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Second chances for cats, company for seniors
Program helps seniors adopt feline friends
Manisha Krishnan, North Shore News
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009

Pets often make the best companions, but being able to afford one isn't always possible, especially if you're a senior with a limited income.

That's where the Action for Animals in Distress Society comes in.

The Burnaby-based organization takes senior cats from shelters like the SPCA where they would normally be euthanized and places them with seniors all over the Lower Mainland.

"We give them everything they could possibly ask for and then some," says co-ordinator Nicky Forbes.

"Litter boxes, scoops, food, dishes." The group also foots the bill for any visits to the vet and provides money on a monthly basis, if it's necessary.

The idea for the program came about when Forbes realized how many seniors out there wanted cats but weren't doing anything about it.

"I met lots of seniors at local events and they told me 'Oh I love kitties,' and I asked 'Do you have one?' and they said 'We're too old,'" she explains.

"It's got nothing to do with being too old. It's about 'what if.' 'What if I die, what will happen to the cat; what if I can't carry heavy bags of litter; what if I can't pay vet bills?"

These are issues that the society aims to resolve -- all cats are vaccinated, spayed or neutered and friendly.

"No scratchers, no biters," says Forbes.

If for some reason that cat and owner do not jive -- or if the owner passes on before the animal -- the organization will take it back, adds Forbes.

"We have a 100 per cent no-kill shelter."

It's a win-win situation, says Janice Meinkle, a North Vancouver senior who adopted Baby Girl Marley in December 2006.

Meinkle, who had had cats all her life, heard about the program through her hairdresser. At the time, she was living in an apartment that didn't allow animals but she soon moved and found she needed a little company.

"I live on my own and in the building I was living in, I didn't get to know a lot of people and I just found I would come home and it would be kind of lonely," she says.

"I wanted another living being in my life and I love cats."

Although the first couple of nights were a little shaky, Baby Girl Marley soon adjusted and the pair has been living together happily ever since.

"I think it is a fabulous program. I've told other people in the building here about Nicky's organization," says Meinkle.

She regularly picks up food and litter for her pet and has even been provided with antibiotics.

"I wanted to get a cat very much but I was concerned about the vet costs because you take your cat in -- all of a sudden it's $1,000."

Having the cat around has changed her life, says Meinkle.

"It has significantly improved my state of mind. I have to make sure they're looked after and Baby Girl likes to cuddle on the bed. It's just nice to have somebody to talk to that doesn't talk back to you."

Forbes has received plenty of feedback from seniors who've reaped the benefits of having a cat.

"Most seniors would love to have an animal or a companion. It cuts down on medical costs and it aids depression," she explains.

But the Action for Animals in Distress Society needs help from the private sector to keep going as vet bills can be up to $7,000 a month. Donors will receive a tax receipt as the society is a registered charity, says Forbes.

"We're about saving lives of cats and giving seniors a companion animal."

For more information go to www.actionforanimals.net.