HOME AGAIN CATS FOR SENIORS PROGRAM

For the past few years, there has been a great program at Home Again that pairs senior cats with senior residents of Bancroft and the surrounding area. Called the Cats for Seniors Program, it offers love and connection for both the cats and senior citizens. Mary Freeman, a volunteer with Home Again for the past nine years, describes the program in detail and its benefits. For more information, you can get in touch with Home Again’s cat manager Clarice Smith at 613-202-2258.

Freeman says that Smith came up with the idea to pair senior cats with seniors back in July, 2019. The program gives seniors the companionship of a cat but ensures the cat will have a home if the senior person passes away before the cat. They pay no adoption fee because they are providing a home for a cat that would otherwise not be adopted because of its age or antisocial nature. The seniors pay for the cat’s food, litter and veterinary care for life. If they pass away before the cat, Home Again brings the cat back into the program so he/she will be available for the next senior.

According to the Home Again website, the Cats for Seniors program allows them to save many cats that need to be rehomed because their owner died or went into a nursing home and the cat is used to a quiet home without any other pets. Adult cats can be difficult to rehome because they are so set in their ways and like what they are accustomed to.

Freeman says that a great portion of Bancroft area residents are seniors and many are forced to leave their home to go into long term care, a seniors’ residence or accept assisted living in a relative’s home.

“Usually, their pets are not welcome in the new home. Other seniors call Home Again seeking to adopt an adult cat for their quiet life as kittens are too active for them. Home Again caters to the majority of locals, who demand kittens, not adult cats. These seniors hesitate to take a pet that would outlive them and become a burden to their survivors. You can see the match, to the advantage of the cats,” she says.

Freeman says that some university and college towns have a similar rent a cat for the school year for students who want a quiet companion in their university residence and will not need the cat for the summer when they are usually busy working. She says that Home Again senior cats Baby, Babe, Will, Maynooth and Boots went through the Cats for Seniors program and Thor is still available for adoption in the program.

“We do not anticipate any changes to this program. The challenge with it is finding fosters where senior cats can wait for their next adopter,” she says. “Home Again has no shelter and does not believe that any cat should live in a cage, so fosters are the backbone of our organization.”