Elderly People Find Ways to Keep Living with Pets

Yokosuka, Kanagawa Pref., Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)--At 92, Kaori Kusakari shares her life with Purin, a 12-year-old male cat who has been by her side for years, at a rare elderly nursing home in Japan that allows pets to stay with their owners.

Five years ago, Kusakari moved into the facility, Sakura no Sato Yamashina, in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, with Purin.

Residents can live with their pets at the facility, and crucially, the animals can remain there after their owners die.

"Purin is always at my bedside," Kusakari said, gently stroking him. "I feel at ease when I am close to him because we have spent so much time together." Her relatives had searched for a place where she could continue living with Purin and found Sakura no Sato Yamashina, which opened in 2012.

Currently, 13 dogs and cats live there alongside about 40 residents. Some arrived with their owners and others came through animal welfare groups.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]