The natural lifespan of a cow without being slaughtered is between 15 to 20 years.
But cows are slaughtered at 18 months of age which the best time to slaughter the cow for great tasting meat.
So cows only get to live up to 18 months before slaughter which isn't very long.
Cows that are known as dairy cows get to live up to 4 years old before they become slaughtered for meat.