Mom with dementia finds comfort with robotic cat
“He’s wonderful,” James Smith’s mother said of the purr-fect gift.
— -- A heartwarming moment played out over the weekend in Seattle, Washington, between a robotic cat and a woman suffering from mild dementia.
James Allen Smith said his mother had to give away her cat two years ago after being told that she could no longer care for it. Heartbroken and now living in an adult family home, James decided to present his mother with a robotic cat to lift her spirits -- and capture her reaction on video.
“It closes its eyes,” Virginia Smith said with amazement in the video, as the cat shook its head and let out a gentle purr.
Virginia later named her cat Robbie and referred to him as a “boy kitty.”
James asked his mother to keep Robbie in her room and explained that he gave his mother’s caregivers instructions on how to care for the cat.
“I’m glad you like it. It makes me happy,” James told her.