A Tribute to Our Pets Aging Processes

We have all been party to trying to remember and figure out how old "in dog years" or "in cat years" our pets are and comparing that to "human years." A figure that is commonly used is seven years for each calendar year. For example, it's common belief that one human year equals seven dog years. After all, this information is important as we want to honor our animals at their pet memorials upon their death. The oldest living animals include elephants who live to be as old as 70 years of age. Kambakuo, the Tsonga word for old elephant bull, lived from 1930 to 1985. One of the Kruger National Park "Magnificent Seven," the elephant died at the age of more than 55.

According to research the typical seven years for every calendar year isn’t really accurate. For instance, in dogs, it should be 10.5 years per one human year for the first two years, and then four dog years per human year for each year thereafter. So if your dog is now three, she would be the equivalent of 18 in human years, but next year when she turns four, it would be the equivalent of 22 in human years. Here’s an easy way to do the calculation yourself for your own pets at www.onlineconversion.com/dogyears.

As for cats feline development through puberty happens over a period of about 18 to 24 months, rather than 21 years as it is for humans. Therefore, the cat's first calendar year is more like 16 cat years, and then a cat's second calendar year is more like five to seven cat years (up to an equivalent age of 21 to 23 years in humans). After that, add about four cat years for each calendar year of the cat's life. So, if you have a three-year-old cat – that would be like a 25-year-old person. A 10-year-old cat would be 54, and a 20-year-old cat would be 94 cat years of age – and that makes sense for the time when you may want to be picking out a cat urn, and planning a pet memorial.

Now when it comes to other animals in the universe, we have all heard that some parrots can often outlive their owners. African Grays can live up to 50 years of age. Horses are said to be a year old for every three human years, meaning a horse at 26 would compare to a human that is 78. As for rabbits, who only live to be an average age of ten, you can look at the fact that they reach maturity at six months, making them approximately equivalent to a 16 year old, and at the age of one year old that would be equal to a 21 year old human, the and then add 6 years for ever year thereafter. So a ten year old rabbit would be like a 75 year old person.

No matter what age your beloved pet lives to be, the hardest thing for humans to deal with is their passing, and especially for children whose pets are an important part of their lives, according to author Fred Rogers, in a book entitled, "When a Pet Dies."

Rogers along with many other experts suggest the importance of sharing memories about the pet by holding a pet memorial. Parents should think seriously about letting their children say goodbye by helping to select a dog urn for the cremains of a cremated pet, or a lovely grave marker for burial.

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