Time and Aging

## Time Equivalents

**Half-moon** - One week outside of roleplay.
**Moon** - Two weeks outside of roleplay.
**Season** - A month and a half outside of roleplay.
**Year** - Six months outside of roleplay.

## Aging and Promotions

While the average lifespan of a domestic cat can go from 15 to even their 20's, for the purpose of this roleplay and to allow people to experience more stages of life, we have shorted the lifespan to around 12 years.

**Kits (0 to 5 moons)**
▸ At zero moons, kits completely dependent on their mothers and cannot travel more than a few steps.
▸ At one moon, kits are learning to move around and becoming more playful. They are beginning to eat fresh-kill.
▸ At two moons, they are stable on their paws and are very playful, practicing with their denmates and observing warriors and apprentices.
▸ At three to four moons, kits have fully developed their senses, and begin to test them. At this age, it isn't uncommon for kits to pull away from their parents or caretakers in favor of building friendships with their denmates.
▸ At five to six moons, kits are fully independent and self-sufficient. At this point, they are around the size of their parents, with the ability to hunt and fight if taught correctly.

**Apprentices (6 to 12 moons)**
▸ This is considered the "teenage" years for cats.
▸ During this time, they learn from their mentors and their Clanmates as more responsibility is placed on them.
▸ They are given basic chores that they must complete each day, but as time goes on, they are trusted to take part in patrols and battles, as sporadic as they may be.
▸ At around the age of ten moons, they begin to prepare for their warrior assessment.

**Young Warriors (13 to 29 moons)**
▸ Cats are officially considered adults.
▸ At a year old, new warriors are still trying to establish an identity for themselves.
▸ By a year and a half of age, cats now have a more solid place in the Clan. They are trusted to lead patrols, keep watch of the camp, and train a new apprentice, should they be mature enough. This is usually the earliest a she-cat may start having kits.

**Experienced Warriors (30 to 60 moons)**
▸ If they haven't already, this is typically when cats will start forming a family, if they choose to at all.
▸ They are usually relied on by the leader and spend their days training apprentices or leading patrols.

**Senior Warriors (61 moons and older)**
▸ These cats are considered senior warriors of the Clan.
▸ They direct younger warriors and offer assistance to the leader and deputy when it is most needed, often taking the lead in some circumstances.
▸ This is when a deputy may assume leadership of a Clan.

**Elders (Around 110+ moons)**
▸ While there is no definite age for warriors to retire, it is usually between 110 and 120 moons that they may choose to take that step. These cases vary widely from cat to cat, however.
▸ Cats are well respected at this age, serving as the backbone for many of the leader's decisions and being on the front line in confrontations. Most are still capable of serving their Clan, but some may find it harder to move around or hunt as well as they used to.

## Human Age Equivalents

This is not 100% accurate to what cats would be considered in the real world. This chart is established based on what is inferred and indicated in the series. This is simply to help roleplayers get an idea of their character's mental age in order to roleplay them properly.

**1 to 2 moons** = 3 to 5 human years
**2 to 4 moons** = 6 to 9 human years
**5 to 6 moons** = 10 to 13 human years
**7 to 12 moons** = 14 to 18 human years
**13 to 24 moons** = 19 to 26 human years
**25 to 60 moons** = 27 to 45 human years
**61 to 110 moons** = 46 to 80 human years