Imagine a cat that can keep an elderly person company—and help her find her glasses. This cat doesn’t need a litter box. It runs on batteries.

The toy company Hasbro has teamed up with scientists at Brown University to build a cat robot. Hasbro already makes a robotic cat called “Joy for All.” The cat bot purrs and meows. It licks its paws and rolls over as if it wants a belly rub.

Battery operated cats can make good companions for elderly people. They’re no problem in facilities that do not allow pets. Officials at the National Science Foundation gave the toymakers and scientists $1 million for their project. Now the researchers are working to find out how they could make the robot cat more helpful to elderly people. Could the cat move its head in a certain way to get across a message? Researchers don’t want the cat to talk. They think a talking cat might not be comforting. It might just be weird!

(AP Photo: Mary Derr holds her robot cat she calls “Buddy” in Rhode Island. Ms. Deer is 93 years old.)