Why don't Cats and Dogs live as long as humans.

The biggest share of this blog are taken from Petplace.com, the author is Dr. Debra. Of course as always I do interject my own comments. I know one of the biggest concerns of mine concerning the Catdom, is the mortality of the clowder.( Remember this is a group of cats) I often wonder how I will take the death of one of my furry babies. I really don't care to know, but must face facts. Anyway on to the article. To answer this, consider that everything about a dog or cats life, from their growth to ability to learn is accelerated. Tooth development is a great example of this. Puppies and kittens are born with no teeth, begin to acquire their baby teeth in as little as 3 weeks, and have all their baby teeth by 45 days. Puppies and kittens have their adult teeth by the time they are 6 months old. Another way that growth is accelerated is in the reproductive process. This requires a great deal of energy to be expended by our pets. Dogs and Cats can be reproductively active as young as 6 months old.(I recommend spaying or neutering your furry baby as so as your vet gives the go ahead) Dogs and Cats deliver their young in 60 to 65 days. Imagine the energy that this takes. They often produce litters of a few to a dozen offspring. I'm exhausted just thinking about that. All of this expedited growth means that the bodies of Dogs and Cats do an immense amount of work that can hasten the aging process. In addition the metabolism of Dogs and Cats is much higher than humans, who burn calories at about half the rate of most common animals companions. With all of this acceleration, the senior years start early. For Cats, it may be as early as age 8; for Dogs the senior age frequently starts at 4 or 5 years of age. For large breed Dogs or giant breed dogs especially. Smaller Dogs this can start at age 8 or more years old. This still doesn't answer the question of why the life spans of Dogs and Cats are so much shorter. As it turns out, when all was said and done (with the research) it was learned that no one really knows why it happen. So even though the few things mentioned in the article are related to the lifespan of our furry ones does impact their lives, we need to do all we can to safeguard their lives. I feel it is important that they get balance nutrition, plenty of fresh water, exercise, and lots of love and attention. Why else did you get your furry baby but to care and love them, and to have the most awesome companion. Happy Cats.