All Cats Have Asperger's

aka Rocky Rockstar, Gingervitis or Rocky Rocket.

Tony Attwood (PhD, Asperger expert) describes cats as autistic dogs. I like his analogy. I've owned many pets including cats and dogs, and have a special affinity for animals, especially cats. Dogs are more attention-seeking, slobbery and louder than cats - dogs need more social interaction.

How Cats Have Asperger Traits:

• Misunderstood
• Aloof - contact on their terms
• Picky eaters
• Sensitive
• Lose track of time
• Obsessive - can do things over and over
• Amused by simple things
• Strong sense of justice
• May over-react/tantrum
• Need a lot of alone time
• Acute senses - sight,hearing, smell more acute than dogs
• Highly intelligent but want to do things their way
• Annoying behaviour
• Creatures of habit and comfort
• Bullied
• Notice tiny details

Misunderstood - My cat Rocky is raised as an indoor cat. Cats are misunderstoodand here in Australia, we've seen many people deliberately trying to run over cats. My son and I have Asperger's and we often feel misunderstood. We get frustrated because we frequently get misinterpreted as being rude, disrespectful or mean, but this is unintentional.

Aloof- Typical of someone with Asperger's Syndrome, Rocky is aloof and wants contact on his terms. As a small child, I pushed away people that tried to hug me, including my grandparents. As an adult, I still don't feel comfortable with hugs and physical contact or making eye contact.

Picky eater - Rocky refuses to eat fresh fish, but will eat fish out of a can. My son and I are picky eaters and reject many foods because of sensory issues eg with texture. We also have sensitivities to many foods - we get drugged by foods or they cause havoc with our moods or digestive systems.

Sensitive- Those with Asperger's are said to lack empathy. I struggle with this concept, because I consider myself extremely sensitive and can sense people's moods, even though I'm not sure how I have upset them. I do think I come across as uncaring sometimes, as I don't know to show someone I care as not particularly affectionate. Rocky senses when I am upset and he will kiss my tears and snuggle into my tummy. I see the lack of empathy in my son - he doesn't realise we can't read his mind and doesn't comprehend people's moods.

Lose track of time - for cats clocks don't exist - any time is food time as far as Rocky is concerned. I get so caught up in a project that time can fly by. I was chronically late to school. My son is similar.

Obsessive- we have special interests to the point of obsession. My son's special interest is trains, a typical Asperger fixation. My special interests over the years have included playing piano, chemistry and food sensitivities. Rocky doesn't mind doing things he likes over and over - he particularly likes chasing the mop.

Easily amused- People with Asperger's notice all the small details like patterns of light playing on water. So does Rocky - he was starting at the light flickering off the door hinges and is amused by simple things like a marble.

Strong sense of justice - my son and I get very upset at the injustice in the world - it doesn't fit our ideals. Rocky has a sense of justice and revenge - he will 'get us back' if we annoy him, jumping out and taking a swipe.

Over-react - Rocky is more tolerant than many other cats, but will give the dog a swipe as he walks past. My son gets easily frustrated and over-reacts with tantrums including high-pitched screaming.

Alone time - People with Asperger's find social interaction and sensory stimuli exhausting and need alone time to recharge. Rocky is never upset that he has most of the day to himself. I find going to a mall or other crowded places very overwhelming and need to have alone time to recover afterwards.

Acute senses - we are very sensitive to smell, taste, hearing etc. I use unscented and low scented products around the home as we find perfumes nauseating. My mother smoking when I was a child was very distressing for me. My son used to scream at the sound of hand-driers. I shut down when he screams. Cats have very acute senses - reportedly more than dogs. I trained as a chemist but am too sensitive to work with chemicals. I experienced employment difficulties with undiagnosed Asperger's.

Highly intelligent & original - Cats are reportedly more intelligent than dogs, but refuse to be trained easily like dogs are. People with Asperger's (often affectionately called Aspies) can have normal to high IQ and are 'out-of-the-box' thinkers. They are unconventional, and have unique perspective and are seen as quirky.

Annoying behaviour - Rocky's annoying behaviour includes sitting in front of the computer monitor so I can't see (but he's happily watching the movement on the screen). He also picks inappropriate times to play, like the middle of the night. Aspies can be very annoying without realising it, like going on and on about a topic or having annoying tics. My son has a distracting tongue-poking tic.

Habit and comfort - cats like warm, comfortable places to sleep, like my bed. Typical of Aspies, my son and I need the tags cut off our clothes and chose clothes for comfort over fashion. Some of my clothes are rather old, but they are very comfortable, so I prefer them. My son thrives on routine and structure - he goes crazy if he is given too much freedom, like staying up too late.

Bullied - Rocky would like to go outside and explore, but he would be likely to exceed his 9 lives - nearly everyone owns a dog, many people deliberately try to run them over and there are many toxic creatures in Australia. He sits in the window or behind the flyscreen and birds torment him. Aspies are bully magnets too, unfortunately. I have didn't learn to stand up to bullies until I was an adult. My son gets bullied at school and finds it hard to stand up to them.

I told my son about Asperger's with the delightful picture book All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Kathy Hoopman. She used humour and interesting photographs and a beautiful story that both my son and I enjoyed. He was too busy trying to mimic the poses of the cats to fully grasp the concept, but it was a great way talk about his diagnosis and a book we will refer to often.

Noticing tiny details

Of course, with his sharp eye for details (just like a cat), he noticed that there was not one pet (frog) in the book, but two!