Robot cat or dog - anyone bought one?

In our care home we have dementia cats and dementia dogs and they are an absolute godsend to some of our residents…

Diamanté collar *

We bought our mum one ( well we bought three as she kept dropping it and breaking it, but she thought it was the same one repaired as she was very fond of him)
She adored him and at times spoke of it as if he was a real cat. It was a godsend as she was lonely at times and she had something to talk to. When she went into a care home as her dementia got worse another lady had the exact model and we had to buy a diamanté colour so mum would know which was hers. When mum died the cat stayed at the care home to give comfort to someone else.
I’d highly recommend them.

I bought something similar for my mum when she had quite advanced dementia and was in a care home. I bought it to calm her down as she used to get quite stressed. She had always had pets so it seemed worth a try.

I thought that she thought it was real as it purred and moved its head. She used to have it on her knee and stroke it.

She had visitors one day and they admired her 'cat'. She said, 'It's not real you know'. . It was one of her more lucid days.

Yes, I have said this on another similar post

I looked these up on Amazon and they seem to have terrific reviews. They made a lot of elderly people very happy. Who'd have thought it! At present our own two real cats are major parts of our lives but, one day, if I'm struck by dementia I hope my family would think of one of these for me.

too bad she can't have a real pet.

But does it wake her up in the morning as soon as dawn breaks? Does it roll over on the bed in the middle of night to have its spotty tummy rubbed? Does it clatter out the bedroom window at four o'clock in the morning, leaving claw marks on the window sill? Does it hold long conversations with her about exactly what it wants? Does it demand that she opens the full-size door rather than expect it to shovel itself through the cat flap? Does it sulk when the mouse it has caught has escaped in the bedroom? Does it purr her to sleep?

Thank you for your update Liz08 I’m glad it made your sister happy x

What a lovely kind thing to do Liz08.

no

I'm really glad she liked it. You do miss your pets. Even though it's not quite the same as a real one, I'm sure she'll enjoy its company.

When DS went to uni, one of the cereal companies was giving away soft toy cats that purred whe you squeezed them, so I got him one! Later he was in a flat where pets weren't allowed and would have loved a robot one. What a pity they didn't exist then.

Thanks for the reply Blossoming, I thought you might like to hear the end of the story.....
After much research, I went ahead and bought a Joy For All Tabby cat- Amazon £113 + 12 spare C size batteries, even though the 'sleep mode' means that the batteries last quite a while, I didn't want her to have a problem. I've put in the correct size screwdriver for the battery compartment too.

Cassie the cat (her new name) looked so cute in the box and the batteries were all ready fitted so it was very easy to set up. There was also a brush included for grooming.

Seeing the smile on my sister's face (a Big soppy grin actually) meant it was well worth the money.

Are those the ‘companion’ pets I’ve seen advertised? Such a shame for your sister.