Autistic boy struggled to express feelings—until one bold act from his family changed everything
Pets can help people discover their all-new sides. Similarly, when a 4-year-old boy, with level 2 nonverbal autism, was struggling to show affection, his parents adopted a little kitten. To everyone's wonder, things changed for the boy from then on. The mom, Erin–who goes by u/YasMysteries on Reddit–shared the story of her son, Kai, and his kitten, with several adorable pictures that showed their beautiful bond. The mom pointed out that the two just got each other. "Son, 4, has level 2 nonverbal autism. He had difficulty showing affection. Until we adopted his kitten, Boo. They just get each other," the caption read.
The photos showed Kai with a gray kitten named Boo. He looked really comfortable around Boo as he cuddled with the kitten and put his face close to it. While speaking to Newsweek, Erin said they adopted Boo after Kai's occupational therapist suggested that. "Kai's behavioral therapist noticed that he had a difficult time showing empathy and thinking of others' wants and needs." Kai was easily involved with Boo from the beginning. They went to a local animal shelter in Pittsburgh, and he connected with two kittens at that place. "We didn't pick Boo at all; Boo picked Kai," the mom recounted.
"Boo got put down on the ground and ran to him; he jumped up on his lap," Erin expressed. The duo have been inseparable since Boo joined the family around Halloween and they have seen significant development in Kai's speech as well. He works with a speech therapist once a week, and having the cat around has impacted his progress significantly. "He used to get super-frustrated super easily. Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say or what you need and not being able to find a way to get that across? He would withdraw. Since he's made these developments, he is so much happier," the mom went on. The kitten has also helped the boy learn emotional cues, and he gives hugs and gentle pets to the kitten.
Kai and Boo follow each other around and let each other near, even though that might not be the same for other people in the family. They also understand each other's needs and wants. The mom felt that her son's story with his kitten had touched people differently because of his journey with autism. Moreover, people on Reddit shared their thoughts in the comments and appreciated their bond. u/FreuleKeures wrote, "This is so cool. I work in special education, so most of my students have autism. We have 2 school dogs. It's so amazing to see how these kids open up to the dogs, how they become more confident because of them and how they become more independent because of the dogs. Animals are amazing."
u/jonathanquirk commented, "As someone who is also autistic, I find animals are honest and don’t judge in the way that humans often do. I find that cats have the same energy as me: only interact with others if they want to, get overwhelmed by sensory overload and then need a cooldown period. I’m glad that your son has found someone he can relate to!" u/Capable_Fox_00 remarked, "The last picture reminds me so much of my girl Allie. Animals are such little angels. Very happy your kiddo has a new friend who loves him just as much!"