By Angela Ohm

A little over a year ago, the night before Thanksgiving, my father passed away. He and my mother had been married 63 years: my sister and I grew up on a farm loving all animals but didn’t have a cat until one wandered out of the woods when I was in my twenties and turned the whole family into cat lovers.  Mom and Dad had been thinking in his last years about getting a cat, but never did.  When Mom was planning to move to her own place (a retirement community that allowed pets), she began to think about it again.

My 14-year-old niece decided swift action was called for so when one of her friends found some dumped kittens, she immediately conned my mom into driving over to their home after school.  While mom waited in the car, Janey triumphantly came out to the car with a box: “Pick two Ma—whichever ones you want.” Mom was in shock and not sure if this was the right time to get cats (she hadn’t been moved in very long), but she did as instructed and picked out one beautiful brown tabby and one beautiful grey kitty.  Janey named them Mr. Pickles and Ms. Cupcake.  They promptly went home to live with my sister, and her family’s two cats, while she arranged for vet visits and supplies.  The pair grew like weeds and got along with my sister’s two other cats, and had the approval of my sister’s husband who is the main cat caregiver in the family.  You probably have guessed it by now, but my mom still doesn’t have those cats in her home.  As Janey put it: “We love them now!”.

My mother is currently with me for several weeks helping me recover from surgery and, after giving me TLC and dinner, her main job is cleaning up after and feeding/watering my cats (one of whom has inflammatory bowel disease and occasionally gets poop on the mat outside the litter box rather than in it).  She has now decided that it is fortunate that she never got to take the two cute kitties home since she feels too old to being doing all that work full time.

Of course, normally the rule is that you don’t give pets as gifts, but this scenario is a little harder because it feels like a good idea—giving an elderly person full-time companionship. However, we want to be sure the recipient of our good intentions is really ready, able, and willing to face the challenge.  And that we don’t disrupt the life of an innocent animal in the process.

Pets can enhance the life of an elderly person, but there are a number of factors to take into consideration when deciding if pet adoption makes sense; like the mobility of the senior, their finances, living situation, and your ability to help them plan for emergencies.

Mature/senior pets can be a better match energy wise (Mr. Pickles and Ms. Cupcake bounce off the walls—my mom, not so much).  How mobile is the senior in question?  Maybe a cat is the better choice because it doesn’t need to be walked. Would they like something smaller, like a fish or a bird? Will getting the pet to a veterinarian be a problem?  Is there one nearby and will it be possible for the senior to get them to it on their own or will they need assistance?

Are finances an issue?  Perhaps you can get a pet that doesn’t need to be groomed, or choose to foster a senior or those with special needs so that medical care and other costs are covered? Many rescues allow both short and long-term fostering programs, so it can essentially be like adopting a pet but with many expenses covered.

Think about if the person is likely to be moving soon and what the pet policies are where they will likely go.  Be sure to have a backup plan –seniors might have hospital stays where the pet needs watched or something positive like a trip they want to go on, so make sure that you have people on board who are local and able to help out with care when needed or take care of them full time if the senior is no longer able to do so.

Also, it is a good idea to give the senior a chance to interact with the pet before making a final decision, especially if it is a dog.  And think about who else is around the senior (grandchildren, other pets of friends) and how they will interact.

In addition to fostering a pet, many rescues are in need of volunteers which can give seniors interactions with animals that are rewarding without the extra work of pet ownership. Pet therapy programs are also available, sometimes for home visits.

Thinking through all the options and considerations beforehand can save everyone a lot of time, trouble, and possibly trauma.  Best of luck!

About the Author: Angela Ohm lives in Arlington, Virginia with her two King Street Cats “What About Me?” rescues, Gillian and Josephine, who rule their home with stern but loving meows.

Resources:

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/pick-a-pet-for-senior-172923.htm

https://www.kingstreetcats.org/

https://www.kingstreetcats.org/info/display?PageID=16319

https://unionlakeveterinaryhospital.com/blog/pets-and-seniors-5-things-to-consider-before-adopting

https://aging.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-02/Older%20People%20and%20Pets.pdf