This blog was originally published on 7/18/2023 and updated on 11/18/2025.
At St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, we welcome your companion pets, because we know wellness is about more than eating vegetables or getting in your steps. It’s also about having a purpose, and having fun, which is easy when you share your daily life with a furry or feathered friend.
So, if you are wondering, “can you have pets in assisted living?”, the answer is yes—at St. Mark Village, pets for seniors is just one more reason why you’ll love it here!
Health benefits of pets for seniors
Many senior living communities have a “community pet,” usually a dog that acts as a mascot for the community, but, in reality, it’s playing several roles: friend, listener, counselor, companion, and more.
More and more senior living communities are pet-friendly, recognizing the many important health benefits that animal companions can offer their senior owners. The Humane Society reports that research has linked healthy aging with interaction between humans and animals. Here are just some of the physical benefits of pets for seniors:
- Decreased blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Reduced anxiety
- Less risk for heart disease
- Improved pain management
- Healthy weight loss
But as anyone with companion pets knows, there are also a wide range of mental and emotional health benefits. Why is this so important? Seniors today are living longer, staying more active, and finding more ways to achieve healthy aging. Taking a holistic approach to wellness that includes companion pets can be very good medicine.
Can you have pets in assisted living? Yes! And just look at what they could mean for your overall wellness:
Less stress. Petting a dog decreases cortisol, which in turn helps lower blood pressure and thus takes away much of the stress. Even talking to your companion pets can make you feel good, by reducing your anxiety or worries. You feel better knowing there’s a being in your presence that is hearing you—even if they’re staring at their food bowl!
You feel needed. There’s a wonderful bonus that comes from taking care of a warm and fuzzy creature who really does depend upon you for everything. So many older adults have cared for children, parents, and yes, pets, for years. Then, at least with children, it feels like everyone has “left the nest” and is gone, and an empty feeling can follow.
But a pet, whether it has four feet, feathers, gills or slithers on the ground, needs you, which can feel very good. Another bonus of pets for seniors.
You have a new reason to get up in the morning. Rise and shine and feed your kitty! Just knowing your pet is waiting for you to supply breakfast can help you maintain a routine and give you something to look forward to each day. Having a purpose is a fundamental aspect of healthy aging.
Related: Aging Well in Senior Living
Pets rev up your social life. It’s hard to be lonely when you have a pet, not only because of the companionship your pet offers you, but the conversations and contact you will have with other pet owners if you choose pet-friendly senior living. Whether you’re out walking your dog or sharing tips with another person who’s crazy about turtles, you have common ground on which to build a new friendship. Nothing is a better conversation-starter than a cute pet!
A pet keeps you active. It’s hard to sit still when you have a pet. You walk your dog. You play with your cat. You feed your fish. All examples of how you are moving your muscles each day and staying active. It’s good for them—and you! So, if you’re pondering can you have pets in assisted living, the answer is yes, especially if you want the extra health benefits that come from staying active!
Cats, fish, and birds can be great pets for seniors, too!
Unlike dogs, cats are happy staying indoors all the time. Adult cats require only two to three 10- to 15-minute play sessions per day. Cats are also very content to spend most of their time sleeping on their owner’s lap or bed.
Freshwater aquarium fish are the most popular pet in the U.S. (139 million nationwide.) Watching aquarium fish can decrease a person’s heart rate, increase skin temperature, and decrease muscle tension.
Birds are also a popular choice, especially cockatiels, parrots and other birds who can mimic human speech.
Explore pet-friendly senior living at St. Mark Village!
Less stress, a sense of purpose, a reason to be active and more—having a pet leads to countless wellness benefits, and of course, friendship! As a pet-friendly senior living community, at St. Mark Village, we are here to support you in every way. And that includes wellness of the body, mind, and spirit, as well as seamless access to future care options. We’d love to tell you more!
A lifestyle that supports you in every way. Download our free guide, Just The Facts: Your Guide to Independent Living. Or contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
