OkcPets Magazine May 2021

May/June 2021 • OKC Pets 13 most famous autistic animal advocate, Temple Grandin, who devotes a whole chapter in “Ani- mals Make Us Human” to the behavior of cats. “Basically, when it comes to autistic kids and animals,” Grandin has said, “some of them are instant best buddies—they understand a cat, they understand a dog—they’re best buddies with it, they just know how to communicate with it.” In a separate interview, with cat behaviorist Anita Kelsey, Grandin described why autistic people are often compared to cats: “Dogs read humans well. There’s a lot of research on that, but cats are completely different. And I think their differences make them difficult for people to read. “The hardest thing for people is that cats don’t have expressive faces. They don’t signal with their faces very much, and they have lots more bodily signals than either dogs or wolves. So when people look into their cats’ faces, they’re looking at the wrong place.” While some cats are very sociable, cats are generally comfortable as loners. For autistic people, they’re a nice holdable size, and the pressure from cuddling stimulates the animal to purr when it curls up on its companion’s chest or lap. This simple interaction can be fantasti- cally therapeutic. Aster, an autistic college student from Texas, talks about his own experience with his part- ner’s cat: “Petting his fur was a nice distraction, and his moods were really easy to read, which is nice because autism means not everyone is, you know? Even if no one else has my back, I know I can count on Charlie.” While not all autistic people can be guaran- teed to bond with a pet, a study done by Dr. Gretchen Carlisle of the University of Missouri, published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, researched the benefits of having a cat in the house, specifically for autistic children. This study, called Feline Friends, examined 11 families and observed how cats can be pref- erable to dogs in many cases. This is due to the fact that dogs require a lot of attention and can be overstimulating to many autistic people. In a recent interview with OKC Pets Mag- azine, Carlisle says she was surprised by how quickly the children bonded with their pets. “The Feline Friends study parents rated their bond and their child with autism’s bond as very strong just two to three days after adoption of their cat,” she says. “Parents did describe the relationship of their child and cat as growing over time, but their rating was strong from the beginning.” Autism specialist Dr. Jami Hogan from Enid concurs. “Cats could offer effective support for those with autism because of the temperament of most cats,” says Hogan, a special-education principal with Epic Charter Schools. “Cats offer reliable relationships with humans and are generally predictable, quiet, nonjudgmental and affectionate.” Even though dogs typically get the most attention as service animals, cats are fantastic for traditional service animal tasks, too, such as helping to soothe during any type of emotional meltdown. The Shelter Pet Project, a national advocacy group that counts Oklahoma native Olivia Munn among its spokespeople, inter- viewed a young autistic girl and her mother about their personal experiences with their cat, Lucky. The girl, Anyha, says, “When I hold her, it makes me feel calmer; it’s like a sensory thing.” Her mom echoes this: “I’ve seen how adults re- act to my daughter when she has meltdowns— like she’s from a different planet—and this little animal just sat next to my child and was like, ‘You know, it’s gonna be cool!’” Knowing more about autism helps friend- ship, communities and families with more harmonious relationships. Misconceptions about autism often lead to continued abuse; for the diagnosed, a beloved and trusted pet helps manage the day-to-day pressure of navigating society. The stigmas surrounding autism are hard to break free from, but it’s valuable to face those social pressures with a trusted companion. Having a patient cat, pets who are on the au- tistic spectrum themselves, as Hoopman’s book suggests, can be just the relief needed for this large segment of society. Meow, meow! SOCIABLE SOURCE Tiny Paws Kitten Rescue in Still- water can be a great source for adopting a kitten for an autistic person. Tiny Paws specializes in neonate kittens, which have been held by humans since in- fancy. Tiny Paws’ cats are unusu- ally friendly for rescued felines due to the bottle-feeding and frequent interactions with staff and volunteers. Common Autistic Traits A utistic people may possess some of these traits; repressing them can be very draining. Some of these traits can be linked to an affinity with cats. • Preference for or exclusive usage of nonverbal communication meth- ods, like text messages or gestures • Repeating phrases over and over again • Lack of desire to hold eye contact • Hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity to external stimuli, such as noises and textures • Special interests abnormal in inten- sity or focus • Strong desire for routines NEED TO KNOW: The Basics About Autism • 1 in 54 people are on the spectrum. • Autism was first named in 1943 by Leo Kanner. • Asperger’s Syndrome was named a year later by Hans Asperger. • As of 2013, Asperger’s and autism are now considered to be under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder. • The word autism comes from the Greek word autos, to mean autono- mous or by yourself. • Famous people on the autistic spectrum include: Satoshi Tajiri (creator of Pokémon), Temple Gran- din (animal scientist and autistic ac- tivist), Sir Anthony Hopkins (Oscar award-winning actor) and Bobby Fischer (chess grandmaster). • If you think you or a loved one might be on the spectrum, here are some resources to learn more about diagnosis: ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) autisticadvoca- cy.org/; Oklahoma Autism Center autismcenterok.org/; and Autism Speaks autismspeaks.org .