PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – Animatronic pets have become popular with seniors and other shut-ins in recent years and the state of New York is getting on board, shipping them out to communities across the state.
And for one Plattsburgh veteran, the “pets” have been a welcome development.
A new batch of animatronic pets arrived at the Clinton County Office for Aging, with the goal of reducing loneliness and stress in seniors.
“No vet services, no having to buy extra food for it, it’s great,” said Terry Morris, a Plattsburgh resident who is one of the recipients. The 78-year-old says he’s had his animatronic cat — which he calls Tessi — for the last year after being offered one. “They were asking for volunteers last year and I was here and they said, ‘We know you are good with cats but you are not good with dogs, so how about a cat?’ And I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”
Morris is one of many thousands of New Yorkers who have received the lifelike pets, which also come in the form of a dog or bird.
“They are fun. They are robotic but they are a really nice companion for people. It’s a nice option to have,” said Darleen Collins of the Clinton County Office for Aging.
She says the state has given out more than 31,000 pets since the program started in 2018 and that results from the first year showed a nearly 75% reduction in loneliness and pain.
For Morris, a Vietnam vet with PTSD, the program offers a different kind of solace.
“There are times that I was glad to have the cat around. It would sort of release some of the tension,” he said.
It’s a furry robotic companion that Morris and his partner, Debra Scott-Henderson, recommend to others in the North Country.
“He is very calming and I love listening to cats purr, and he has a nice purr,” Scott-Henderson said.
Those interested in taking part in the state-funded program can call their local OFA office.
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