My uncle, in his declining days, had someone give him a mechanical cat. It operated with batteries, could move it’s head, swish it’s tail, and make purring noises. My uncle would have it on his lap and stroke it, and I think, in his dementia, he even thought it was real. It looked fairly realistic, with long hair.
After he died I don’t know what happened to the cat, but I know someone now who would benefit from having a cat like that.
I’ve googled around but maybe I’m using the wrong terms, or combinations thereof. “Cat” and “toy”, and “mechanical” usually bring up cat toys, or items with images of cats on them. If my fellow Dopers could help point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it.