Hospice patient with his cat 'Brady'.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. I have explained to my son that if I need to be put in a nursing home,

and if I don't get to choose the place ahead of time, he needs to find me one that allows cats. No matter how senile I might get I will never not love cats.

By the time I was three years old I was dragging home stray cats, and my poor Mom! She did NOT like cats, but was kind enough to lie to me about how they simply left in the middle of the night. At present I have no cats, but that's temporary. When I can no longer travel as much as I'm currently traveling, I will become a crazy cat lady and will be surrounded by felines.

Those of you who prefer canines, it's pretty much the same thing. Yes, cats and dogs are different, and living with one species is not quite the same as living with the other, but it's the companionship that matters.

And there are independent/assisted living places that allow pets or have communal pets, which is probably much better.