A lot of retired folk spend long periods at home and more often than not the biggest problem facing the retired is not physical disability so much as loneliness and a feeling of rejection. The answer to this may way well be to take care of a pet.
Research studies, both in America and Britain, have indicated that having pets around can have a distinct therapeutic effect. Seniors in nursing homes have been observed to be livelier and generally more content while heart patients seem to recuperate more quickly when they have had an animal as a companion. Pet therapy even seems to have worked with cancer patients.
Minnesota has passed legislation allowing pets to be kept in nursing homes and old people’s homes. The Veterans Administration in Washington DC, gives pets credit for’… dramatic improvements in outlook and abilities of un-communicative bedridden patients’, adding, ’…Many started talking with the pets.’
Cats are, in many respects, ideal for a retiree: they are clean and usually affectionate, rarely as demanding as dogs, and inexpensive to feed. They must, of course, be properly cared for but cats are easy to look after if you are living on your own. Probably one of the best places to get a cat from are the numerous rescue centres run by the Cats Protection League; the RSPCA is another good source. These agencies neuter all their animals before finding them a good home but it is prudent to make sure they are completely free of fleas or mites.
Normally when you get a cat from a rescue centre, you will be told to keep your new pet indoors for at least two weeks. You should provide it with a dirt tray. Introduce it in a gradual manner to the big wide world outside and it will soon adapt and learn to come in and out when it wants.
Tropical fish are easy to care for and keeping an aquarium makes for a fascinating and colorful spare-time activity. Pets care stores and aquatic traders have a wide range of aquariums in all sizes and shapes, with easy-to-clean filters, automatic heaters, thermostats and water treatment chemicals in convenient table form. Guppys, swordtails and piatys are all popular live bearing species, the pencil fish are well liked egg-laying types while catfish are the best-known bottom fish.
Canaries are just about the favourite among birds-they are cheap to keep and they can provide an enormous amount of pleasure. Another bird worth considering as a pet is the finch - they come in an incredible array of colors and are said to have interesting personalities. Swings, bells and mirrors in the aviary will keep a bird amused and piece of bark will also give them a lot of pleasure.
Tortoises are best kept on a lawn during summer months; in winter time its best to provide a box for them, with a ventilated lid, which can be kept in a garden shed. Terrapins, or water tortoises, are another reptile which can be pleasure pet. You will need a large tank with water - it should be half-full - and it is worth putting in a rock. Terrapins like minced fish, snails, tiny pieces of fresh meat, ant eggs and some cod liver oil is a worth while addition.
Isn’t it about time you had a pet?