How Pairing Older Adults With Older Pets Can Benefit Both

Takeaways

• Pairing senior adults with senior pets offers mutual benefits, including companionship and reduced loneliness for humans, and a loving home for older animals.
• While there are challenges like health costs and emotional considerations, supportive programs and careful planning can make these adoptions successful and rewarding.

In recent years, a heartwarming trend has emerged across the United States: senior adults adopting senior pets. These special connections are often life-changing — for both the pets and the people. Though puppies and kittens tend to get the spotlight at shelters, older animals offer a different companionship option that can be a perfect match for older adults.

At the same time, however, senior humans and pets alike can face similar challenges, such as health concerns, mobility limitations, and the need for routine. Yet when the match is right, the result is often a deeply fulfilling bond.

Benefits of Senior Adults Adopting Senior Pets

Adopting a pet, especially a dog or a cat, offers benefits such as constant companionship and unconditional love. For older adults, the benefits of a senior pet can be even greater, including:

• Calm Companionship. Senior pets, much like their human counterparts, have typically outgrown the hyperactive phase of youth. They’re less likely to chew on furniture, scratch at doors, or require hours of intense exercise. This mellow temperament aligns well with the lifestyle of many senior adults, offering peaceful companionship without the high-energy demands of younger animals.
• Reduced Loneliness and Improved Mental Health. For older adults, especially those living alone, a senior pet can offer structure, emotional support, and a sense of purpose. Studies have shown that pet ownership can reduce feelings of loneliness, help ward off depression, and even lower blood pressure. Just having a living being to care for and talk to can make a significant difference in one’s daily life.
• Predicable Personality. Unlike younger animals who are still developing their personalities, senior pets are typically more predictable in behavior. Shelter staff can better match them with suitable adopters, knowing their preferences for activity level, temperament, and social habits. This increases the likelihood of a successful, long-term adoption.
• Giving a Second Chance. Many senior pets are surrendered through no fault of their own—perhaps due to the illness or death of their previous owners. Adopting one of these animals gives them a second chance at life in a loving home, something that is especially meaningful to many older adults who have weathered life’s changes themselves.

Challenges to Consider

As great of an experience as owning a pet can be, there are some aspects to consider, including:

• Health and Veterinary Costs. Older pets, like older humans, can face age-related health issues. Arthritis, dental problems, or kidney disease may require regular veterinary care and medications. For senior adults on a fixed income, these costs can be a barrier. However, some shelters and rescue programs offer discounted medical care or provide support through senior pet adoption programs.
• Mobility and Physical Ability. Just as some older adults may struggle with mobility, some older pets may need help getting around. Tasks like lifting a large dog into a car or cleaning a litter box can be physically taxing for some people. It’s important to choose a pet whose care needs match the adopter’s physical capabilities.
• Emotional Considerations. Senior pets, by definition, may have fewer years left to share with their new owners. Although the time together can be deeply rewarding, losing a beloved companion can be heartbreaking. Prospective adopters should be prepared for the emotional aspects of owning an older pet, but many say the joy of the relationship far outweighs the pain of eventual loss.
• Long-Term Planning. Senior adults may have their own health concerns or face the possibility of moving to assisted living facilities that don’t allow pets. Planning for a pet’s future care, whether through family, friends, or pet legacy programs, can provide peace of mind and ensure the pet’s safety in the event of illness or death.

Supportive Programs and Resources

Many animal welfare organizations recognize the value of senior-to-senior adoptions and have created initiatives to encourage them. For example:

• Some shelters offer “Seniors for Seniors” programs that often waive or reduce adoption fees for senior citizens adopting older pets.
• Pet companionship grants or subsidies may help with vet care, food, or supplies.
• Home visit support or check-ins may be available to help ensure the match remains safe and sustainable for both pet and owner.

Finding and Caring for an Older Pet

Adopting a senior pet is more than an act of compassion — it can be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. And though there are challenges to consider, there are also meaningful rewards: comfort, companionship, and unconditional love in life’s later years.

You can contact your local animal shelter or use a more wide-ranging resource such as Petfinder to find your new best friend. Contact an elder law attorney in your area to learn how you can provide for your pet if you become unable to provide for them.

For additional reading about planning for your, and your pet’s, later years, check out the following articles:

• How to Create an Estate Plan That Includes Your Pet
• Estate Planning and Your Companion Animal
• Can You Be Buried With Your Pet?
• Provision in Will to Kill the Cat Found Invalid