Senior News Line: Robotic pets

Some of us have gotten to the age where we wonder if adopting a pet would be the right thing to do, even though we know that having a pet would help with feelings of loneliness.

Or, maybe we have a friend or relative with Alzheimer’s or who is in long-term care and needs some company or stress reduction but can’t have a pet.

With those very things in mind, a company has created animatronic robot cats — Joy For All companion pets for seniors by Ageless Innovation.

While mostly marketed to seniors in long-term care facilities, there’s no reason you can’t have one at home.

Look for them on Amazon.com to get all the details. The cats are the size of adult cats and come in three colors: black and white tuxedo, silver and white, and orange tabby. They run on four C batteries and there are three settings: on, mute and off.

The videos on the Amazon page show just what these robotic kitties do. They roll on their back, open and close their eyes, move their limbs, turn their head and even meow and purr when petted.

And I can verify: When I played one of the cat videos and the robotic cat meowed, my own cat woke up from a nap and reacted to it.

These cats are expensive, ranging from $125 to $179, depending whether you find one on sale. They’re also marketed to children, perhaps to get them used to a pet before getting a real one, but they’re not toys.

Not a cat person? Rather have a puppy? You’re not being left out. The golden Joy For All companion pet pup feels like a puppy, moves, barks, wags his tail and has a heartbeat; it even comes with a bandanna.

Early Christmas gifts maybe? One thing is certain: These little robots are very cute.