Peace of Mind for Cat Owners in Hospice
When he was in his final month, my husband was in hospice at home, surrounded by his family, including his cats. All of us were grateful, and he did not have the sorrow of wondering if his cats were being cared for, as often happens with terminally ill patients in a hospital hospice setting.
A couple of years ago, Delana Taylor McNac, a former veterinarian and current chaplain of Hospice of Green Country in Tulsa, Oklahoma, saw a need to give peace of mind to the hospice clients.
McNac developed the Pet Peace of Mind Program, which provides food, veterinary care, and personal care, such as dog-walking for the pets. While it apparently cannot reunite these terminally ill hospice patients with their loved cats and dogs, it gives them the next best thing: the peace of mind of knowing their pet is being cared for.
Sharon L. Peters, pets columnist for USA Today, has followed the program since its inception, and recently ran a column about the history of the Pet Peace of Mind program, as well as a positive new development which she revealed:
Banfield Charitable Trust has stepped up to promote and share the Pet Peace of Mind Program with non-profit hospices nationwide, and is offering up to $5,000 in start-up money for those that decide to implement it.This is an excellent arrangement for cat lovers who have not already made arrangements for their pets, should they become unable to care for them. Taylor McNac also hopes to be able to add arrangements for finding homes for these pets after their owners have passed on.
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Comments
This is wonderful. I cared for my mother with in-home hospice. While she had been unable to have a cat for a couple of years, because of fears of falling, I know she would have loved having a kitty curled up on her bed. The vowels will be able to stay here in their house when I die, as I am leaving it to my best friend, and he has agreed that he will love and care for them. If he ever gets to see them.