Some recent studies have indicated that the presence of a pet
in a household with autistic children can have very beneficial results.
This is something that I could have claimed a long time ago. There
hasn't been a point in my life when there has not been a least one pet in the
house. At present, we have four cats at home. The oldest cat,
Tippy, has kind of claimed me as his human. The feeling is mutual.
Right now as I am writing this, Tippy is laying behind me on
the couch, snoozing. He always greets me when I come home, and will meow
at me in an indignant way if I'd been gone for too long. The only
negative thing I can say about him is that instead of laying on my chest
sometimes, he crouches and that hurts.
Animals, particularly cats, make things more real for me.
Recently, I read a book with a sad ending but I did not feel a strong emotional
response until a cat that had been present in the story showed remorse for the
events that transpired in that story. Then, I was overwhelmed with
sadness and had to hide in my room because I didn't want my family to see me
crying. Cats make things real for me. They bring a level of
understanding to situations that I just don't get any other way. So, I
can validate this study firsthand.
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