The Right Way to Calculate a Cat or Dog’s ‘Human Age’

[W!nston]

The Right Way to Calculate a Cat or Dog’s ‘Human Age’ (Don’t Just Multiply by 7!)
Yahoo! | By Heather Cha | December 25, 2015

The old rule of thumb for calculating a pet’s age in “human years” is simple: Just multiply by 7. By that common guideline, a 3-year-old cat is a young adult, equivalent to a human 21-year-old. And a 10-year-old dog is akin to a human retiree.

Unfortunately, this explanation doesn’t quite paint the full picture of how pets age.

In fact, a dog’s aging process is accelerated during the first few years of maturation and then slows down after that. After one year, a dog is actually considered to be 15 in human years.

Further, the specific breed of dog plays a factor in lifespan. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than medium-size dogs, who in turn live longer than large dogs.

“Although smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, they may mature more quickly in the first few years of life,” says the Lawrence Vet Hospital in Lawrence, Kan. “A large dog may mature more slowly at first but already be considered elderly at age 5. Small and toy breeds don’t become ‘seniors’ until around age 10. Medium-size breeds are somewhere in the middle in terms of maturation and lifespan.”

This Pet Health Network chart, courtesy of Fred L. Metzger, DVM, DABVP, offers a handy guide.

The Pedigree website provides an automatic dog age calculator for those who don’t want to bother with the chart. Simply select your dog’s age and breed from the drop-down menu and the site will give you your dog’s age in “human years.” Of course, these charts and calculators are just guidelines. Owners should ask their vet about their pets’ specific aging issues.

What about our feline friends? Like dogs, cats mature more quickly during the first couple of years and reach adulthood relatively soon, but then age at a slower rate as time goes on.

The International Cat Care group provides an excellent feline version of an age chart. A year-old kitty is the equivalent of 15, just as with dogs.

By its second birthday, a cat has matured to about the same point as a human in his or her mid-20s. But from then on, you can add four “cat” years for each subsequent human year.

On average, Siamese and Manx breeds are said to live the longest, according to Purina. Some rare felines live past the age of 30 — which is pushing 150 in human years.

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[tonka]

My brother and my cousin both got yellow labs from the same breeder.
Wonderful dogs.

They are both old and breaking down now. Hips and eyes and smell are going. I see them each a few times a year. We greet as old friends.

My cousin is well off. Her doggie has a chiropractor come to the house weekly.

My brother's dog is a BIG male. They carry him down the stairs.

 

[W!nston]

you know, sniffit, each HP be it from vets, dog / cat food producers, suppliers of other items, HS for animals ... they all have their own charts and calculators ...

For instance, the dog I lost at the end of september was 11 years. She was a pure black Giant Schnauzer and weighted about 40kg.

The chart at my vet indicated that she was very old in 'dog years' : 105.

We knew she was old, but we also knew her to be in excellent health.

And that's the point : it's the health that counts.

I agree my friend. There is no real comparison between a dog's chronological age and a human's age.

Like you I believe it's more important how healthy and active they are. In that way their age is the same as humans. It's important how health and active we are as to our quality of life.

Any comparisons such as these charts have more entertainment value than scientific value.

It's for fun my friend. We love our dogs and I know you love yours just as much.

Lots of love O,

J :big hug:

 

[topdog]

...We knew she was old, but we also knew her to be in excellent health. And that's the point : it's the health that counts.

So true - for all of us.

 

[jeep0814]

I have a three year old pit mix and a 9 week old puppy that is also a pit mix.

 

[cranston]

I agree they have a lot of work to do as far as understanding feline lifespans in particular, especially since the oldest cat on record lived to 38. But maybe there is little incentive in the veterinary community and pet industry overall to properly understand this , especially considering the crap they brainwash us into feeding our pets. Maybe it's better for them to have us believe that 14 years is a "long life".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_Puff_%28cat%29[/URL]

 

[islandfun]

makes sense....