How old is your cat or dog by human standards: how to count and what is the difference

Man has long tamed cats and dogs. Some pets live with us for quite a long time, others leave very quickly. Is it possible to extend the life of the furry members of our families and how to do it?

The lifespan of cats and dogs is influenced by various factors. The most important of them are the organization of nutrition and physical activity. During each life period, animals require a certain diet and activity level. To do this, you need not only to know exactly how old the cat or dog is, but also to understand how the pet’s age compares to human age.

Why does a person need to know the age of a pet?

Information about the age of a pet is needed in order to:

• Optimally distribute his physical activity;
• prevent illness in time and provide proper care to maintain the pet’s well-being;
• properly organize the diet and supplement it with the necessary vitamins and minerals;
• provide the pet with the necessary care;
• carry out vaccinations in a timely manner;
• understand when you can start mating or sterilize your pet.

Compliance with all these points will help provide the animal with the necessary conditions for a healthy existence and increase its lifespan.

Kleiber's Law

When determining the age of your pet, you need to take into account the characteristics of the breed, such as weight and size. Swiss biologist M. Klaiber formulated the “Metabolic Law of 3/4”. He derived it based on observations of the metabolic processes of a living organism - metabolism depends on the size of the animal.

The correspondence between the years lived and the mass of the animal is obvious - large specimens of nature live longer. But the catch is that this is completely true for warm-blooded animals from mice to elephants, but among different breeds this law no longer works within the species. Let's give an example: a Great Dane is much larger than a small lapdog, in terms of weight and dimensions, but the baby will live in the world for over 15 years, but a large Great Dane does not stay in this world longer than 8 years.

What is the age ratio between a pet and a person?

Almost every cat or dog owner has asked this question at least once. It is impossible to accurately calculate the ratio of the age of a person and a pet, since the developmental characteristics and lifestyle of animals differ from human ones. But there are several ways to make at least an approximate calculation.

Unified calculation method for cats and dogs

One year of a pet's life is equal to seven years of a person - this method of calculation has been popular since the mid-20th century, and it is the same for cats and dogs. Scientists took the average age of a person (70 years) as a basis and divided it by 10. This is how the difference turned out to be 7 years.

Note! If we use this method of calculation, then, for example, 4 years of age in a cat or dog corresponds to 28 years in a person.

Comparison tables

Later, scientists came to the conclusion that the previous method was not entirely correct, since the development of cats and dogs in the first year of their life is very rapid. For example, at 1 year they already reach puberty, which cannot be said about a 7-year-old human child. In addition, in dogs, the rate of development and aging depends on the size of the animal.

In this regard, coefficients were calculated and comparative tables were made, from which you can find out the ratio of the ages of cats, dogs and humans. Here they are:

When compiling the tables, information was used from the works of a veterinarian from France A. Lebeau and a scientist from Switzerland Max Kleiber.

On a note! However, geneticist Trey Idecker and his team of scientists from the California Institute of San Diego went the furthest in this matter. They compiled their formula for calculating the biological age of dogs based on studying their DNA.

As for cats, their average lifespan is 12-15 years. If you take proper care of your pet, it can live up to 20 years at home. But cats living outside age 2-3 times faster than them.

By behavior

It is possible to determine the age of a pet by its behavior. This method is quite subjective and depends on the character of the animal, but there are still common features in habits.

Baby kittens spend almost all their free time playing and communicating with each other and people. They are even ready to courageously sacrifice minutes of sleep for the sake of fun! Some kids even insistently demand attention to themselves.

Important! You should not be strict with your pet's behavior. Animals also have different types of personalities, so some cats are sociable, while others are shy.

Mature pets will enjoy spending time hunting and playing. However, they tend to be very sleepy.

Stages of a cat's maturation compared to human years

Each age period of cat development has its own characteristics:

• 0–6 months. At this time, the kitten is very actively developing and growing rapidly. The period corresponds to a person’s age from birth to 7.5 years.
• 7 months - 2 years. This is the period when the cat is growing up. By the age of 2, pets already know all the wisdom of life and turn into adult animals. In humans, this occurs from 8 to 25 years of age.
• 3–6 years. At this time cats are most active. They are behaviorally and physically mature, alert and healthy. In humans, this period corresponds to the age from 25 to 45 years.
• 7–10 years. If you properly care for and feed your cat, then during this period of its life it will lead the most active life. By human standards, this is approximately 45-55 years.
• 11–15 years old. At this time, cats become calmer, sleep more, and play less. Pets show the first signs of aging: vision deteriorates, the quality of fur and teeth changes. The appropriate age for a person is 60–75 years.
• 16 years or more. At this age, older cats need more careful care; they need to be given vitamins and quality nutrition. This way the pet will live safely for many years to come. In humans, this period corresponds to the age of 79 years or more.

This is interesting! A cat named Poppy, who lived in the UK, was included in the Guinness Book of Records. She died at 24 and is officially the longest living cat. If we translate her age into human “language”, it will be equal to 114 years.

Visual inspection

This method of assessment is used if it is not possible to conduct a full examination of the animal or when encountering an aggressive, presumably stray, dog. The correct determination of age will allow you to build the correct behavior with the dog, which will differ for a young puppy expressing a desire to play or with an elderly dog ​​who may have undergone mental changes.

When visually assessing, attention is paid to the following features:

1. Muscle tone. A young dog has an elastic, strong, lean body, the muscles are not yet developed, the chest is narrow. The adult individual is noticeably different; it has an expanded chest, bonyness, which is clearly visible in the ridge area, or is overweight due to a sedentary lifestyle; gray hair may also be noted on the face.
2. Activity. If the movements are energetic, then the dog is young. Difficulty moving is characteristic of old age.
3. The fur of a young individual is thinner and softer, while that of an adult is often thick and coarse.
4. The eyes of young animals are clear and bright; with age they become dull and cloudy.

Features of the development of dogs in comparison with humans

Dogs grow up differently. If we compare the stages of development of dogs and humans, we get the following picture:

• 0–1 month. By the age of one month, the puppy begins to actively explore the surrounding space. In this, he resembles a one-year-old child who is trying out many things. Such a baby knows no fear, and he needs care and constant supervision.
• 1–4 months. By the age of four months, an inquisitive puppy begins to be trained at the training ground. He begins to change teeth, like seven-year-old children, and he is just as careless and playful.
• 4–6 months. A dog at 6 months of age who is entering puberty can be compared to a 14-year-old teenager. The puppy's body grows unevenly, he has a childish perception of the world around him, and the dog's mood often changes.
• 6 months – 1 year. The age of 12 months for a dog corresponds to 16–18 years for a person. At this time the dog stops growing. She becomes more self-confident, males strive to establish leadership between their fellow tribesmen.
• 1–2 years. A two-year-old dog reaches the peak of its physical development, like a twenty-year-old person. Bitches at this time are already ready for motherhood. The dogs have already been trained in all commands.
• After five years. From this age, the dog begins to slowly age, like a forty-year-old person. The animal becomes more restrained and calm, it already has all the skills and knowledge for everyday life.
• 8 or more years. Dogs are entering their retirement period, that is, their bodies begin to age quickly. Similar changes occur in people aged 60–70 years. Dogs need to be given a more balanced diet and limited exercise.

By body processes

Perhaps determining age by the internal processes of the body is the most accurate way. Using this watch it is easy to find out how old your pet is.

Puberty in cats begins at 7-9 months (sometimes earlier, at 6 months), but in boys a little later - at 9-11 months. Slight differences may occur due to climate, breed and weight of the animal.

Determining the age of your pet is incredibly important. This is the only way to create the correct diet, daily routine and the amount of vitamins you need.

Source

Who can confirm our assumptions?

If you are not an expert, or at least have not had cats in your home before, it is very important to verify your assumptions about the age of your pet.

There are two ways out:

• Contact the breeder

The former owner or breeder has been watching your new friend since his birth.

Therefore, the first owner will probably advise you accurately at the age of the kitten.

However, what to do if your pet is found on the street?

• Let's go to the veterinarian

Of course, it is an experienced specialist, and especially a specialist in small animals, who can easily but accurately tell you the age period of a young four-legged pet.

In addition, even if you have dealt with cats before, the help of a veterinarian can never be superfluous.

Sexual characteristics appear in cats from birth.

What else will be useful - how to determine the sex of a kitten

When determining the sex of the youngest, you can focus on the distance between the genitals and anus. In girls it is almost invisible, but in boys it is pronounced.

You can recognize the sex of an animal by the shape of its face and body. It is better to do this when the animal has already grown up. Here you need to consider the following:

males have a larger head and a wider nose;

the female has an elongated muzzle;

the boy has a massive body, with thick paws;

The girl has a graceful body and legs.

Let fellow pet lovers know what you think.

Life expectancy of animals in the wild depending on the species