Our senior foster program helps humans and animals thrive in their golden years.


Connie and Chester, left, have enriched each other’s lives, along with everyone else’s in their apartment building, through our Senior-to-Senior Foster Program. Ellie, right, has thrived away from our shelter space and brought joy to Janet.
At a certain time every day, Connie opens the door to her apartment, allowing Chester to sashay out the door, down the hallway and into the open doors of some of the other ladies in the building. He’ll also take the time to offer greetings to any cats or dogs he runs into along the way.
And Connie doesn’t mind him visiting other residents, maybe because Chester is a cat. A cat who is a bit of a character and well known on the floor. Connie has been fostering Chester ever since he arrived at Animal Advocates about nine years ago.
Connie fosters Chester under Animal Advocates’ Senior-to-Senior foster program, which matches up senior citizens with senior animals on a foster basis. Participants are responsible for providing basic needs for the animal and will schedule routine veterinary appointments while the rescue takes care of the financial aspects, including vet costs. Food and supplies are also included.
The S2S program allows seniors to experience the joy of having a companion animal while alleviating some of the concerns of a lifelong commitment. Most of the senior animals that are surrendered have spent their entire lives in a home environment and become extremely stressed when suddenly they find themselves in a strange place with other animals around.
Often they do not adjust well and become depressed or anxious, resulting in behaviors that are challenging to manage in a rescue situation. Ellie is one of those cats.
Originally adopted from Animal Advocates, she spent seven years in a loving home until being surrendered back when her caretaker could no longer provide for her. To say Ellie was not happy at the rescue would be an understatement.
“If you’re alone, an animal keeps you moving around.”
– Connie, Chester’s Senior Foster
And she made sure the other feline residents and the cat caretakers were well aware of her displeasure. Luckily Janet, who had already fostered senior kitty Dusty Rhodes until he crossed the rainbow bridge, realized Ellie needed a different environment and offered to take her home. Janet has provided a nonthreatening environment for Ellie and reports that she has adjusted nicely.
To participate in the program, seniors must be at least 65 years old and have no other pets, though there can be some exceptions. The participant must also be able to provide basic animal care of feeding, socialization and exercise, and live within a reasonable driving distance from Animal Advocates location in Pittsburgh’s West End.
The program is intended to be a permanent placement so once the animal is placed, they will no longer be available for adoption. Animal Advocates remains the legal “owner,” however, and will accept the animal back as soon as possible when notified that the foster can no longer provide care.
Both Connie and Janet recommend fostering under the Senior-to-Senior program. “If you’re alone, an animal keeps you moving around,” Connie said. “Chester meows to let me know he’s around and hungry. He’s a brat. But he’s a good boy. And smart!”