Golden Years and Companion Animals: Investigating How the Human–Animal Bond Shapes Pet Wellness in Later Life from the Owner’s Perception

Abstract

Most research studies have investigated the impact of pet ownership on the mental and physical well-being of elderly populations, supporting the beneficial effect that pets have on their owners. However, few researchers focused on the well-being of both owner and pet. The present study aimed to explore the well-being of pets owned by elderly individuals using an owner assessment tool and the relationship between elderly characteristics and the pet's health-related quality of life based on the owner's assessment of their pet's well-being. Sixty elderly pet owners who made regular visits to veterinary clinics were selected to complete an electronic questionnaire about their pet's health-related quality of life. The results identified a high agreement percentage on positive indicators related to the pet's well-being such as "My pet wants to play and My pet responds to my presence" in the happiness domain, "My pet has more good days than bad days" in mental status, "My pet moves normally" in physical status and "My pet keeps him/herself clean" in hygiene which also resulted in a positive relationship with elderly age. Marital status influenced their responses to "My pet responds to my presence and My pet is as active as he/she has been". The results also support the use of the applied questionnaire to help identify variables that contribute to a pet's health-related quality of life. The correlation matrix revealed statistically significant positive associations (<i>p</i> < 0.001) among positively phrased items across all domains, as well as among negatively phrased items. These consistent alignments between direct and between reversed items suggest directional coherence and help mitigate potential response bias. Furthermore, the replication of these patterns across multiple domains reinforces the interpretation that the instrument captures a unified construct of pet well-being, In conclusion, based on subjective evaluation of pet-owner relationships, the ownership of pets by elderly individuals could be mutually beneficial to both elderly owners and their pets.