Mature Moggies Combat Loneliness

Tom Stone — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000

As loneliness becomes an increasing public health concern, Cats Protection, The UK's leading feline charity, is encouraging people to find companionship with loving mature moggies.

Despite having a lot of love to offer, scores of unwanted OAP felines are struggling to find their forever homes and take on average three times longer to rehome than energetic young kittens.

Daniel Cummings, Behaviour Officer at Cats Protection, said: "It's a common misconception that older cats don't play or interact much with owners, when in actuality, mature cats are just as loving and playful as younger cats. In fact, it could even be easier to introduce a mature cat to a home than a younger cat or kitten."

Mature Moggies Day is on 16 June and Cats Protection aims to show people that an older cat can make the perfect companion, especially for those who are battling loneliness.

Nine out of 10 cat owners think that owning a cat has a positive effect on their mental wellbeing, and nearly two-thirds of owners who regularly work from home say their cat helps them by calming them down.

"Loneliness is affecting millions of people across the country, particularly as they adjust to life after lockdown." Daniel continued. "Cats can help prevent feelings of loneliness in all sorts of ways, whether providing entertainment through play or being there for a soothing cuddle. Often, people tell us it is a great source of comfort to simply have another living being in the home to care for and talk to."

"Some people may be worried about adopting an older cat because they are concerned that they have had too many negative experiences in the past and will have lots of complex behavioural issues. The reality is that a lot of mature moggies in our care have come from happy loving homes, but sadly their owner was just unable to care for them any longer.

"The amount of love these older ladies and gents have to give is vast. If you are someone who is struggling with feeling lonely, adopting an older cat could not only provide you with the company you crave, but you will also be doing something wonderful by giving a loving home to a cat.

"In the same way as a human's personality develops as they get older, a cat's personality shines more with age too. It's even easier to find the perfect match with an older cat because they are pretty robust in who they are. You could walk into an adoption centre today and find a kindred spirit sitting there waiting for you."

If you are adopting a cat, make sure you take time to chat talk to the Adoption Centre staff and ensure you provide everything a cat needs to settle into a new home. Cats Protection has produced a guide on how to care for elderly cats, including behaviour to look out for, recommended diets, and how to ensure they're comfortable at home.

All cats adopted from Cats Protection have been health checked and come with four weeks' free pet insurance which will cover any new conditions that arise after adoption.

For advice on caring for older cats, visit: www.cats.org.uk/mature-moggies

Age matters as OAP cats lose out in the race for loving homes

Your Pets Daily Editor — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 14:59:46 +0000

Unwanted feline OAPs are sitting unloved on the shelf while the bright young kittens are quickly snapped up, according to adoption figures from a national cat charity.

Cats Protection reveals that older cats aged 11+ take an average of one month to find a new home - over three times as long as kittens who take just eight days.

Eager to give the oldies a boost, the charity has created Mature Moggies Day to remind people of the enormous benefits of adopting a senior kitizen, to share inspirational stories and provide information and advice.

In order to understand why older cats are being overlooked in favour of fresher-faced felines, Cats Protection commissioned a survey which showed that 23% of respondents would consider any cat aged over five years as 'older'. Whereas in fact, a five-year-old cat is only 36 in human years and a cat generally isn't classed as a senior until it reaches 11 years of age.

Under a quarter of survey respondents said they would be likely to consider an older cat, compared to 68% of respondents who would be likely to consider getting a kitten. The top reasons given for not considering an older cat were that it might not live long (72%), it would be more likely to get ill (56%) and it would cost money if unwell (40%). Almost a fifth (19%) of people who were unlikely to consider an older cat said that one of the reasons was that older cats are not very playful.

Becky Piggott, Cats Protection Senior Cat Care Assistant and long-standing mature moggy devotee, says: "I am absolutely passionate about older cats and have adopted 14 of them over the years. I'm currently the proud owner of Brigadier Monty Bojangles who is a very young-at-heart 15-year-old!

"Offering a loving retirement home to an older cat is incredibly rewarding. Older cats have just as much to offer as kittens – they tend to stay closer to home, are very affectionate and provide amazing companionship. With improvements in cat care, the quality of life for older moggies has greatly increased so people definitely shouldn't be put off adopting one."

Hollyoaks actress Jessica Fox - owner of a 15-year-old cat called Oliver – agrees, saying:

"My Oliver may be 15 but you wouldn't know it - he certainly doesn't! He rules the roost, gives the best cuddles and makes me laugh every single day. The fact older cats take three times longer to get rehomed than younger ones is such a shame as they have so much to offer a home."

"All cats adopted from Cats Protection have been fully health-checked and come with a full medical history and four weeks' free pet insurance which will cover any new conditions that arise after adoption."

To get involved, visit Cats Protection's social media channels on 16 June 2021 www.facebook.com/catsprotection or www.twitter.com/catsprotection. For more information visit: www.cats.org.uk/mature-moggies

Your Pets Daily - Older rescue cats

Mature Moggies Combat Loneliness

Category

Tags

Age matters as OAP cats lose out in the race for loving homes

Category

Tags