Buy
- Mild-to-moderate dementia? Severe agitation: clinician first.
- Cat (quieter, cheaper) or dog (lifelong dog people)?
- Nobody to charge → Joy for All. Reliable charger → MetaCat.
- Real return window?
- Borrow first: library or AAA, 1-800-677-1116.
- Free program? Ask the AAA. NY: code NYS20.
- Don't wait for Tombot Jennie.
Set up
- Turn it on out of sight.
- Fresh batteries; date on the seam; change every 2–3 months.
- Collar tag; name inside the seam.
- Shared room: mute meow/bark, keep purr.
- A "bed" in another room for meals and nights.
Introduce
- "Want to hold my cat?" — yours, not a gift.
- Name it; give it a story.
- Don't argue about whether it's real.
- Hand it over; four pounds.
- Three to five short sessions before judging.
- No reaction, or distress → put it away.
Live with it
- Feeding: "the vet says once a day." Damp cloth.
- Weekly wipe, brush. Never soak.
- Night: "she sleeps in her basket."
- Keep the receipt; motors fail.
- Facility: label it, tell the director.
- Stopped working for them? Donate it.
Stop if
- Distress about it being sick or hungry you can't redirect.
- Refusing food or sleep.
- It replaces visits or care.
Why each item is on the list
Before you buy. Mild-to-moderate dementia and low-to-moderate agitation is where robot pets help most; with severe agitation, talk to the clinician first, a robot pet is less likely to help. The cat is quieter, $20 cheaper, and in stock more often; choose the dog for lifelong dog people. If nobody can handle charging, Joy for All (four C batteries, keep spares); if someone reliable can, MetaCat or metaDog are rechargeable. Buy from a retailer with a real return window, because rejection happens. Public libraries and some Area Agencies on Aging lend robot pets — call the Eldercare Locator on 1-800-677-1116 for your AAA, and ask about animatronic or robotic pet programs. Join the free Tombot Jennie waitlist anyway, but do not wait for it.
Setting up. Put fresh batteries in and write the date on masking tape on the belly seam; change them every two to three months of daily use. A collar with a name tag and the owner's name inside the seam stops it walking off in a facility. In a shared room, mute the meow or bark and keep the purr. A basket in another room gives you somewhere to put it at mealtimes and at night if a stopped pet would upset them.
Introducing it. Bringing it as your pet rather than a gift sidesteps the "I'm not a child" reaction. A name and a story ("she's a rescue, she doesn't like being picked up by the middle") make it part of the routine. Do not argue about whether it is real in either direction. Do not expect a frail person to lift four pounds from a table. The trials used regular short sessions, not a single introduction.
Living with it. Feeding attempts are the most common problem: go along with the belief ("the vet says once a day, and I already fed her"), keep it away from the table, wipe the mouth with a damp cloth. Clean weekly with a germicidal wipe or non-toxic toy cleaner and brush the fur; never soak it or run it under water. Motors and sensors fail with heavy use, so keep the receipt. In a facility, tell the activities director it is a personal pet. When it stops working for them, that is normal — donate it to the activity room.
This checklist is not medical advice. Agitation, anxiety, and behavior changes have medical causes — pain, infection, medication — that need a clinician. Full guide: aipetdog.com/robot-pets-for-dementia/