The $120 Plastic Cat is Not Your Mother's Caregiver
State agencies are buying robotic pets by the thousands to quietly paper over a massive human staffing crisis.
By Neil D'Monte, Palmelle Editorial Team · Reviewed by Neil D'Monte · 7 min read · 2026-07-03
In 2020, the New York State Office for the Aging bought 1,100 robotic companion pets—battery-powered cats and dogs that purr, bark, and wag their tails—and shipped them to older adults living alone. By 2023, state agencies across Alabama, Florida, and Pennsylvania had followed suit, distributing tens of thousands of these synthetic animals. It was hailed as a triumph of modern innovation, but in reality, it was the opening salvo of a quiet retreat from the human responsibility of looking after our parents.
The direct answer
Robotic companion pets and AI chatbots are not inherently evil, but their deployment by state agencies is a calculated budget
