Do you have a pet in your life? If you do you will know how much love and enjoyment – not to mention entertainment – they can give you.

As such they are even more beneficial to a disabled person. Sometimes they may be simply a friend and a source of comfort; other times they may actually be of practical help to the disabled person.

The most frequent example we see is a guide dog for a blind person. But there are also hearing dogs for the deaf and even seizure alert dogs, which are capable of alerting someone with epilepsy to the fact that they are about to have a seizure.

But pets for the disabled don’t need to have practical skills like this. A classic example would be the case of a disabled person having a cat. Cats notoriously like to sit on their owner’s lap and have fusses at any hour of the day. This can be a very calming and rewarding experience for both parties! And it can bring great health benefits for the disabled person too.

These pets can take many forms. Some people like to have a fish tank they can maintain and look after. For others a small furry animal that generally lives in a cage is the best option. Cats and dogs are by far the most popular options among pets for the disabled, but if you are considering getting a pet don’t automatically go for the obvious.

You should always think practically too. If you have a disability you might find it difficult to look after certain animals. There are alternatives sometimes though. You may not be able to clean out a cat litter tray, but you could make sure the cat is able to go outside at any time of the night and day, so that it can go whenever it needs to.

Pets for the disabled are often a wonderful addition to their lives. You only need to see the look on the face of the disabled person when they see their pet to know that this is true.



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