Post by dreamweaver on Nov 2, 2016 9:11:35 GMT -6
Alright so this is something that has bugged for a long long while. I see people who write elder characters as very young (not including disabilities or injuries, that is different) sometimes even in the 60s or 70s moons. In my opinion this is actually ridiculous.
Yes I know what you're going to say. Feral cats have really short lifespans! But do they?
Several studies and sources, which I will list at the end of the post, focus on the fact that any averages will always be generalities and depend on several variables.
For example, when looking at human lifespans or mortality rate, we always take into consideration the infant mortality rate, which in many cases brings the numbers down by huge proportions. Same for cats! In fact the kitten mortality rate within the first year without human assistance is 50%. These numbers clearly affect average age considerations. Another consideration, is if the cat is alone, or part of a colony(assisted and fed by humans). Alone, cats do indeed seem to have an average lifespan between 1-5 years, but colony cats live between 3-10 years, with some surviving even past that!
Now I mention colonies, because here is how I see it. What clans are, is a group of cats coexisting and working to serve and protect each other. Sure there will be plenty of deaths, and not that many cats will live to be elders, but because they are in a solid group which is not competing within itself (and also does not include many practices of true cats such as males killing kits or fighting for territory or what not) their lifespan and quality of life would be greatly improved. Now when you also consider medicine cats, which depending on your worldbuilding may have varying degrees of actual potency and effect on sickness, this quality of life also improves. Not to mention, as battered as cats are, they are unlikely to show signs of old age necessarily until at least 8 or so years, when they begin to enter later middle age. So while you may have plenty of cats who die of other issues, dying of old age is unlikely to happen until around 10 or so... maybe even later. It all depends on so many variables.
However certainly by these calculations there are things to be considered. Say you make warriors elders at 8 years, thats 96 moons. Far far higher than other calculations. In my worldbuilding I still round this down to between 85 and 95 moons. Now if elders don't necessarily mean old age, but constitute older warriors who are still capable of carrying on warrior duties but choose to become elders for some reason, thats fine. But it would be wise to consider age-related diseases and capabilities of cats before making cats that are still fairly in their prime or early middle age as "old." Even by these calculations, the cats are still not in the seventies or eighties of human years, but in the fifties or sixties.
I'm sorry if this seems hostile in any way, I am truly just offering things for people to consider and take into account when making warriors and elders and determining aging parameters.
Here is an aging chart that may help clarify some things:
This chart is from International Cat Care.
Other Sources:
Feral-vs-Indoor Cat Lifespan
Closer Look at Community Cats
What is a Feral Cat
How Long do Cats Live?
Yes I know what you're going to say. Feral cats have really short lifespans! But do they?
Several studies and sources, which I will list at the end of the post, focus on the fact that any averages will always be generalities and depend on several variables.
For example, when looking at human lifespans or mortality rate, we always take into consideration the infant mortality rate, which in many cases brings the numbers down by huge proportions. Same for cats! In fact the kitten mortality rate within the first year without human assistance is 50%. These numbers clearly affect average age considerations. Another consideration, is if the cat is alone, or part of a colony(assisted and fed by humans). Alone, cats do indeed seem to have an average lifespan between 1-5 years, but colony cats live between 3-10 years, with some surviving even past that!
Now I mention colonies, because here is how I see it. What clans are, is a group of cats coexisting and working to serve and protect each other. Sure there will be plenty of deaths, and not that many cats will live to be elders, but because they are in a solid group which is not competing within itself (and also does not include many practices of true cats such as males killing kits or fighting for territory or what not) their lifespan and quality of life would be greatly improved. Now when you also consider medicine cats, which depending on your worldbuilding may have varying degrees of actual potency and effect on sickness, this quality of life also improves. Not to mention, as battered as cats are, they are unlikely to show signs of old age necessarily until at least 8 or so years, when they begin to enter later middle age. So while you may have plenty of cats who die of other issues, dying of old age is unlikely to happen until around 10 or so... maybe even later. It all depends on so many variables.
However certainly by these calculations there are things to be considered. Say you make warriors elders at 8 years, thats 96 moons. Far far higher than other calculations. In my worldbuilding I still round this down to between 85 and 95 moons. Now if elders don't necessarily mean old age, but constitute older warriors who are still capable of carrying on warrior duties but choose to become elders for some reason, thats fine. But it would be wise to consider age-related diseases and capabilities of cats before making cats that are still fairly in their prime or early middle age as "old." Even by these calculations, the cats are still not in the seventies or eighties of human years, but in the fifties or sixties.
I'm sorry if this seems hostile in any way, I am truly just offering things for people to consider and take into account when making warriors and elders and determining aging parameters.
Here is an aging chart that may help clarify some things:
This chart is from International Cat Care.
Other Sources:
Feral-vs-Indoor Cat Lifespan
Closer Look at Community Cats
What is a Feral Cat
How Long do Cats Live?