A video of a woman with dementia meeting a robot cat for the first time has the internet melting its hearts.

The video posted to YouTube shows 81-year-old Virginia Smith receiving a life-like cat for her birthday. She was left heartbroken a couple of years ago when she was forced to give up her own kitty when she moved into a nursing home.

“She has had cats for as long as I’ve known her – she’s a huge fan of cats – she’s always had one,” son James Allen Smith told Global News. “After having to give up her cat, she really had a hard time with it.” Tweet This

So the family decided to get her another companion, without the hassle of a litter box. The little white furry robotic cat is equipped with sensors and purrs when it’s being touched.

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James never expected his mother to react the way she did. In the heartwarming moment when Smith meets the cat, you can hear her saying, “Isn’t that wonderful?”

She caresses the cat and cuddles it before she says she will name it “Robbie.”

“The first I did was put it right on her chest and instantaneously it started to purr. It’s pretty realistic. It was different to her. Within a minute or two she had a name and it was no longer an it but a he. He was a good boy and he was her cat. So it was really cool,” James said. Tweet This

Smith was living in Texas before she moved to Seattle, Wa., to live closer to James. Smith lost her husband and the family thought it would be a good idea for her to join an assisted living facility nearby.

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So she packed her bags and her cat joined her. But as time passed, Smith’s dementia and mobility were getting worse.

“It won’t occur to her to eat even though she is hungry. It’s this weird disconnect that happens. She’ll sit there and say I’m hungry and there will be food across the room but it won’t occur to her to actually motivate herself to go get it. So obviously, someone in that condition can’t take care of an animal.”

The facility Smith was at could no longer provide around-the-clock care, so Smith had to move to a nursing home that had dedicated medical professionals available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

That meant she had to say goodbye to her beloved cat.

“Being in a situation like that is lonely. So that’s why I think she was so upset to have to give up her cat because it truly is a companion,” Smith said. Tweet This

At the moment, James said his mother understands that her cat is robotic but has a feeling she will think it’s real over time as her dementia progresses.

For now, he’s happy his mother made a new friend and perhaps will keep her company through the lonely times.

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