One of the best gifts that I have ever bought for my grandfather was a pet, we lost my grandmother some months before and having been married for 70 years it was clear that he was going to start feeling lonely. My grandfather lived quite a way from the rest of the family and whilst we all did what we could to see him, I felt that a pet would be the best idea for him. I took some advice from the great team at the AV veterinary center who gave me a number of options which I could choose from. If you have an elder relative who is alone, here are some great pet ideas for them.
Birds
In the end I decided that a budgie would be the perfect idea for my grandfather and he absolutely loved it. The beauty of getting a bird such as a budgie is that they really don’t too much looking after. As long as the cage is cleaned out every couple of days and there is plenty of food and water for them, they will just look after themselves. My grandfather loved having a job to do and he would clean the cage out every couple of days, talk to the budgie who would occasionally speak back, and I could see just how much he loved his bird.
Dog
Dogs may need a little more looking after than a bird but as long as your relative is still fit enough to take the dog out walking then this could be a great gift for them. Dogs are incredibly loyal and they will stay at your relative’s side each and every day. They can provide a real source of happiness and they will also motivate your relative to get up and get out, in order to take the dog for a walk or to buy food. The only reason why I didn’t think that this was a great idea for my grandfather was because he was 95 and probably not active enough to really give the dog the best life, if your relative is fit enough however they are going to love having a dog around the house.
Cat
A cat is a great pet for the elderly because they really don’t require very much looking after at all. As long as there is food and litter in the tray, the cat will just go about its business. Dogs can be a bit full on for some people whereas a cat will just look after itself, and more often than not it will probably be out and about. Cats can provide a great source of pleasure too and they love to be cuddled and played with. If you are looking for a pet which will put a smile on someone’s face and is super simple to look after then this may be the perfect choice for you.