A pet robot is offering comfort to a senior citizen longing for companionship.

Joan Swift, 85, had a 15-year-old cat named Yum Yum who recently died.

She says she felt lonely following his death but felt hesitant about getting another cat, considering her age.

Through ElderServe Health and RiverSpring Health Plans - a managed long-term health program through Medicaid and Medicare - she was introduced to the Robopet Program.

"The robotic pets are these little dogs and cats that look and act like real animals," said Patty Hron, vice president of member services at ElderServe Health dba RiverSpring Health Plans.

Hron says recipients have a choice of a battery-powered robotic dog or cat. The pets can make noise and move similar to the animals and it's free of cost.

Swift says she had the pet robot cat named Genesis for about six weeks and although she knows it is not a real cat, she said it brings her joy and reminds her of happy memories with her previous pets, similar to photographs.

"I don't get out much. I don't get to do things anymore. So, like a sense of a dimension in my life," said Swift.