Re: Autism and cats?

[Guest guest]

> I have read from various sites, the latest being " you might be an

> aspie if.. " about " umpteen cats " and jokes about having alot of cats.

> I myself am obsessed with cats and have been my whole life, i have

> lived with up to 10 cats at a time and wished for more.. I was

> wondering if this is an aspie trait since its mentioned on aspie sites?

Ah, was it the " you might be an Aspie if ... " page? If so I find it

hilarious :-)

I think a good number of spectrum people relate well to cats. I

started taming " difficult " cats in childhood. As an adult I took in

fiv cats and worked well with a feral (who became a lap cat). Now I

have a cat some might find difficult - she growls a lot, bites people

who don't know how to deal with her (firmly and respectfully), and

isn't a lap cat - though she will curl up on my feet or failing that

my dirty socks (funny girl!).

I live in a household that has four cats - one of mine and three of

the landlady's. We also have a big standard poodle and a tame sheep

and angora goat in the yard. We live in happy chaos :-)

Genyin

--

" I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind!

The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building. "

M. Schultz

[Guest guest]

Genyin and Furball,

I have a book called " All Cats have Asperger Syndrome " -- the pictures are the

furriest! It has descritpions of AS in it, at the level of a child, and each is

illustrated by a furry cat. It's by Kathy Hoopmann.

Kelsang Genyin wrote:

> I have read from various sites, the latest being " you might be an

> aspie if.. " about " umpteen cats " and jokes about having alot of cats.

> I myself am obsessed with cats and have been my whole life, i have

> lived with up to 10 cats at a time and wished for more.. I was

> wondering if this is an aspie trait since its mentioned on aspie sites?

Ah, was it the " you might be an Aspie if ... " page? If so I find it

hilarious :-)

I think a good number of spectrum people relate well to cats. I

started taming " difficult " cats in childhood. As an adult I took in

fiv cats and worked well with a feral (who became a lap cat). Now I

have a cat some might find difficult - she growls a lot, bites people

who don't know how to deal with her (firmly and respectfully), and

isn't a lap cat - though she will curl up on my feet or failing that

my dirty socks (funny girl!).

I live in a household that has four cats - one of mine and three of

the landlady's. We also have a big standard poodle and a tame sheep

and angora goat in the yard. We live in happy chaos :-)

Genyin

--

" I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind!

The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building. "

M. Schultz

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

--- abnormaldiversity

wrote:

> > Kassiane, and GABA the wonderous service cat

> >

> GABA as in the neurotransmitter?

> Ettina

>

>

That's right! She can tell if I am going to have a

seizure, and is verrrrry mellow.

Kassiane

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[Guest guest]

I do that too! I'm a math tutor and I can get inside my client's minds and

figure out whether or not they're getting it, and what it would take to help

them get it. Also I understand animals and machinery. Why is it that they say

we have no theory of mind? Only thing I can figure is, we don't express it they

way they expect us to, or, when we're stressed, it shuts down.

Same with empathy. I " m hyper-empathic, even feeling what other people feel

sometimes. Yet I'm certified Aspergerian and they say we have no empathy.

Sometimes I -appear- to have no empathy because I'm giving the other person

their space, or because I'm overwhelmed also so I shut down, or because I don't

know the appropriate ways to express empathy. But I do have empathy, very much

so. Anyone else have this experience, with getting inside other's minds and

with empathy?

I empathisize readily with outcasts and underdogs, and with people with severe

mental disabilities; I seem to know what they're going through and why they do

what they do.

One thing that struck me with 's " In my language " is that she is getting

inside of the minds of everything around her. , are you there? Comment?

Are these islands of NT-ness in me? Or is it a myth that we lack empathy and

the ability to " see " inside of other's minds?

On a related note: what's with the NT excuse for refusing to be flexible: " If we

do it for you we'll have to do it for everybody. " No they won't! Why is that

that they say WE are the ones who are inflexible?

Joni

> I always felt like I could get inside a cats thoughts and understand

> them, even their bad behaviors. Theres a reason they do everything,

> and I don't get mad when they pee on my bed or bite me, I take steps

> to understand why they did it so I can change MY behavior to stop

> upsetting them. They're people too and I always wondered why nobody

> else could understand them!

>

I do that with both animals and humans (as long as I don't feel

threatened by them). I was bitten by a severely disabled teenager once

and though I was nervous around her after that I was never angry at her

because I understood why she did it.

Ettina

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[Guest guest]

....and by the time they run through the old " if we do it for you " routine,

they could have done it for us!

On Wed, Mar 19, 2008 at 12:30 PM, Jane Meyerding

wrote:

> Joni wrote:

> >On a related note: what's with the NT excuse for refusing to be

> >flexible: " If we do it for you we'll have to do it for everybody. "

> >No they won't! Why is that that they say WE are the ones who are

> >inflexible?

>

> Indeed. I've always hated that " if we do it for you " business.

>

> Jane

>

>

[Guest guest]

But I do have empathy, very much so. Anyone else have this

experience, with getting inside other's minds and with empathy?

Yes, very much. So much so I end up taking on the body language and

speech patterns of people I'm around a lot. It's also one reason I

can't relate to several people at once - I can only cope with the

intensity of one or two at a time and I don't know who to emapthise

with in a group, it's all too muddled and to and fro.

Exhausting, yet it leads to a small number of very deep friendships -

and scaring off of people who think they are too high and mighty to be

properly understood. I relate to even the highest hoity toit as a

person.

lol

Genyin

--

" I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind!

The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building. "

M. Schultz

[Guest guest]

Joni wrote:

>On a related note: what's with the NT excuse for refusing to be

>flexible: " If we do it for you we'll have to do it for everybody. "

>No they won't! Why is that that they say WE are the ones who are

>inflexible?

Indeed. I've always hated that " if we do it for you " business.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I do feel I can get inside the " emotions " of another and feel their

emotions, in fact im very sensative to them, however I cannot get

inside of anyones minds. Thats the most idfficult thing for me to do.

As far as emotions go, for example, I was at home alone while my

brother was out running errands. I began my day happy and then

suddenly for no reason I felt angry and frustrated and huffy and just

in a bad mood. My brother came home an hour or so later in that exact

mood. I believe I had been feeling his emotions the same time.

Another example is when I was living with my parents still my mother

and father don't get along, in fact my mother hates my father with a

passion yet they still live together due to the catholic faith (its

against the rules to devorce). Whenever I was around my mom I would

feel hatred and anger toward my father (even if my mom was in the

other room) and criticize him for everything just as she would do, and

catch myself doing it, and stop (its something i'd do without

thinking). But when it would just be me and him we were the best of

friends and I really enjoyed his company.

Peoples emotions are very contagous to me and thats another reason why

I don't really enjoy being in public. Everyones ALWAYS so negative and

fearful! D: