ASD is an abbreviation used for several medical and business terms but for this post ASD is for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Kittystead, as you know, is made up of our 9 cats and our 1 Corgi. We love sharing their stories and antics but feel our tribe has more to offer. As we progress in our blog journey, we want to steer towards early childhood development utilizing our group of kitties and our pup to help with conversations, education, and fun activities with your child’s favorite Kittystead member.

This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Autism Spectrum Disorder covers a wide range of symptoms. Study the flower photo – each petal represents so much more than a symptom. We see each topic as helping to understand a human being. Note, not all symptoms are shown on the petal. Please comment below any not mentioned and, if you or a loved one have that symptom, how it affects you.

⦁ ODD
⦁ Specific Learning Difficulties
⦁ ADHD
⦁ Anxiety
⦁ Tourette’s
⦁ OCD
⦁ Developmental Delays
⦁ Gifted
⦁ Sensory Integration Disorder
⦁ Auditory Processing
⦁ Depression
⦁ ADD

Everyone knows about service dogs and the therapy/help they offer in lots of situations – they save many lives and comfort 10s of 1000s daily. Today though, our focus is cats as a service animal and/or companion as a possible better solution for your family and living situation than a canine companion.

Throughout history, cats have been generalized as being selfish, loners, and untrainable. True, mostly, but that is not always the case. There are several breeds of cats that can be trained like our canine friends – including to walk on a leash.

Below we will present 3 great options and why we believe the furbabies on this list are worth investigating further for those with the petal symptoms of autism.

1. RAGDOLL

The ragdoll is our top pick as a companion for most petals on the Autism Flower chart as they love to be held, walked, and love to be around their human companions. The reason for their name is when you pick them up, they turn into a rag doll – basically, they just go limp. Ragdolls make great indoor companions. They are affectionate, intelligent, not an aggressive breed, and great with children. They are beautiful, have a very striking appearance, mild-mannered, and laid-back. Bonus, they are good with schedules – well, dealing with their human’s routine would be a better statement.

2. SIBERIAN

The Siberian is also another one of our top picks. To be honest one of our favorite breeds. As you know, our Aria is Siberian and she always amazes us with her intellect and antics. Siberians love humans. They are very playful, love to be held, and are fearless. This is another nonaggressive breed of cat and we highly recommend this breed when looking for a furbaby for your companionship.

3. MAINE COON

The Maine Coon is another highly recommended breed for kids with ASD, as this breed is playful, loving and can also be trained like a dog. The Maine Coon is not an aggressive breed and in many cases loves to be held. They truly want to spend time with their human companions.
Please note that all cats can be different. The breeds listed here have traits that we feel are good with children with ASD. With that being said, our Maine Coon, Taco is very much a loner and is scared of a lot of stuff. Our Taco was found as a street stray so that might have a lot to do with his personality. Again, all cats can be different.

Note: We have several cats that have traits that we feel would be a great fit for different areas for those with autism. Our other cats are not a special breed and most were found at the pound. Rescue is always a great place to start with your search. Keep in mind rescue and animal shelters are very loud and use caution if your child does not like loud noise and chaos.

Cats can make it easier for social interactions for children with ASD. Kids tend to interact better socially and verbally longer while holding or having their companion near them. They are more aware of their surroundings with their pet. Cats can help encourage empathy and be a great anti stressor. Cats can also be easier to talk to for your children. Example: it might be a challenge for your child to read human emotions and social cues whereas the cat will just listen and hopefully purr allowing your child to communicate. Introducing a kitty to your children, especially at an early age, helps them to develop compassion not just for the pet but for others. The responsibility of caring for the pet enables your child to have small tasks or chores with his/her best friend.
Children with ASD see and interpret every day activities differently and uniquely which makes them susceptible to anxiety and stress. Petting, playing, or feeding the kitty helps the child to remain calm even in instances that could trigger anxiety or stress.

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, can be a hard concept for any individual to grasp but can be especially hard for anyone with ASD. We believe having a cat can help children and adults build empathy for other creatures. Another quality that improves for ASD is when a kitty is introduced into a child’s life they learn to comfort others in distress. It is one thing to understand that someone is in distress but it takes a different level of function of understanding to attempt to comfort someone else in distress. Learning to read the social, emotional, and distress cues from cats helps build and establish a level of compassion in individuals with ASD.

This could easily be said by almost every one of us – being around a cat is a surefire way to improve anyone’s mood. This is especially true for parents or loved ones of individuals with ASD. Parents know that a good mood is a fragile and fleeting thing. Simply being around a cat or having a cat live in the home can and will greatly improve a child’s mood and reduce the number of outbursts.

Final thoughts: ASD is a hard condition to understand for those who do not experience it daily. The ASD spectrum is vast. It is not always easy to tell when a child has the condition. The magic of having a cat in the life of an ASD individual is that the spectrum shows less. It is a world where the ticks, the outbursts, the fear, the frustration, and the hardships associated with ASD fade away. A cat doesn’t care or understand if you have ASD – they understand love. And love unconditionally. Is there any greater gift that we can give our loved ones more than a cat? We don’t think so.

Thank you for reading this post. We are glad you are here. Be sure to sign up for the Kittystead newsletter for tips, upcoming events and to stay up to date with upcoming blog posts.

All Cats have Asperger Syndrome takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS.

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome Hardcover – October 15, 2006
by Kathy Hoopmann  (Author)

This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.