The 10 Best Robotic Pets

For an older parent who misses having a cat around, the Joy for All Orange Tabby is the comfort pet many care homes already know. Stroke its back or cheek and it purrs, meows and moves its head and paws. A switch under a flap on its belly mutes it for quiet rooms. It runs on four C batteries, and the fur gets a spray and a wipe, never a wash. Its motors whir audibly, and it never walks.

Kids who want a puppy that does tricks will get the most play from the Ruko 18011. It walks, spins, dances and wags its tail, while a face of glowing lights shows dozens of moods. Children can steer it with the remote or a wave of the hand, or string together their own routine of moves. Sensors help it steer around walls and chair legs. A full charge lasts about 45 minutes and takes about three hours.

The Casio Moflin trades legs and a face for a palm-sized ball of fur that wriggles, coos and settles into a hand. Over its first weeks it grows its own temperament, shy or bold, based on how it is held and spoken to. Casio says it learns voices without recording speech. It charges on a little bed and runs about five hours of normal use. That's a steep price for something that can't walk or play.

Young children who want to care for a dog get a lot in the box with Little Live Pets Puppy Patches. The plush beagle blinks, sniffs and makes dozens of happy sounds when petted or fed from its bottle. A carry case opens into a bed for nap time, and each pup has its own mix of eye color, collar and hidden birthmark. Two AA batteries are included. It stays put, so kids wanting tricks will be let down.

A low-cost way to give a preschooler a dinosaur that reacts to them, the Robo Pets T-Rex walks, dances and chomps. Kids can drive it with the remote, guide it by waving a hand, or feed it with picture cards. One game dares a player to keep a hand in its mouth without getting nipped. An hour of charging gives about 30 minutes of play, so expect breaks between sessions.

Loona suits a family that wants a robot with a personality more than a plush to hold. It rolls around the house, knows faces and hand signals, chases a ball or a laser dot, and chats using ChatGPT. It can also act as a roaming camera when nobody is home. It drives back to its dock when the battery runs low, but it often missed the dock, and the maker has pushed a software update to fix that.

A weighted lap cat with no moving parts, the Chongker Percy Cat is built for calm rather than play. Pet it and it meows, purrs and gives off a slow heartbeat you can feel through the fur, and it answers to a name you teach it. It charges by USB-C instead of taking batteries. The long fur needs brushing when it arrives, and the brand is young, so there's little track record yet.

The Perfect Petzzz Golden Retriever does one thing: it sleeps, with a slow rise and fall of its chest. That quiet motion can soothe a toddler at nap time or a grandparent who used to own a dog. It arrives with a woven bed, a collar, a brush and the single D battery that runs it. It makes no sound and doesn't respond to touch, and the maker covers it for only 30 days.

Older kids who like building get two projects in one with the Thames & Kosmos Coding Chameleon. First they snap the lizard together from a picture manual, then they program it by laying colored action cards under its sensor. In its wild mode it shifts color to match what it sits on and flicks out its tongue. Kids under 12 will want an adult for the build, and the four AAA batteries cost extra.

With Little Live Pets Indie, a child records a few words and a small parakeet chirps them back in a squeaky voice, then whistles along to a tune. Pet its head or back and it tweets and moves its beak. The feathers are soft flocking, and a carry cage with a swinging perch is included. It makes a good small gift for kids five and up, though the tricks are few and can get old.