How To Pick A Great Cat For Your Senior Parent
June is National Adopt A Cat Month and it’s a wonderful time to find a new feline friend for your senior parent. Cats are great companions for seniors. They don’t need to be walked and they love to cuddle. The purr of a cat can be very soothing for seniors with anxiety. And seniors who have dementia often find comfort holding and stroking a patient cat. There are many cats who need homes, so adoption is a better option than buying a cat. If you’re worried about your senior parent’s ability to care for a cat, remember that home care can help seniors look after pets.
A home care provider can fill food and water bowls and make sure that the cat goes to the vet when necessary, if those things are too difficult for your senior loved one.
But not every cat is going to be a good fit for a senior. Ultimately your senior parent will need to spend time with any cat that they are considering adopting, but there are some things you can do to weed out any unsuitable cats before they meet your senior parent. In general cats that are a good for seniors are:
Seniors
Senior cats are the best cats for senior people. A senior cat is any cat over the age of nine. There are many senior cats in shelters and adoption centers that were left there when their families replaced them with kittens. But kittens are not a good fit for seniors. Kittens are too high energy and their little teeth and claws can cause injuries to seniors who usually have thin skin. Adult cats can sleep for up to 18 hours per day. Senior cats who prefer to sleep all day rather than run around are a good match for a senior’s lifestyle.
Tolerant
Just like people cats have their own unique personalities. Some cats are very high strung and don’t like to be held, picked up, or petted. Those cats aren’t great for seniors. A good cat for a senior should be “bomb proof” and one that doesn’t mind being handled, picked up, hugged, and petted. That way you will know that the cat will be a loving companion for your senior parent and won’t mind getting tons of attention from your senior parent.
Healthy
Cat with chronic health conditions can live a long time with proper treatment so in general people shouldn’t disqualify adopting a cat with health issues. However, for seniors it may be too much to handle a cat with a chronic health problem. For example, a cat with diabetes needs regular blood sugar monitoring and insulin injections daily. That could be too much for a senior that is struggling with their own health. Look for a senior cat with a clean bill of health who really wants to live a quiet life of pets and snacks. That’s the ideal cat for a senior, and there are lots of them just waiting to be adopted.
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Mesa, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!