caring for your pets

With advances in veterinary care, the availability of quality foods and the care given to many cherished pets, dogs and cats are living longer than they used to. Cats, being more uniform in size, have an average lifespan of 15 years or so (that average is for indoor cats), though many cats are healthy and alert well into the late teens and even 20s. The old formula of one dog year equaling seven human years holds roughly true, though much depends on the size of the dog.

Larger breeds (over 50 pounds) are considered geriatric by age 10, while smaller dogs (under 20 pounds) age more slowly and generally live longer (14 to 18 years). My own 40-pound mix is going strong at 9 and in fact is in far better shape than I am, though technically she’s old enough to be my mother.