A lifespan approach to cat welfare recognises that welfare needs change substantially from kittenhood through senior life, requiring age-appropriate care at each stage.
Welfare science increasingly recognises that a cat's lifetime welfare experience is the meaningful unit of moral concern. Each life stage presents distinct welfare challenges and opportunities: missed early socialisation creates lasting fear responses; unmet adolescent needs cause behaviour problems; insufficient senior monitoring allows treatable conditions to progress. A lifespan welfare framework prompts proactive stage-appropriate interventions rather than reactive crisis management.