
Requests for protection of dogs and cats increase due to aging of owners
AI-generated summary
As the population continues to age, the issue of pet owners becoming older and unable to care for their pets due to illness or death has become an issue.
For the elderly, pets are like family members, and they play an important role in providing emotional support. On the other hand, there is always the worry of not being able to take care of the child due to illness or death. Under these circumstances, facilities are being operated where elderly people and pets can live together, and activities are also being carried out to support the care of pets at home.
Half of requests for protection of dogs and cats have increased due to aging of owners - survey of 120 private organizations
At the special nursing home Sakura no Satoyamashina (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), which opened in 2012, residents can live with dogs and cats. This initiative is said to be rare even in Japan, and currently 40 residents and a total of 13 dogs and cats, either living with their owners or adopted from welfare organizations, are living there. The special areas where dogs and cats can live have been available for five or six years, and even if they become vacant, they fill up quickly. Another feature is that the pet can continue living even after the owner's death.
Kaoru Kusakari (92), who moved into the cat-only area five years ago, said with a smile as she gently stroked her male cat, Pudding (12), saying, ``He always stays in my bed. He's been with me for a long time, so I feel safe when he's near me.'' In order to fulfill her wish to continue living with her pet cat, Pudding, her relatives searched for a facility and were able to live with her cat.
Michihiko Wakayama, 61, director of the social welfare corporation that operates the facility and was involved in its opening, said, ``When I see the residents and the dogs and cats sleeping happily, I'm really glad we did it.''
Doubutsu Gakari (Niigata City), a citizen group that takes care of walks, feeding, and cleaning of breeding areas, dispatches pet sitters to elderly people at a discounted rate. The company works with local governments such as the city, and when a care manager at a nursing care site contacts them to say that they are unable to keep their pets, they sometimes set up a forum for discussion with people from hospitals and social welfare councils.
Representative Mami Miura (62) reveals the reality, saying, ``There are people who refuse to be hospitalized or move into facilities because they want to be with their pets, and there are also pets that die due to inappropriate care.'' He also emphasized the need to watch over both the elderly and their pets.
Maiko Anno, an associate professor at Yokohama National University who is an expert on the relationship between humans and animals, says, ``It is important that both the elderly welfare and animal welfare fields work together. Owners should think in advance about what to do if they are no longer able to care for their animals adequately.''

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