Animals become grumpier as they get older.
Animals get grumpier as they get older
Scientists have found that pets are similar to humans as they become less sociable in their later years as they seek to avoid illnesses as age weakens them.
Dr. Josh Firth, an expert from the University of Leeds, said: "Animal populations are a great way of considering the fundamental rules of how ageing may shape societies.
"Overall, it's looking like there's a very general pattern of individuals becoming less social with age."
A host of studies on the subject have been published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society journal and one piece of research found that more social animals lived longer and had larger reproductive windows.
Research lead Professor Amanda Bretman said: "In humans, a poor social environment can have the same level of impact as smoking or obesity on healthy ageing.
"We also know the same is true for other animals."