Cat-loving great-great-granddad with dementia gets robot pet to calm him in his final days

Throughout his life, 88-year-old Robert Wyatt loved cats.

Robert had adopted dozens and at one stage, he even had nine living with him.

Ten years ago, he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia – a form of the condition caused by abnormal deposits of protein in the brain – and in August last year, he was hospitalised permanently.

He also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure and needed round the clock care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre in Peterborough, Ontario.

After years of living with cats, one of the things he missed most, was having a pet.

The great-great-grandfather told his daughter Cheryl Yates, 61, his dying wish was to have a cat again and two weeks before he died, she made his wish come true – thanks to a robot pet.

The toy feels and acts like a real cat and it was specifically designed by Joy For All Cats to bring companionship and comfort to elderly people with dementia.

Robert, from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, named it Buddly and he was convinced it was real.

He cuddled the toy every day until he passed away peacefully with the cat in his arms last week.

Cheryl said: ‘My dad has been asking for a cat ever since he went in the hospital – he always had cats. At one point he had nine living with them, he loved them so much.

‘He told me over and over again how much he missed his cats and that he wanted a kitty to sleep with again ever since he moved into the hospital in August last year.

‘I am just so happy that I bought my dad that robotic kitty – his reaction to the gift was so priceless.

‘He was so happy to have a kitty again. He believed it was real and named his kitty Buddy right away.

‘This cat gave him so much comfort and joy and companionship.

‘He never let go of Buddy. It was always in his bed with him purring away and meowing when anyone talked.’

Bob had four biological children including Cheryl, four stepchildren, 12 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

He worked as a parts and shipping manager and lived with wife Beth who helped him care for countless stray felines until she passed away in 2008.

With cats being such a big part of his life, Cheryl knew that the robotic pet would mean a lot to him.

Cheryl said: ‘It was actually the hospital my Dad was living in that told me about the Joy For All Cats.

‘I happened to see another patient with one of the kitties on his lap and I thought the cat was real – it was meowing and purring and blinking it’s eyes like a real cat.