A Northland animal rescue shelter has launched a new initiative pairing up elderly people with elderly cats.
Sam Stewart, chairperson of Coast to Coast Cat Rescue in Kerikeri, told 1News there are a significant number of stray cats up north, as a lot of older cats get abandoned.
"We've got one cat in care at the moment who's 11, she's called Minnie, and the idea came to me when I was cleaning out her cage one day because I was like nobody's really interested in taking her on so much because everybody just wants the kittens and the younger cats and they're worried about older cats and the cost associated with that.
"So I thought wouldn't it be great, because she's the ideal cat for an elderly person, if we could get some sponsorship from local businesses to help pay for the ongoing food and any medical [bills] that may come up, and then an older person that can't afford to do all that themselves also gets a companion, so it's kind of a win, win for everybody."
Stewart said the most important thing will be gaining more sponsors and drumming up awareness around the number of stray cats in the area.
"It's about matching the cat to the person as well, there's no point giving somebody who's really frail and can easily fall over a kitten or a teen cat that's going to trip them up."
She said the shelter has housed around 100 adult cats in recent months, more than what they usually have.
Stewart said this is likely due to the cost of living and landlords not allowing pets at rental properties.
She said a lot of older people come to them wanting to adopt cats but are hesitant about the costs around owning a pet.
"We kept hearing from people saying I can't quite make my super stretch that far, or I'm worried about what's gonna happen to the cat when I die.
"So it was sort of an amalgamation of ideas that we suddenly went, hey hang on what if we did this?"
Stewart said 12 months from now, she hopes more adult cats will be homed while giving elderly residents a companion at the same time.
"It's keeping older people company, it's keeping our numbers down in the shelter. I mean let's face it, it's nicer for a cat to be loved and in a home versus in a cattery.
"In an ideal world this will really take off, we'll get lots of sponsorship, we'll get lots of cats in houses."
Stewart said the initiative is hugely beneficial for the elderly people involved.
"There's mental health benefits with an old person on their own, there's the companionship, it's sort of giving them a reason to get up and get things done like changing a litter tray, grooming, or taking them to a vet visit.
"There's just so many actual benefits I think, and benefits for the cat as well that it's warm, safe, dry, fed and loved versus sitting in a cage or cattery environment."
Stewart said she hopes the initiative will solve a "bigger picture".
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