By Carol Britton Meyer

Owning or fostering a pet is a source of companionship for seniors, alleviating loneliness and lending purpose to their lives as they care for their dog, cat, or other animal each and every day.
In fact, studies show that being around cats and other pets can have a calming effect and reduce stress, while offering unconditional love to their owners, South Shore Humane Society President Jennifer Inzana told the South Shore Senior News.
“Caring for another being gives you a reason to get up and start the day,” she said.
The South Shore Humane Society, Hull Seaside Animal Rescue, and Coastal Cat Rescue shelter solely cats, while the Scituate Animal Shelter takes in cats and dogs, all with the shared goal of finding forever homes for stray or unwanted pets through adoption and foster programs.
Helping to ensure the right fit between an adoptable cat, dog, or other animal and the intended new owner is a high priority.
South Shore Humane Society
The society currently has a spay/neuter assistance program for cats, dogs, and rabbits, an active trap/neuter/release program for feral cats, an adoption program for cats, and an outreach program to educate the public about the importance of responsible pet care.
SSHS generally recommends older, more calm cats for seniors who may have mobility issues. “We also offer the opportunity to foster cats,” Inzana said. “We can provide all of the necessary medical care, which allows seniors to avoid the burden of large vet bills.”
The society wants to ensure that pets are placed in a loving home and can be flexible with adoption fees.
Scituate Animal Shelter
SAS often tries to adopt senior pets to senior owners – which makes for “a perfect fit,” said Lisey Good, Scituate Animal Shelter’s communications and marketing coordinator.
“It’s interesting to note that 30% or more of our pets are seniors themselves, or classified as special needs due to a behavioral or health issue,” she explained.
The Scituate shelter, which has a roughly 550 annual adoption rate, also finds homes for rabbits, gerbils, ferrets, birds, mice, reptiles such as geckos and bearded dragons, and turtles.
“Over the years, we’ve even found homes for a flock of chickens, two pigs, a duck, and snakes!” Good said.
As long as a senior has a plan for how to care for the pet “if they had to leave their home or became unable to take care of it, we are happy for them to adopt,” she said. “In fact, many seniors are retired and therefore have more time than many active young families do, so they can be the absolute right fit for a pet who has experienced a lot of loss and is now very anxious when left alone.”
The Scituate shelter has a long history of assisting seniors in keeping pets in their home. “Our HELP program assists seniors with food and supplies, even occasionally finding low-cost alternatives for vet care, dental operations, grooming, and other needs,” according to Good.
Hull Seaside Animal Rescue
Adoption Coordinator Judy Fahey explained that HSAR’s criteria for adoption includes how much time a potential new owner is home during the day and whether there’s another pet or pets in the family.
If so, HSAR checks the history of veterinary care for that animal(s), including being up-to-date on shots, “to ensure they are good pet owners,” she said. “We also ask for two personal references and check with landlords to ensure pets are allowed.”
Benefits of cat ownership to seniors, Fahey said, are “companionship, having something to love and care for, and a sense of gratification in providing a home for a cat in need.”
She also noted that pets are often brought to nursing homes and other care facilities to visit with patients. “They can hold cats in their laps and pet them as they purr away, and that’s comforting and soothing for people of all ages,” she said.
Coastal Cat Rescue
 Newly opened, foster-based CCR rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes stray and unwanted cats in the South Shore and Boston area and offers both fostering and adoption programs. There is currently no physical location.
Fostering or adopting a cat or other pet is “beneficial for everyone, but especially seniors,” founder Ellen Whitney said. “Many of them lack companionship, and pets provide that, along with a sense of purpose.”
The focus is on finding the best fit for each individual cat and his or her adoptive family, Whitney said. “Fostering a cat that is not currently adoptable for health or other reasons on a short-term basis [makes doing so more affordable for seniors], because we pay for all the medical expenses and food. The seniors, in turn, feel needed and benefit from the companionship. It’s a labor of love that helps prepare the cats to be adopted into forever homes.”
Many of the cats come from hoarding homes or have been thrown out on the street, while many are kittens from cats that have not been spayed/neutered, Whitney noted.
Sometimes a foster situation can lead to an adoption by the same individual or family. In other cases, there’s the opportunity to foster another cat.
Finding homes for stray and unwanted pets is important “because there are so many homeless animals in Massachusetts – especially cats,” Inzana said. “Every time we adopt a cat out, that makes room for another cat in need.”
The same holds true for dogs and other animals.
For full details about the adoption process, adoption fees – which are sometimes flexible for seniors on fixed incomes – and volunteer and donation opportunities, visit http://southshorehumane.org/, https://www.coastalcatrescue.org/, https://scituateanimalshelter.org, or https://hsar.org.

Sidebar:

Services available to pet owners facing financial need

There are resources for pet owners facing financial need, including seniors on fixed incomes, ranging from low-cost spay/neutering services for cats, dogs, and house rabbits, dental care, vaccinations, nail trims, de-worming, and testing to veterinary clinics, free pet food and supplies, lower-cost food, flea/tick prevention, medications, and local pet food pantries.
For full details, go to https://scituateanimalshelter.org/resources-for-pet-owners.
To find a low-cost vaccination clinic, visit http://southshorehumane.org/low-cost-vaccination-clinics/