I don’t buy it.
We have a real live cat. It purrs based on how we all interact with each other. When relaxing she sits on my legs and warms them. Some of her antics makes her very entertaining.
Yes, she needs to be fed and her litter box needs cleaning.
The point is, a real live pet can do so much more than some stupid a$$ robot. Even the feeding and cleaning gives one a sense of purpose, a sense of something to be responsible for.
A robot? I guess you care for it by plugging it in.
I would not want my best friend to be a robot. A dog, cat, even a parakeet or nothing at all would be better than a stupid robot.
What makes a pet so endearing is the unpredictable nature of the interaction. A living creature chooses to interact with you. A robot would give me no satisfaction whatsoever.
Yeah, the wife and I have a couple of cats. We spoil them, they love it. Had to put one to sleep today, though. A MaineCoon/mix “Rocky’’. He had stomach cancer and the vet said it was too far gone. Boy I miss the little guy already.