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Autistic children with animals

NAS72082

Hello, I have a 6 year old autistic son. We bought a pet cat hoping it would bring out a calming and caring side to him however he is very rough with her. I have to keep a constant eye on them when together as he pokes her, wakes her when she’s sleeping and is altogether quite rough and not empathetic towards the fact that she’s a kitten and would be frightened. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this as this is all new to us. Thank you! 

  • Hi - I'm trying very hard to answer this without sounding judgemental - sorry if it doesn't come out right.

    Did you try your son around animals before choosing a kitten?    If he's a bit boisterous, a reasonably sized dog is much more into 'contact sports' and will be stronger and more robust - like a Lab or Retriever.   They also tend to self-discipline the pack so your son might learn the hard way how to behave with a dog - a cat is more likely to just scratch and run and then avoid / hide.   

    A male dog is more likely to be happy playing rough - a female dog is better to teach the pups the rules of behaviour.

    Are you able to interact with any other animals?     Do any neighbours have pets for him to meet?