olena
<font color=green>Emerald Angel<br><font color=mag
- Joined
- May 12, 2001
- Messages
- 22,566
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tiger, Snowball and Snookie will be able to play all day long in their own yard, take in a movie, and then get a massage to relieve the stress of the day -- all in the comfort of their own kitty condominium.
But only if the pet cats outlive their owner.
A trust fund set up by cat owner Erica Parker, 41, will provide her orphaned pets with their own suite equipped with television, a yard and other services such as grooming.
"I hope that people understand that when people care for their pets it's not eccentric, it's just caring," said Parker, who lives in Littles Town, Pennsylvania, and does not have children.
Pet Estates in Melrose, New York, has arranged to care for Parker's beloved Tiger, Snowball, Snookie, Alex, Kelly Cat and Pinball in the event she cannot.
While cats might not be interested in the swimming pool at the seven-acre (2.8-hectare) estate near Albany, New York, owner-less dogs can take a dip while listening to music and wolfing down treats.
Pampered pets will enjoy warm meals and a raised, heated bed in the serenity of their own private rooms, as opposed to a kennel cage.
Parker and her husband decided during a daily commute to provide for their cats. "We were concerned that, God forbid, something happens to us," she said.
Parker's will sets aside money for either a semi-private suite with shared community room and play yard, costing $7,300 per year, or a two-room condo with enclosed porch for $11,000.
If she opts to arrange for massages for her cats, it will cost $35 per 40-minute session.
Not a bad life for cats she rescued from the streets.
For dogs, prices are higher with a semi-private suite, shared community room and play yard costing $14,600. A two-room condo with enclosed porch is $21,400.
Dogs also can receive a half-hour bath for $40.
Other groups take in pets after their owners die, including a program at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary at Kanab, Utah, but Pet Estates is the only one providing a luxury lifestyle.
Mary Lynn Gagnon, Pet Estates' owner, came up with the idea after spending years in the pet boarding business.
"We noticed that some of our older clients, as they were passing away, didn't make provisions for their pets, so they were euthanized," Gagnon said.
Sometimes, orphaned pets were placed in new homes, giving Gagnon the idea to launch her business.
She also is a registered nurse in tune with proper health care and hygiene practices. She said her goal is to treat the pets like her own.
Chicago cat owner Cynthia Metivier, a housewife, liked the idea of someone taking care of her three cats in a comfortable, clean environment after she's gone.
"It is our responsibility. Cats or dogs can't feed themselves," Metivier said, adding she had arranged with a friend to take care of her pets if she were to die.
An expert on grieving said the service could give solace to a pet's human owners.
"The unconditional love and acceptance from a pet is very powerful, and the idea that a person is going to die and there is no one to look after their pet, and they will be euthanized, will break an owner's heart," said Russell Friedman, executive director of the Grief Recovery Institute of Sherman Oaks, California, which helps people cope with death, divorce or other losses.
Marketing expert Marian Salzman conducted a study entitled "Pampered Pet" that found Americans spent more than $28 billion in 2001 feeding, healing and pampering their pets.
"Their pricing structure seems a little bit over the top to me," Salzman, of Euro RSCG Worldwide in New York, said of Pet Estates.
"Pet Estates will succeed if they figure a way to make it financially viable for the pet owner," Salzman added. "We have been watching a trend that indicated that people felt virtually as passionately about their pet as they feel about their children."
Anxiety can overwhelm pet owners when they ask what will happen to their pets if they pass away or become disabled, she said. Increasingly, considerations are made for pets in wills and insurance policies, particularly by single people without children, Salzman added.
Gary Kish of the Oregon Humane Society said the idea of keeping a dog or cat in a shelter after the owner dies seemed wrong.
"Household pets should remain household pets," Kish said. "Shelter employees go home at night but pets are accustomed to being with a family. It's probably better than the animals not having a home, but they would be better off if they were in a permanent home with a permanent family."
Kish recalled similar arrangements to Pet Estates turning out badly, citing a shelter in New York state where the animals were locked in a barn and neglected -- and began devouring each other. He also questioned what would happen if the shelters go out of business.
"People should work with their attorney and local humane societies to try to make the best plans that they can for their pets," Kish said.
I saw this and thought of catsrule! I wonder why!
But only if the pet cats outlive their owner.
A trust fund set up by cat owner Erica Parker, 41, will provide her orphaned pets with their own suite equipped with television, a yard and other services such as grooming.
"I hope that people understand that when people care for their pets it's not eccentric, it's just caring," said Parker, who lives in Littles Town, Pennsylvania, and does not have children.
Pet Estates in Melrose, New York, has arranged to care for Parker's beloved Tiger, Snowball, Snookie, Alex, Kelly Cat and Pinball in the event she cannot.
While cats might not be interested in the swimming pool at the seven-acre (2.8-hectare) estate near Albany, New York, owner-less dogs can take a dip while listening to music and wolfing down treats.
Pampered pets will enjoy warm meals and a raised, heated bed in the serenity of their own private rooms, as opposed to a kennel cage.
Parker and her husband decided during a daily commute to provide for their cats. "We were concerned that, God forbid, something happens to us," she said.
Parker's will sets aside money for either a semi-private suite with shared community room and play yard, costing $7,300 per year, or a two-room condo with enclosed porch for $11,000.
If she opts to arrange for massages for her cats, it will cost $35 per 40-minute session.
Not a bad life for cats she rescued from the streets.
For dogs, prices are higher with a semi-private suite, shared community room and play yard costing $14,600. A two-room condo with enclosed porch is $21,400.
Dogs also can receive a half-hour bath for $40.
Other groups take in pets after their owners die, including a program at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary at Kanab, Utah, but Pet Estates is the only one providing a luxury lifestyle.
Mary Lynn Gagnon, Pet Estates' owner, came up with the idea after spending years in the pet boarding business.
"We noticed that some of our older clients, as they were passing away, didn't make provisions for their pets, so they were euthanized," Gagnon said.
Sometimes, orphaned pets were placed in new homes, giving Gagnon the idea to launch her business.
She also is a registered nurse in tune with proper health care and hygiene practices. She said her goal is to treat the pets like her own.
Chicago cat owner Cynthia Metivier, a housewife, liked the idea of someone taking care of her three cats in a comfortable, clean environment after she's gone.
"It is our responsibility. Cats or dogs can't feed themselves," Metivier said, adding she had arranged with a friend to take care of her pets if she were to die.
An expert on grieving said the service could give solace to a pet's human owners.
"The unconditional love and acceptance from a pet is very powerful, and the idea that a person is going to die and there is no one to look after their pet, and they will be euthanized, will break an owner's heart," said Russell Friedman, executive director of the Grief Recovery Institute of Sherman Oaks, California, which helps people cope with death, divorce or other losses.
Marketing expert Marian Salzman conducted a study entitled "Pampered Pet" that found Americans spent more than $28 billion in 2001 feeding, healing and pampering their pets.
"Their pricing structure seems a little bit over the top to me," Salzman, of Euro RSCG Worldwide in New York, said of Pet Estates.
"Pet Estates will succeed if they figure a way to make it financially viable for the pet owner," Salzman added. "We have been watching a trend that indicated that people felt virtually as passionately about their pet as they feel about their children."
Anxiety can overwhelm pet owners when they ask what will happen to their pets if they pass away or become disabled, she said. Increasingly, considerations are made for pets in wills and insurance policies, particularly by single people without children, Salzman added.
Gary Kish of the Oregon Humane Society said the idea of keeping a dog or cat in a shelter after the owner dies seemed wrong.
"Household pets should remain household pets," Kish said. "Shelter employees go home at night but pets are accustomed to being with a family. It's probably better than the animals not having a home, but they would be better off if they were in a permanent home with a permanent family."
Kish recalled similar arrangements to Pet Estates turning out badly, citing a shelter in New York state where the animals were locked in a barn and neglected -- and began devouring each other. He also questioned what would happen if the shelters go out of business.
"People should work with their attorney and local humane societies to try to make the best plans that they can for their pets," Kish said.
I saw this and thought of catsrule! I wonder why!
