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Heartwarming Friendship Of A 5-Year-Old Girl With Autism And Her Therapy Cat


Stashed in: #health, Lolcats!, Images!, Montage, Baby animals!, Restore your faith in humanity., Tabby Cats!, Bath!, @emmaseppala, @emmaseppala, Autism, Bored Panda

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OMG so cute!!!!

Emma Seppala shared this with me. 

There's even more photos at the link.

I love the concept of a therapy cat. 

That is amazing! This cat is like a dog, but calmer: it walks on a leash, goes on a bike, takes baths, naps, and participates in all activities. The article implies that there was a minimum of training, it's really the cat who does all these things on its own.

They can grow up to weigh 25 lbs!!! That is bigger than most Thanksgiving turkeys now!

I wonder where I can find a 25 pound therapeutic cat. 

You're right, that cat DOES act like a dog. 

Pretty sure you have to grow a 25 lb cat yourself.

Challenge accepted! Tolbert is well on his way.

Now we just gotta make him a therapy cat. 

The therapy cat even responds to commands like "sit cat":

Remember when we wrote about Iris Grace, the incredibly talented 5-year-old girl with autism who paints beautiful pictures? It turns out that she has a behind-the-scenes helper who’s also worthy of praise – that’s Thula, her therapeutic cat.

Thula, who is almost 1 year old, is a Maine Coon. This breed is known as the intelligent and gentle giant of the cat world and though she’s still small and young, Thula does not disappoint. Her gentle and compassionate character is especially important for Iris, a young girl growing up with autism; “Thula has lowered [Iris'] daily anxieties in life and keeps Iris calm,” Iris’ mother, Arabella Carter-Johnson, told Bored Panda, “but equally has the effect of encouraging her to be more social. She will talk more to Thula, saying little phrases like ‘sit cat.’

Carter-Johnson, had almost given up on the search for a therapeutic animal companion for her daughter. When Iris happened to connect with a Siberian cat that her family would up cat-sitting for Christmas, however, she realized that she “just hadn’t found the right animal yet.” For more info about Thula and Iris, read more of Carter-Johnson’s interview with Bored Panda!

More info: irisgracepainting | Facebook | WordPress | The Little Explorers Activity Club (h/t:modernmet)

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