Calculating your pet’s age in human years

Pets.. whether dogs , cats or rabbits we all love them very dearly. We take good care of them and hope they would live as long as we do , simply because we want to have them around always. However, as much as we like to keep are pets alive forever, like humans they too have a lifespan. And, good health permitting, they would live only for that period of time. So, it is important to know not only the average lifespan of your canine or feline pets, but also how old they are in human years because then you can understand their ailments and behaviour much better.

Calculating a dog or cat’s age in human years is not as easy as many people think. According to experts in the field the methodology used to do the calculation is not 1 dog/cat year to 7 human years.

Many factors such as the period of time an animal takes to reach maturity and reproduce are also taken into account.Therefore, if you multiply the animal’s age by seven and think it is only as old as a seven -year- old child , then obviously it is not of an age to be considered mature enough to reproduce. Dogs and cats are much more likely to have young at one year old or even at 10 years old, than any person who is 7 or 70.

So, let’s see what the experts have to say...

A dog’s average lifespan is around 12 or 13 years, but again, this varies widely by breed. The larger your dog is, the less time it will live. Female dogs tend to live a little longer

Ageing is much faster during a dog’s first two years but varies among breeds. Large breeds, while they mature quicker, tend to live shorter lives. By the time they reach five they are considered “senior” dogs.

Medium-sized breeds take around seven years to reach the senior stage, while small and toy breeds do not become seniors until around 10.

Many veterinarians agree that a pretty good guess on the age of pets can be made using the following formula. Although still simple, it is much more accurate than the seven-year method.

Assume that a one -year-old dog is equal to a 12-year-old human and a two-year-old dog is equal to a 24-year old human. Then add four years for

every year after that. (Example: A four-year-old dog would be 32 in human years.)

Since this method takes into consideration the maturity rate at the beginning of a dog’s life and also the slowing of the ageing process in his later years, Martha Smith, director of veterinary services at Boston’s Animal Rescue League, feels that this is the more accurate calculation formula.

A dog’s average lifespan is around 12 or 13 years, but again, this varies widely by breed. The larger your dog is, the less time it will live. Female dogs tend to live a little longer. When it comes to your feline pets too there is a simple formula you can follow to calculate the age of your beloved cat.

Here is the simple formula for calculating feline age in human years. Assume that a one year-old cat is equal to a 15-year-old human and a two-year-old cat is equal to a 24-year-old human. Then add four years for every year after that. (Example: A four year-old cat would be 32 in human years.)

My pet Bunty

 My pet Bunty is an old cat now. My father had brought her long before I was born. She has a lovely black and gold mixed coat of fur. She has had many kittens but now she cannot give birth to kittens anymore because she is old. Bunty loves to eat fish and meat. When it is meal time she says “meaw.”

 She never goes to school or tuition classes like me.She is at home all the time. She loves to chase after butterflies and birds. She also loves to sleep on a chair in a ,box or anywhere. Everyone at home loves Bunty a lot. 

Harshana Gopallawa
Grade 5,
Maliyadeva Boys’ School, Kurunegala.

Chooty is a beauty

My pet is a cat named Chooty. She is black and white. She is very beautiful.

Chooty can hear very well. She can also run fast. She is good at hunting mice.

Her favourite food is meat and her favourite drink is milk. I give her chocolates and milk. 

I play with my pet Chooty who I love very much.

H.Pasindu Malintha
Grade 6 G, Mahinda Rajapaksha College, Homagama.