Seniors: Get a Cat

Cats are great company for senior citizens

Cats make great companions for people of all ages and walks of life. Whether you are a busy single professional living alone in a small apartment in the city, a family with children living in a house in the suburbs or a senior citizen living in a retirement home, a cat can be your ideal pet.  Check this information out here http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/cat-behavior/cats-and-seniors.html

The Whiskas Web site (www.whiskas.com) provides good information on getting a cat and includes the following: After you've made up your mind to get a cat, should you get a purebred cat or a non-purebred cat? Should it be longhaired or shorthaired, male or female? You may even be wondering if you should get two or more cats, either for your own enjoyment or so your cat will never be alone. Here are a few tips to help you choose a cat:

​Pedigree or Non-Pedigree?

There are between forty and eighty different cat breeds and about five hundred varieties within these breeds. Characteristics vary enormously among breeds.

Just look at the ever popular Siamese, Burmese, and Persian, the Manx who has no tail, or the hairless Canadian Sphinx. Apart from the differences in their appearance, each breed has a distinct temperament and personality. The Siamese, for example, is well known as an extrovert, whereas the longhaired Persians are generally more sedate.

​Many books are available describing the characteristics of different breeds. On your fact-finding mission, you can check out the peculiarities of every breed.

​You’ll also have a chance to meet all these different kinds of cats if you go to a cat show. There you can see what breed appeals to you most. Chances are, you’ll see a lot of amazing and adorable cats you’ll want to take home right on the spot!

Most cat owners don’t choose a purebred. For most of us, non-purebred cats have all the attributes we’re looking for, and come in a wide variety of different colors and coat types.

​Adopt a Pet

If you don’t already have a furry friend with which to share your life, take a trip to your local animal shelter and adopt a cat that has already been trained.

​Animal shelters carefully screen the animals they put up for adoption for temperament as well as health. Adopted dogs and cats will have already received their necessary shots and inoculations.

In most cases it is better to stay away from pet stores. Those loveable dogs and cats in the window often have come from puppy farms and breeding dens and have problems you really don’t want to get into. Of course you can also go to a breeder or check the classifieds.

Janice Lloyd often writes in USA Today about cats. Below is some information she has provided regarding why older Americans should consider having a cat in their household.

Yes, kittens are adorable. Yes, they can grow up to be good mousers and are very entertaining to watch. And yes, cats are independent and don't require as much care as dogs. But research shows cats can also be caretakers for us and our families, improve our health and teach us and our children to be kinder, gentler souls.

Theodora Wesselman is 94 and has lived the past two years with her elderly cat, Cleo, at TigerPlace, a retirement community in Columbia, Mo. Their enduring friendship is a classic example of how humans and animals can become family and look out for each other.

Wesselman visits other residents, and her children stop by, but Cleo is her best friend, she says. They've been together nearly 21 years. They start and end the day together. "She sleeps on her own pillow right beside mine," Wesselman says. "In the morning, she pecks on my cheek to wake me up. It's really sweet. I pet her, tell her I love her and take her to the kitchen to prepare her food."

Cleo and Wesselman "live for each other. I really think they keep each other going," says Mary Kay Swanson, a TigerPlace employee.

Research shows that being able to care for a pet improves our morale, helps validate us and encourages us to take care of ourselves, says Rebecca Johnson, director of the University of Missouri's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction. The body of research is leading more retirement communities and universities to roll out the welcome mat for pets.

Is one pet better for you than another? A cat can't make you healthier by begging with leash in mouth to go out for a jog, but a purr can lower blood pressure and quiet a stressed-out brain, research shows.