Welcome to my blog Cat Scratches and Scribbles. Through this blog, I hope to share information about cat (and dog) behavior and stories about the lessons I have learned from them. I will also explore some of the research and science behind how pets improve our mental and physical well-being. My initial blog is about cats and seniors.
Cats & Seniors
Recently, my husband and I moved into a new home. While sorting through the many boxes of photos I had collected over the years, I came across several pictures of my mother holding my one-eyed, three-legged cat Clio (the subject of the book I am publishing), and they reminded me of the joy Clio brought to my mother. In her later years, my mother would stay with us during the winter months. One particularly harsh winter that lingered well into March, she was determined to return to her home. I thought this was a bad idea because I knew she would have trouble driving in the winter. No matter how hard I pleaded with her to stay, she insisted on going home. Then I told her that Clio would miss her. The next day, much to my surprise, I overheard her talking to Clio. She said, “Clio, I’ve decided to stay her for another month. Don’t tell Kathy but I’ve only decided to stay because of you.” I was happy that Clio was more persuasive than me. Whatever works! As the years passed, it became evident that she needed skilled nursing care, and we had to make the difficult decision to move her to a nursing home. That was not an easy transition, but once a week I brought Clio to the nursing home, and I remember that the huge smile that came over my mother’s face when I arrived with Clio. Those smiles extended to the other residents of the nursing home, too, when I made the rounds with her. I always felt that Clio did more to improve the health of my mother than her many medicines. And it turned out I was correct.
There has been much research on the health benefits of pets for the elderly. According to various studies and pet organizations, cats make excellent pets for seniors because they provide:
- Companionship
- Balance and consistency in a senior’s life
- Entertainment
- A sense of purpose in life and a reason not to give up
- Exercise
By providing companionship to seniors, cats help release the hormone, oxytocin (also known as the “cuddle hormone”), as well as dopamine and serotonin. Changing a cat’s litter box and playing with cats requires seniors to move. Although minimal, this is exercise, and even a small amount of exercise is beneficial to the elderly. Also, having a cat can lead to better self-care. According to one study in Colorado (published in the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly), having a cat leads to better self-care and lower serum triglycerates in seniors.
Basically, from all aspects cats make good pets for seniors. They mostly are low maintenance and are docile. Cats do enjoy play but usually only for about 20-30 minutes a day. Even if a senior is not able fully engage with a cat, they can play with a cat using a laser toy or a cat fishing pole. And if the senior is not able to change a litter box but still lives at home, many in-home services provide help with pets for seniors. While some assisted living facilities will allow for a pet, most nursing homes do not. However, just because a senior you love cannot have a cat in a nursing facility, there are organizations that will visit nursing homes with companion animals. Or you can bring your pet or the senior’s pet (after approval from the facility) for a visit to the home. Even occasional contact with a cat or dog can have a positive impact on seniors.
More information on the benefits of cats for seniors can be found at:
Pets for the Elderly Foundation – https://petsfortheelderly.org/
Benefits of Cats for Older People – https://allaboutcats.com/benefits-cats-older -people
Pets for the Elderly – “Guided by Love – Supported by Science” – www.petsfortheelderly.org/our-work/research.php has a list of various scientific articles and research studies done on the health benefit of pets for the elderly)
American Humane – https://americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/cats-seniors/
Do you have a cat, dog, or other pet story that demonstrates the benefits of pets to the elderly? If so, please email it to kathymfinley@gmail.com. I would love to share it on my blog and credit you for the story.
