My mother had a birthday recently, and my siblings and I pooled our resources and got her a new cat. I think it was a surprise, even though my cousins had given her sister a cat for her birthday a couple of months back.

Both women are living in seniors’ residences, which have a no pets policy. I quite agree with that – cats can be a nuisance, and it seems you are always scooping out the litter box. And don’t get me started on vet bills!

These cats though are robotic. They don’t need to be fed or use the litter box. They also don’t run around, getting constantly underfoot. I always seem to be stepping on my daughter’s cats – they don’t seem to have sense enough to not be where I am stepping.

The robotic cats sound real, which I guess is not surprising, audio technology being what it is. They don’t look all that realistic up close, though they might fool people from a distance.Also there is a randomness to both the sound and actions that makes the “animal” seem much more lifelike.

Before delivering the “animal” to my mother I decided to take it out of the box for a test drive. I wanted to make sure the batteries really were included. I was also curious as to what the reaction would be from my daughter’s cats to this purring interloper. You can see them in the video below.

These robotic cats are billed as a companion for seniors who, for various reasons, can no longer have the real thing. I’m not 100% convinced about the creatures (not sure how long it will be before the batteries will need to be replaced). But my mother seems pleased.