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How Old Is Your Pet?

The well-known formula for "pet years" is to multiply your pet’s age by seven, and you'll have the equivalent age in human terms.

 

Although this formula might work roughly well for the middle years of a pet’s life, it's too simplistic to accurately reflect a dog or cat’s developmental status closer to either end of its life span.

 

The "dog years" measurement tells us that a 15-year-old dog is supposed to be the equivalent of a 105-year-old person, but a much larger proportion of dogs live to age 15 than humans live to age 105. And a one-year-old cat can easily have kittens, but a 7-year-old child rarely is ready to reproduce.

 

Age is more than just years. It’s also a way of measuring how time affects our bodies. Different types of animals age at different rates, so we can't use one simple formula. Often, small-breed dogs (such as small terriers) become “old” at about 11 years; medium-breed dogs (such as larger spaniels) at 10 years; large-breed dogs (such as German Shepherd Dogs) at 8 years; and giant-breed dogs (such as Great Danes) at 7 years.

 

More important than the actual number of years is the quality of life your pet enjoys. Pets who live inside, who are spayed or neutered, and who maintain a healthy weight are much more likely to live to ripe old ages.

 

The following charts give a ballpark idea of how dogs and cats age. Keep in mind, however, that is only a very general guideline of what to expect.

 

 

Dog	Human	Cat	Human
5 months	10 years	3 months	5 years
8 months	13 years	6 months	10 years
1 year	15 years	1 year	15 years
2 years	24 years	2 years	24 years
3years	28 years	3 years	28 years
4 years	32 years	4 years	32 years
5 years	36 years	5 years	36 years
6 years	40 years	6 years	40 years
7 years	44 years	7 years	44 years
8 years	48 years	8 years	48 years
9 years	52 years	9 years	52 years
10 years	56 years	10 years	56 years
15 years	76 years	15 years	76 years
20 years	93 years	20 years	91-96 years

 

Published 08/24/07