About 13 years ago I was on my nightly walk around my apartment complex and had come home and was getting ready to go to bed when I went into the kitchen to take my bedtime medication and I noticed something unusual. Looking over the kitchen bar I saw a little white with black spots kitten sitting on my couch looking back at me.

I thought to myself, I don’t remember having a cat and I was pretty sure I did not go to the shelter and get one that day so I thought that this might need some investigating. I went over to the cat and it was very friendly and talkative to me but I told it that I did not have a pet deposit and I wasn’t really sure I could take care of a cat and that it probably should leave. So I opened the door and helped it out and it immediately turned around and came back in. Now, we repeated this about 10 times and I thought I better call for backup on this situation. So I called my autistic counterpart (girlfriend) and asked her to come over and help out.

So when she arrived the cat was back on the couch just taking in the surroundings and enjoying my company. She asked if I tried to put it back outside and I told her yeah, about 10 times and it kept coming back in. She said maybe it chose me and had made up its mind to stay. She said I might not have a say in the matter, which flustered me to no end!

At this point, my autism was kicking me in the face and I was a little upset and then the strangest thing happened. The little kitten hopped off the couch and jumped into my lap and stood up and pawed at my face and meowed at me several times. I patted it on the head which really seemed relaxing and seemed to give in to the thought of becoming a new cat person. This calmed me down a bit and the cat just then stopped pawing at my face and just laid in my lap and accepted being patted.

So, my girlfriend went to PetSmart and got some flea shampoo, a litter box, a brush, and a minor assortment of cat toys. We gave her a bath, I figured out it was a her after a quick check (although I’m not a vet I guessed it was a she by the glance at her backside).

The flea bath was very much needed and she shed about a million fleas into the sink and was drenched and we dried her off and brushed her out well. She did not seem too out of sorts with that part and then she noticed the toys and started playing. My girlfriend who is a photography buff took pictures the whole time and was just going crazy snapping pictures of “my” new cat.

So the next day I went to the apartment office and paid my cat’s deposit and made an appointment with the vet for her first check-up and inoculations.

But her getting in my lap and pawing at my face has been a reoccurring theme ever since. When I get emotional or upset she gets in my lap and meows at me and paws at my face to let me know that I am upset and that I need to calm down and relax. I generally never realize that I am getting upset until it is really out of control but she recognizes it immediately and helps me head it off pretty quickly. And patting her does calm me greatly!

She was a terror the first 10 years we were together, my orderly home was a mess of cat toys and torn paper ALL THE TIME. As much as I tried to put things in their place she would instantly create chaos again. It was a trial for both of us for sure.

But when we went to the first vet’s visit they diagnosed her with asthma and they said they could put her to sleep or she could use an inhaler. They said most people wouldn’t pay that price for an inhaler and would opt to not watch their pet suffer and have them euthanized. I told them to tell me how much the inhalers cost and I would pay for them.

I did some investigating and found them at a Canadian Pharmacy for about 1/3 the cost and I’ve bought them from there ever since. She gets 2 puffs a day and it keeps her clear as a bell. And I’m happy with that, it’s worth the expense.

When she turned 11 she stopped jumping and began having problems getting in bed and up on her ottoman to her palette and on the couch. I took her to the vet and they did X-Rays and said she had arthritis. I asked if there was any medication she could take to ease the pain and also what adaptations I could do at home to assist her in getting up to her spots. They prescribed a dog medication call Metacam, a liquid to put into her breakfast. It helped her a lot and she moves easier after breakfast with that med. I’ve fashioned some homemade steps to get her up to bed and up to the couch and to her ottoman and she uses them like a champ. Can’t tell she has arthritis anymore!

I’m hoping to have her around for many more years because she is very, very, very good at detecting when I’m getting upset and letting me know. That skill is a natural trait for her and it really helps me a lot. I love her and appreciate her company. Although I do have to say the crime rate in the apartment has risen 100% since she has come into my life. Grand theft biscuit usually occurs at least once a week when she snatches what’s left of my morning sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit for herself!

John

#Autism #Neurodiversity