Miss-Delectable
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If cats could retire
The twilight years can be difficult in many ways but for animal lovers in particular. Seniors used to sharing their lives with cats or dogs can often be reluctant to take on the renewed responsibility of pet ownership due to living on a fixed income or out of concern that their four-legged friends may outlive them.
Nikki Forbes, director of Action for Animals in Distress Society, has come up with a solution.
The Burnaby-based non-profit specializing in abandoned cats and other small animals has created a no-strings-attached foster program where seniors can adopt older, unwanted animals and not have to worry about either the bills or their pet's future.
"I meet seniors at local events all the time and they say to me 'Oh I love kitties, but I'm too old now,' but it's really got nothing to do with being too old," said Forbes. "It's about 'what ifs' as in what if I can't carry heavy bags of litter up the stairs, what if I can't pay vet bills, what if I die and nobody will look after it?"
Given those concerns, many people are also reluctant to adopt older pets (Forbes said many cats older that the age of seven are automatically put down in some animal shelters), her solution was to kill two birds with one stone: offer a foster program where older animals wouldn't be killed and seniors could receive all-expenses-paid pets.
"We give them everything they could possibly ask for and then some," said Forbes.
It's an arrangement that has worked out well for the tenants of the De Sales Deaf Catholic Centre, where recent arrival Prissy the cat has become a hit with elderly residents and visiting children alike.
"I am so grateful to a lady who is a volunteer at the Burnaby Hospice Thrift Store for telling me about it," said Sister Glynnis, a nun who lives at the Arcola Street building. "We were talking about mice and she suggested we adopt a cat. I said 'well, I'd love to but we really don't have the income or the budget for vet bills and food' and she said oh no, we have a fostering program that will take care of that. So I said sign me up."
Not only has Prissy taken care of the mice problem since being taken to the nunnery, she recently earned her keep in a more unexpected way after waking Sister Glynnis up in the middle of the night.
"She insisted that I get out of bed," said the Australian-born nun. "She jumped on the bed, she patted me on the face, she pushed me with her nose until I finally got out of bed and it turns out somebody was trying to break in the back door. I turned on some lights and made some noise and they went away."
She said that Action for Animals also made sure before delivering Prissy to them that the cat would be a good fit, as not all cats would be OK with boisterous children.
"This house, on Sunday especially after mass, is the gathering centre for the deaf Catholic community and she just goes from person to person. She's just amazing and lets deaf three-year-olds play with her, and she's even learned some sign language."
Studies have shown that having animals around can have a positive effect on a person's heart rate and blood pressure, while the caring for the animal provides therapeutic exercise or movement that can improve cognitive and motor skills.
Loneliness or depression may also rob energy from those who are housebound or have been hospitalized for long periods, and pet ownership is a natural way to combat these conditions.
Action for Animals also make sure the animals are well taken care of.
"The group also checks in on the pets once a week as they make their deliveries, which not only enables them to make sure the animals are getting the care they need, it can also be an important social link to the outside world for some seniors as well," said volunteer Kristin Schumacher. "And if the litter box hasn't been cleaned or Fluffy is all matted up, we can help out or make the suggestion that we take her in to be groomed."
Schumacher added that the program isn't only for seniors that need assisted living. "Some of our seniors are actually young seniors still in their 60s," she said. "Some people are still working, so some will also choose to purchase their own food and take care of their vet bills, but they also know they can turn to us if ever there is a change in their circumstances."
The twilight years can be difficult in many ways but for animal lovers in particular. Seniors used to sharing their lives with cats or dogs can often be reluctant to take on the renewed responsibility of pet ownership due to living on a fixed income or out of concern that their four-legged friends may outlive them.
Nikki Forbes, director of Action for Animals in Distress Society, has come up with a solution.
The Burnaby-based non-profit specializing in abandoned cats and other small animals has created a no-strings-attached foster program where seniors can adopt older, unwanted animals and not have to worry about either the bills or their pet's future.
"I meet seniors at local events all the time and they say to me 'Oh I love kitties, but I'm too old now,' but it's really got nothing to do with being too old," said Forbes. "It's about 'what ifs' as in what if I can't carry heavy bags of litter up the stairs, what if I can't pay vet bills, what if I die and nobody will look after it?"
Given those concerns, many people are also reluctant to adopt older pets (Forbes said many cats older that the age of seven are automatically put down in some animal shelters), her solution was to kill two birds with one stone: offer a foster program where older animals wouldn't be killed and seniors could receive all-expenses-paid pets.
"We give them everything they could possibly ask for and then some," said Forbes.
It's an arrangement that has worked out well for the tenants of the De Sales Deaf Catholic Centre, where recent arrival Prissy the cat has become a hit with elderly residents and visiting children alike.
"I am so grateful to a lady who is a volunteer at the Burnaby Hospice Thrift Store for telling me about it," said Sister Glynnis, a nun who lives at the Arcola Street building. "We were talking about mice and she suggested we adopt a cat. I said 'well, I'd love to but we really don't have the income or the budget for vet bills and food' and she said oh no, we have a fostering program that will take care of that. So I said sign me up."
Not only has Prissy taken care of the mice problem since being taken to the nunnery, she recently earned her keep in a more unexpected way after waking Sister Glynnis up in the middle of the night.
"She insisted that I get out of bed," said the Australian-born nun. "She jumped on the bed, she patted me on the face, she pushed me with her nose until I finally got out of bed and it turns out somebody was trying to break in the back door. I turned on some lights and made some noise and they went away."
She said that Action for Animals also made sure before delivering Prissy to them that the cat would be a good fit, as not all cats would be OK with boisterous children.
"This house, on Sunday especially after mass, is the gathering centre for the deaf Catholic community and she just goes from person to person. She's just amazing and lets deaf three-year-olds play with her, and she's even learned some sign language."
Studies have shown that having animals around can have a positive effect on a person's heart rate and blood pressure, while the caring for the animal provides therapeutic exercise or movement that can improve cognitive and motor skills.
Loneliness or depression may also rob energy from those who are housebound or have been hospitalized for long periods, and pet ownership is a natural way to combat these conditions.
Action for Animals also make sure the animals are well taken care of.
"The group also checks in on the pets once a week as they make their deliveries, which not only enables them to make sure the animals are getting the care they need, it can also be an important social link to the outside world for some seniors as well," said volunteer Kristin Schumacher. "And if the litter box hasn't been cleaned or Fluffy is all matted up, we can help out or make the suggestion that we take her in to be groomed."
Schumacher added that the program isn't only for seniors that need assisted living. "Some of our seniors are actually young seniors still in their 60s," she said. "Some people are still working, so some will also choose to purchase their own food and take care of their vet bills, but they also know they can turn to us if ever there is a change in their circumstances."