GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The following seniors all live in the Haskell Apartments where pets are welcome. The animals are special. They become more than pets to the people who own them - they are loving companions and friends.

Kim Airhart is one of those seniors and emphatically states, “I Love Zoey.” She is talking about her dog, a Yorkshire terrier that she acquired through a friend of hers. “I had never had a pet as a youth, but it was instant love-at-first-sight when I saw her,” she says of Zoey. “She was only three years old and weighed three pounds when I got her. Now she weighs just seven and is ten years old.”

Kim was retired and the addition of a pet was a big decision for her to make, but Zoey has added immeasurable happiness to her life. “We do everything together – like watching the same shows and cleaning the apartment together. She likes to pick up anything on the floor and bring it to me. She helps me in that way. She also loves to walk, which we do three times a day.”

Pet owner Glenda B. calls herself “a self-proclaimed cat lady” and has a half-Turkish Van male cat. She is not sure about the other half. Her cat Kedi, has the traditional different odd colored eyes - copper and blue. Glenda adopted him from the humane society after a three-year search for a white cat.

Glenda told me that before she adopted him, he had swallowed a fishhook. It pierced his cheek and just missed his eye. He is okay and adjusting to his new residence. He is quite the clown and jumps and plays and watches everyone walking by. He keeps Glenda laughing besides being good company for her and she is happy being a “cat lady.”

Resident Jim Palmore has two big cats that he calls his “babies”. The male is Skeeter, a brown tabby. Jim acquired him seven years ago. After taking care of his neighbor’s cat, Lily, and seeing how good Skeeter was with her, the neighbor left her with Jim when she moved. Lily is a beautiful Maine Coon.

Jim has trained them and says, “I make sure they are in before dark because I have seen opossums out there…. I also make a conscious decision to communicate with them. People think animals can’t communicate with us, but they can. I make a conscious effort to understand them and I know when they are hungry or tired or lonely.” He continues,” I am a cat person – Dogs are too needy.”

 

No matter what your preference, it is clear that these seniors’ furry companions bring joy and meaning to their lives.