Susan Senator

Not all cats are sociable....but some are. Just be very careful to pick one that is outgoing and playful and doesn't choose to hide under furniture. I am a cat lover and have had the gamut of cat personalities over the years....and you want one who is a smart, outgoing, "never met a stranger" cat. My current cat fits that bill and he is delightful not only for me, but for guests who are not cat allergic. It IS a big decision as you figure that life span of pets can be 10 - 20 years. I have gotten my best cats from the local vet who acts as an animal clearing house. They are honest about the personalities of the pets they are placing....as they are looking for long term placement. Good luck in your decision and your hunt for a fabulous feline. Look at short hair if you have allergies...and you can give them baths. Just start when they are young. And consider having them as declawed, inside only cat. Better for the cat, in terms of longevity and it won't make your bird living neighbors irate.

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I have a friend who was allergic...got a kitten anyway and after a few weeks lost the allergy.

Yay!! A happy ending.

I got my autistic daughter a cat 2 years ago. GREAT decision. When we first got the cat she ignored it (which was progress because she use to be terrified of animals). Now she responds to it by petting and talking to it when it jumps in her lap. I can only hope it will carry over to being more interactive with people. Our cat only eats dry cat food and we have left her home alone for 6 days with no problem. I don't know about you but being an autistic parent doesn't afford me many long vacations.

We adopted a cat last year and it has been a GREAT decision. We all enjoy him, even my son who has autism. He somewhat ignores him, but I've caught him petting him sometimes and maybe if you can get Nat involved, this will be a good learning experience for him. He could be in charge of feeding, brushing, etc (though in my experience, the poop scooping always ends up Mom's job!!!) My son (non-autistic) has cat allergies but with zyrtec has no symptoms. Good luck. By the way, a cat might be a good prop for your belly dancing; you know, off in the background, an elegant, mysterious cat watches you dance and wonders "when is she going to take off that veil so I can scratch it to bits??"

Cats are great cramp-relievers. In my opinion, it's better to have two cats, I've known a lot of lone cats that seemed a tad neurotic.

I'd have a cat right now, If I thought the boys would treat it well. Maybe next year.

Oh cute post. Re vacations, cats are easy to leave behind. Stock 'em full of food, leave a clean litter pan and they'll be great. If you're gone more than a week, have someone stop by, but cats are great loners.

Sounds like all you need now is the purrfect cat (okay sorry couldn't help myself) :).

Getting a puppy was miraculous in getting my (NT) daughter over her fear of dogs (somewhat founded in that she had been bitten by an unprovoked dog as a young child). Life changing for our family. -- Cathy in CT

I think having a great cat is definitely worth all the "cons." I have to say we would never leave our cat for a whole week without anyone coming by. We'll usually only leave him for a max of about 30 hours. He would freak if we left him for a week. Whenever the person comes in to feed him while we're away (which isn't often) he's all over them. Not all cats are like that though -- my friend's 2 cats seem to do fine while she's away. We've had 2 Siamese (one after the other) and they tend to be more needy of human company. I would definitely recommend them though. Good luck!

Lynne

I thought I wasn't a cat person for most of 40 plus years, but one day truly out of the blue it came to me that we should have a cat, and then a yearning grew inside me almost like babylust, and it got stronger until I knew it was meant to be. I spent a few weeks checking out the pics that the shelters have online, thinking I wanted a kitten. In the end, after meeting a few kitties, we ended up adopting an adult female. So glad we did! Adult cats are harder to place than kittens, but they can make fabulous pets and the shelters are full of them. Our Tallulah is so easy....sweet, affectionate. She doesn't jump up on counters or eat plants or destroy curtains. She doesn't scratch anyone at all, especially not autistic children. She loves to be brushed and petted and she has an amazing repertoire of sounds. And she sleeps with us. And she's beautiful. Not a single regret.