Ever wonder how old your dog or cat is?The old rule-of-thumb that one dog year equals seven years of a human life seems to be an inaccurate method, a simplification of an apparently much more complicated issue. It wasn't until the 20th century that the phrase "dog years" started to appear. It's unclear who coined it, but it was in common usage by the 1960s, when some math textbooks even had students calculate their age in dog years. In the 1970s, Alpo commercials featuring actor Lorne Green popularized the seven-to-one conversion: "Duchess is 13. That's like 91 to you and me."A 'dog year' is a measurement that puts the age of a dog in the context of a human lifespan; in other words, if Fluffy were a person, how old would she be?
Dog's Age
Human Age (in years)
The American
Up to 20 Pounds
21-50 pounds
51-90 pounds
Over 90 pounds
6
40
42
45
49
8
48
51
55
64
10
56
60
66
78
12
64
69
77
93
14
72
78
88
108
16
80
87
99
123
18
88
96
109
20
96
105
120
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) officially equates the first year of a medium-sized Source: American Veterinary Medical Association
dog's life to 15 years of a human's.The first year of a cat's life is comparable to 24 human years.The dog's second year equals nine years for a human. And after that, every year feels like five for a dog and four for a cat. Note that this formula is for a medium-sized dog. Statistically, smaller dogs tend to live longer than bigger ones, so the formula varies according to weight.Bigger dogs tend to have shorter lives, and thus age faster in dog years, while smaller dogs live longer, and thus age slower in dog years. (This discrepancy is due in part to the fact that the greater size of large breed dogs is more likely to contribute to arthritis, bone and organ strain).That said, calculating dog years is far from an exact science, as evidenced by the fact that the AVMA's calculator lumps all dogs more than 90 pounds, including 200-pound St. Bernards, into one category.Cat size does not seem to have bearing on their lifespan, but cats generally live longer than most dogs, the oldest recorded kitty being 32 years old (in human years)!
Cat's Age
Human Age (in years)
6 months
15
1
24
2
28
3
32
4
36
5
40
6
44
7
48
8
52
9
56
10
60
11
64
12
68
13
72
14
76
15
80
16
84
17
88
18
92
19
96
Researchers have long been intrigued by the ratio between human and canine life spans. In 1268, an inscription was etched into the floor of Westminster Abbey calculating the date of Judgment Day using the life spans of God's creations, including the dog's, which was considered to be nine years, and a person's, which they said was 81 years. Eighteenth-century naturalist Georges Buffon noted that dogs lived roughly 10 to 12 years, compared with the human life span of 90 to 100 years (Mr. Buffon himself only lived to the ripe old age of 80).
As human life-spans have increased over time, so have those of our four legged friends.Life expectancy for humans born in 1901 was 49 years. Now it's 77. Dogs also live longer than they used to. In 1987, 32 percent of dogs lived past six years. Now about 44 percent do.
What is important to remember is that aging is a very individualistic process, and although constrained somewhat by genetics, it can be influenced by lifestyle.For example; a healthy, fit, 70 year old human is more likely to be active and 'younger' feeling than an unhealthy, inactive 50 year old.The same is true for both dogs and cats.Spending time with your pet, exercising, as well as proper nutrition and weight management will help keep your pet feeling and acting younger longer, as well as prolong and
Source: American Veterinary Medical Association enhance his quality of life.