When it comes to life span, our furry four-legged friends are living longer in Colorado. Much like you, they’re also starting to pack on a few pounds.
Rivers, outdoors, sunshine, plenty of squirrels to chase: Colorado has a lot to offer our pets. It’s paying off as well. Colorado ranks Top 5 for longest life span for dogs and cats. Cats smugly hold on to a better position than dogs.
States With Longest Life Span For Dogs
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Oregon
- New Mexico
- Colorado
States With Longest Life Span For Cats
- Montana
- Colorado
- Rhode Island
- Illinois
- Nebraska
The State of Pet Health report is from Banfield Pet Hospital, their indications show pets are living longer and that location plays a big role in pet health. Bob Barker would also be happy to hear that spaying and neutering is contributing to better pet health. The Colorado Humane Society agrees, writing in their spay and neuter FAQ [.pdf] “spaying and neutering helps a pet live a long, healthier life.”
Much like their human counterparts, obesity is a growing problem. In 2012, 1 in 5 pets could be considered obese, in 2013 that number is almost 1 in 4.
In Colorado, 28 or 100 cases for dogs are ‘overweight or obese’ and for cats it is 30 per 100. Just so you know the 2012 obesity rate for human adults in Colorado is 22%, growing from 19% percent the previous year.
In addition to working on our collective waistlines, Colorado is going to need to work on our cat names. The number one most common name for cats is ‘Kitty.’ That’s startlingly unoriginal. Bella makes an appearance as the most common name for dogs and the second most common name for cats.
Coloradans prefer K-9 companions nearly 5-1 if you look at the population statistics. That mirrors the KUNC staff where office dog days are common. It's an age-old question, one you can answer below in the comments. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
