Most pet house owners will expertise what it’s like to reside with a senior pet. Relying on the animal, you might have a senior pet faster than you realize, especially if you own a Cane Corso or a Maine Coon.
But dread not simply because senior puppies and cats even now present considerably to provide their doting entrepreneurs, such as companionship, loyalty, and awareness. For all of those people motives and a lot of a lot more, National Senior Pet Thirty day period was produced in November to celebrate your preferred senior pet and all the really like, affection, and companionship they deliver into your existence. Browse on to master far more about this specific vacation, such as what you can do to love it with your beloved pet!
When Was Nationwide Senior Pet Thirty day period First Celebrated?
National Senior Pet Thirty day period, from what our exploration observed, was began extremely a short while ago in the United States. The American Veterinary Healthcare Affiliation (AVMA) notes on its web site that, in October of 2022, a grassroots energy was underway to acknowledge the thirty day period of November as National Senior Pet Thirty day period.1 In outcome, the working day isn’t formally regarded. Having said that, several veterinary clinics across the United States have already started off celebrating this unofficial vacation every November.2
Is Nationwide Senior Pet Month for All Pets?
While you can undoubtedly rejoice any senior pet all through the month of November, the truth of the matter is that Countrywide Senior Pet Thirty day period is mostly for canines and cats. In contrast to most other animals, canines and cats turn into uniquely connected to their house owners.
Which is not to say you just can’t have thoughts for a goldfish, gerbil, rat, or parakeet, and many people do. It’s just that, in the pantheon of pets, the pet and cat are the perennial favorites by a massive margin. For this reason, Nationwide Senior Pet Month is mainly directed towards cats and canine.
How Can You Celebrate Countrywide Senior Pet Month?
There are a lot of fun and superb means to celebrate National Senior Pet Month! Beneath we’ve mentioned a handful of of the finest to enable you have a terrific time with your pets through all of November.
1. Volunteer at a Shelter
No matter if you have a senior pet at house or simply want to lend a assisting hand, volunteering at a shelter during Nationwide Senior Pet Month is a great plan. Most towns throughout the United States have at least one particular shelter, if not numerous, and most are severely understaffed and overworked. Lending your time and vitality in any way will absolutely be substantially appreciated.
2. Adopt a Senior Pet
Did you know that November is not only Countrywide Senior Pet Month but it is also Countrywide Adopt a Senior Pet Month? It’s legitimate! Through November, you will find shelters throughout the United States functioning promotions that let you to adopt a senior pet for very little or no price. Adopting a senior pet will give you a amazing companion to brighten your days and most likely help save them from becoming euthanized.
3. Convey Your Senior Pet to an Assisted Living Dwelling
Senior animals present a number of attributes that make them a great option for bringing to an assisted residing house. Considering that they’re older, for illustration, they will be much more mature and serene. A senior pet is commonly very well-properly trained and accustomed to getting touched, dealt with, and engaged. Also, they can be far more quickly managed when needed. All of these attributes make bringing your senior pet dog or cat to an assisted living facility an superb plan and just one that will be really satisfying for the occupants.
Which Age Is Regarded Senior for Dogs and Cats?
One particular of the interesting and typically puzzling differences involving various breeds of dogs and cats is that some live for a longer time or shorter lives than other folks. Sure, the common age for cats, and thus senior cats, is additional or significantly less the similar across the whole cat spectrum. For canine, though, the regular can be vastly various.
Choose a Wonderful Dane or Cane Corso, for case in point. Both equally are substantial pet dogs that, since of their dimension, stay much shorter life on normal than smaller canines like the Chihuahua and Pekingese. It’s extensive been identified that greater canines reside shorter life, which also signifies they develop into seniors before than smaller sized pet dogs. The numbers and facts below guidance this thoroughly.
| Dog Dimension | Bodyweight | Lifespan (Avg.) | Senior Decades |
| Tiny | < 30 pounds | 10–15 years | 8–11 years |
| Medium | 31-55 pounds | 10–13 years | 7–10 years |
| Large | 56–70 pounds | 9–12 years | 6–8 years |
| Extra Large | 70+ pounds | 8–12 years | 4–6 years |
For cats, the average age is similar across the board, between 12 to 18 years. That would make the average cat a senior at about 11-14 years of age, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) senior care guidelines. However, you should note that many veterinarians begin treating a cat as a senior when it reaches 7 years of age.
What Are the Benefits of Adopting a Senior Pet?
Even if they’re a step slower, senior pets offer many wonderful benefits when adopted.
1. They’re Usually Trained
Older pets are typically trained by their previous owners, and some are very well-trained. Adopting an already-trained pet can make the transition to your home much easier and prevent many of the problems a young pet can cause.
2. They’re Less Expensive
Senior pets are an absolute bargain compared to adopting a new puppy or kitten and the cost of everything necessary to raise them. Also, because it’s less likely that they’ll be adopted, the cost of a senior pet is usually much less, including adoption fees.
3. Senior Pets Have a Set Personality, so Fewer Surprises
While adopting a kitten or puppy is exciting, you never know ahead of time what type of personality they will have as adults. If you don’t want surprises like that, adopting a senior pet is a better choice. Their personalities and habits are already set (for better or worse).
4. Senior Pets Are Typically Much Calmer and More Mature
This last benefit is possibly best for adopting a senior dog they’re usually calm, cool, and collected. Senior pets offer maturity and tranquility for owners who can’t (or don’t want to) deal with a rambunctious and immature pet.
Final Thoughts
Although it’s not a genuine national holiday (at least not yet), National Senior Pet Month is a special time to honor all the things that make senior pets endearing, precious, and attractive. Senior pets bring just as much love and affection into your home as younger pets, but with many bonuses. Senior pets cost less, need less training, and are much calmer, in most cases, than their younger counterparts.
A senior pet is perfect for pet owners who want a companion full of love but not excited energy (and the mayhem it can bring). That’s why, every November, veterinarians and pet lovers across the United States do a little something extra for their senior pets to show them their appreciation during National Senior Pet Month. However, as a senior pet owner, you’ll be celebrating them every month of the year!
Featured Image Credit: Ksenia Raykova, Shutterstock