Why not use a real cat? They’re a dime a dozen.
AI cats, cell phones, sex robots and self driving cars.
Life is so full.
as much as I can appreciate your astute observation, Ol tom is still getting round the clock care. and sometimes human interaction with a dementia patient can be hazardous to ones well being. if a mechanical cat or a block of wood calms him down , well, so be it. hes not always in his right mind anyway. and real cats poop, shed, scratch and some people have severe allergies to animals
read a story awhile ago that redecorating a home or room to a style the person grew up with helps calm dementia patients down a lot, and helps them get interested in doing things, like puzzles, crafts, piano etc- something about retro period decorating makes them feel more at ease-
Simpsons did it first when Bart and Martin Prince designed the baby seal robots for the nursing home.
Personally, I'd rather have a fresh Popeyes Emotional Support Chicken each day, myself.
I have two elderly relatives living in a senior facility. They both have cognitive-decline/dementia problems. The facility had a real cat living there for a while and was popular with the residents but it eventually passed away. When this cat was there, they had to feed it and also clean the cat litter box, etc. The staff has enough to do, believe me. Pet dogs are brought in to visit with the residents by community members, so that is nice for the residents.
People with dementia and memory loss can get very agitated - they are confused, and also show a lot of OC behavior. Anything like this should be tried, IMO, to improve quality of life for elderly people. One of my relatives in her 80's love stuffed animals so I bring one with me when I visit. A robot cat would simply amount to an "animated" stuff toy.