At this age, their family really begins to influence them! The way they are raised by their parents determines how they will make friends, how they will learn, etc. and they are still very much dependent on their family. Kits are playing a lot at this age and building important social, thinking, and emotional skills. Their “pretend play” is filled with more creative aspects, like drama and fantasy. This is also when kits understand the concept of working together towards a common goal, like taking down a pretend badger together. 3-moon-olds are feeling trickier emotions, such as jealousy and frustration, but can’t always identify them. They are maturing and can control their emotions better than they used to, and will likely have less outbursts. They are also learning patience and reasoning at this age. Their attention span is longer now and they can talk way more than they used to! Using full sentences and having adult-like conversations is not uncommon at this age, although they might still find it hard to describe complex ideas or events. They understand more words than they can say and their brain often thinks faster than they can speak. They are also beginning to understand rules and gain more independence. -
4 MOONS equivalent to 7 to 8-year-old child: By four moons old, kits have a broader understanding of time that passes (moons, seasons, etc.) and are developing problem-solving skills. They are becoming more empathetic and beginning to get over fears they had when they were younger. This is the age they really start to build friendships and become worried over others’ opinions of them; peer pressure may become an issue at this age. 4-moon-old kits are now talking a lot in situations they’re comfortable in and can pronounce most, if not all, words correctly; their speech is well-developed. They usually have a black-and-white perspective much of the time. Things are either great or awful, ugly or beautiful, right or wrong. They focus on one trait or idea at a time which makes it hard for them to understand complex issues. Additionally, kits at this age expect immediate gratification, are impatient, and find it hard to wait for things they want. They also have quickly changing emotions; those angry outbursts from when they were toddlers return tenfold. They are critical of others at this age, especially their parents, and may seem dramatic and sometimes rude. By 4 moons, kits should be becoming more skilled in hobbies, games, and physical activity. They are also beginning to lose their kitten teeth at this age and will do so until 6 moons. Teething is a common way to relieve the discomfort caused by losing kitten teeth, and decreased appetite and reduced grooming can be caused by this pain!
5 MOONS equivalent to a 9 to 10-year old child: By 5 moons, kits are a little over half their adult size and have lost most of their kitten features, appearing as small adults. However, they’re definitely not adults mentally. At this age, kits are maturing emotionally and becoming more cognitively advanced. “Baby talk” is mostly gone now, replaced with long-winded conversations about the kit’s interests and more adult-like language. They’re using the information around them to develop their own opinions and can talk about them with others. They can easily verbalize their emotions and feelings and typically become more interested in listening to elders’ stories. An increased attention span accompanies this age, with kits able to focus more diligently on their interests. They’ll want to work so hard at something they like until they’ve mastered it! However, interests can also shift like the wind’s direction at 5 moons. Kits’ fears of made-up stories fizzle out, replaced with anxieties about real-word dangers such as predators, storms, or a parent dying. As their reasoning skills advance and they are more able to put themselves in others' shoes, their sense of justice begins to arise. With this growing sense of empathy comes more solid friendships. Many 5-moon-olds will have a strong desire to belong to a group and establish their place within the social order of the nursery. They are developing greater independence and good judgment. As their peers’ opinions become more and more important to them, grooming becomes a bigger deal now. As their emotions become more complex, they can be volatile and go from mediating an argument between friends to squabbling with their siblings. As they grow taller and stronger, kits at this age will begin to see themselves as older juveniles approaching apprenticeship and may try to act more mature, while others remain rather childish. 5 moon olds often try and imitate the apprentices and may begin to question authority if they’re on the more rebellious side. -
6 MOONS equivalent to an 11 to 12-year-old child: The growth spurt continues and the kit may look pretty disproportionate now, with lanky legs and torso and lacking much fat or muscle. Kitten teeth should mostly or all be gone by now. Most kits are apprenticed at 6 moons and have reached “the tween age.” At this age, kits begin to understand that their decisions can have long-term consequences. They’re developing the ability to anticipate and plan for the future, so some may realize they need to take training and chores seriously if they want to earn their warrior name on time. 6-moon-olds are also beginning to realize that there are multiple ways to look at a situation, and they start to understand that there is a gray area where there was previously only black and white. With a greater sense of responsibility, they begin to develop self-regulation skills. Mood swings are common as is the formation of tight-knit cliques, which is where peer pressure can really begin to play a role. Kits at this age may begin to experiment with sarcasm as they develop a greater understanding of tone. They are learning to apply logic to more situations, but will still make impulsive decisions. Kits will also start to find their leadership skills and begin to understand the idea that living in a clan is a community effort and they must give back to it. Finally, at this age kits begin to pull away from their parents, as their friendships and training becomes more important to them in the moment.
7 MOONS equivalent to a 13-year-old teenager: Cats are far more coordinated now as an adolescent than they were as a kit. While 7-moon-olds have fairly good problem-solving skills, they still may struggle with impulse control. Their brains are still developing, so although they’re starting to have a more concrete thinking style, they also tend to be very self-conscious at this age and have a tendency to believe they are the center of attention. If they made a mistake, then everyone saw it; if their fur is messed up, everyone is looking at it. 7-moon-olds are also developing the ability to think abstractly and begin to understand concepts such as faith and trust. It also is common for 7-moon-olds to think they are immune to anything bad happening to them, so while they may know right from wrong, they might push the limits. At this age, they find justice and equality to be important issues. Lastly, while cats at this age want to be independent and make their own decisions, they can’t help but seek adult approval either from their mentor or their parents.
8 MOONS equivalent to a 14-year-old teenager: At this age, a cat has really reached the weight to back up their potentially growing confidence. They’ll do better in spars than they would have the first two moons of training due to their near-adult size. They are large enough now where they can reach high distances with their jumps. At this age, many apprentices are developing their own unique identity, developing more independence, and potentially beginning to think about romance. They are thinking more deeply at 8 moons and have more focused interests. This age tends to bring about a curiosity for what lies beyond their borders, in other clans and beyond. 8-moon-olds often start to grow convinced that they know everything and many experience great fluctuations in their self-esteem. Many 8-moon olds also become more easy-going as they mature. They have usually developed the skills they need to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like embarrassment and anger, in healthy ways. They may rely on their own strategies to deal with them or they may turn to their friends for support. It’s also pretty normal at this age for them to become embarrassed by their parents and are far more likely to seek advice from peers. Speaking of peers, cats at this age typically crave acceptance, so if they don’t find a healthy place to belong, such as with a friend group, it can take a massive toll on their mental health.
9 MOONS equivalent to a 15-year-old teenager: Nearly full-grown and with a deepening voice, a 9-moon-old cat is beginning the long transition into adulthood. They tend to take on more responsibility as they are halfway through their apprenticeship, so they may be getting more confident in their abilities. It is normal for them to be argumentative at this age and some may even show a hint of rebellion as they believe they are ready to take on the world. Most 9-moon-olds can communicate in an adult-like fashion and are able to hold appropriate conversations. They make time between their chores and training to enjoy their specific hobbies, and at this age they determine if they prefer to be alone or with friends. Most apprentices this age begin to experience less conflict with their mentors. They show more independence from them while also showing greater respect for the rules when privileges are contingent on their behavior. Friends are still very important at this age and apprentices will likely be spending more time with them than they did in the past.They may struggle with peer pressure, experimenting with different personas and activities depending on who they spend time with. Their interest in romantic relationships is stronger now and they are likely to develop their first crush.
10 MOONS equivalent to a 16-year-old teenager: At this age, apprentices are no longer simply thinking about their own life, but instead how the entire forest works and how their life fits into it. They also are mastering abstract thinking - that is, considering what is and what could be as well as improving their reasoning and problem-solving skills during this time, but these skills are still not fully developed as the ability to see consequences is not completely hardwired yet. They also might be thinking spiritually and know what it means to love another person. Many cats at this age are susceptible to thinking they are invincible or that it is okay for them to take a particular risk because they believe they are special. A 10-moon-old knows that adulthood is not far away, so they may start to show more independence and engage in less conflict with their mentor. The opinions of their peers tends to matter more than the opinions of their mentor and kin as they are spending more time with friends and romantic interests, and even more time alone. This age tends to be when they really begin to understand their sexual orientation and become aware of their preferences.
11 MOONS equivalent to a 17-year-old teenager: Almost a year of growth has occurred already and now a cat is just about full grown! -
12 MOONS: equivalent to an 18-year-old teenager
12-24 MOONS: equivalent to 18 to 25-year-old emerging adult
24-36 MOONS: equivalent to 25 to 35-year-old young adult
36-72 MOONS: equivalent to 35 to 55-year-old middle aged adult
72-100 MOONS: equivalent to 55 to 65-year-old senior adult
100+ MOONS: equivalent to 65-year-old and older elderly adult -
WEEK 0: Conception. This entire week, it is possible for a cat to mate with multiple cats to have multiple sires. After the first week, this is no longer possible.
WEEK 1: During the first two weeks of pregnancy, it is virtually impossible to tell if a cat is pregnant. If anything, they may be friendlier or more solitary than they usually are depending on the cat.
WEEK 2: Hormones are beginning to soar in the queen. At this time, an experienced queen will recognize they are pregnant. It may take a new queen until Week 3 to notice something is wrong and visit a medicine cat for diagnosis. A little bit of weight gain is common during this time, but most cats may just assume the queen has been eating more than usual! Due to hormones, depending on the cat they will either become very affectionate or very aggressive. Medicine cats can palpate abdomen to confirm pregnancy.
WEEK 3: Morning sickness starts now as belly becomes more swollen.
WEEK 4: Nursery move-in is a go! Now that it’s become obvious to the entire clan that the queen is pregnant, that may be a sign it’s time for them to hunker down and rest. After all, it’s now much harder for them to jump and run! Now that kits are more developed, the medicine cat can try to feel how many there are; this isn’t the most accurate usually, but it’s a good guess!
WEEK 5: The queen’s appetite is increasing quite a bit as their kits continue to grow, and they have to bulk up in preparation to nurse the babies once they’re born. Flutter kicks may begin.
WEEK 6: Weight gain increases and the queen is very round now! Morning sickness subsides. They’re in the home stretch! Lack of appetite sometimes begins during this week.
WEEK 7: As labor approaches, the queen’s appetite subsides but water intake increases. Other queens in the nursery may need to encourage the pregnant cat to eat. The kits should be easy to feel as they roll and kick. The queen is likely to begin grooming themselves more due to hormones; they may need help though, as not everything is as easy to reach as it once was! Their stomach fur begins to fall out to make nursing easier for the kits. Some queens begin producing milk now.
WEEK 8-9: The cat is still experiencing the same symptoms she has been. The kits can come at any moment during these last two weeks. Most queens stop eating the day before labor. Agitation and restlessness is common as they begin “nesting,” or preparing their nest in the nursery for kits. Contractions begin slowly, increasing their discomfort. Most cats will deliver their litter of kittens within six hours. However, if a cat feels unsafe in their environment, they possess the ability to pause their labor for up to a day or two, assuming they are healthy and strong enough to do so.
Labor can be triggered early by malnutrition, injury, infection, or stress. Kits that are born early are not likely to survive; kits born in Week 7 may survive but will be small, weak, and underdeveloped.
