For the Love of Animals By J. PEDER ZANEMAY 13, 2015

Retirement remains a time when many Americans move away from things they have to paint, feed or nurture. Only 41 percent of Americans 65 and older live in households with pets, compared with 68 percent of those 45 to 54 and 76 percent of 18- to 24-year olds, according to a 2014 survey by Mintel, a market research agency.  The golden years may have less bark, bite and meow, but in the last decade new scientific studies, evolving attitudes about pets and changing family structures have reshaped the relationship between retirees and animals, even if much of the new research is not universally accepted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/business/retirementspecial/retirees-love-their-pets.html?_r=0