Maine Coons and ASDs

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So, I've been seeing other people talking about their Maine Coons specifically, and also when looking for my ESA was primarily looking at Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest Cats. I'm curious why this breed in particular seems to be so common amongst this group.

(Also, I request picture of other people's kitties)

Anyways, my kitty isn't pure bred, but is certainly part forest cat (meaning probably Maine Coon, but I'll not limit out the possibility that its only a related breed).

I've found as a whole, cats that are more Coon are more loyal to a person and more likely to make sure to stay with, or go to, a person if they're in bad mental shape. As I have issues identifying my emotions, a cat that will do this, helps prevent meltdowns in me, if I know I'm getting upset I'm able to separate myself better.

This same trait helps me with meltdowns in other ways, she'll come up to me and stay with me the entire time if I'm having a depressive meltdown (I don't blame her that rage meltdowns scare her and she runs away).

She's very insistent to be with me always in a way I've seen only in cats that are Maine Coons or Norwegian Forest Cats. Even when she would otherwise be running around playing, she makes sure to stay directly with me if I'm even a little upset or in a little pain (and seeing as I have chronic headaches, this is basically always), until my boyfriend's there. She refuses to leave me alone in bed, even if she'll be one room over chasing various once-stationary objects.

I find larger cats work better for me, I'm not sure if this is because they're the cats I grew up with, but a cat less than 10 lbs to me is a small cat, and a 10-12 lb cat is just "normal sized". I'm wondering if others have preferences like that, and if they have reasons they know what they are.

My kitty is incredibly smart and active, which is also really good for me. She helps me get out of bed in my worst days (of either depression or physical pain). A cat that is only friendly wouldn't do nearly as much for me as she does in those parts. Also, she can identify my migraines before they occur and alert me to them . Smart kitty is smart.

I am training her to go on a leash, so she can leave the apartment with me, and that's another thing I've seen more successful as a whole with Coons.

So, what's particularly Coon-like in what helps you? We seem to have a pattern here in type of cats, so I need more data!

And because I'm requesting pictures of other people's kitties, here's Ada my almost certainly mostly Maine Coon ESA (to give a sense of size, she's 11 lbs and muscular).

moved from General Autism Discussion to Random Discussion

So, why was this moved to random discussion when I was specifically not talking about the cats, but the relevance of them when it came to autism? I don't want to just discuss cats, I want to discuss why autistic people are choosing specific breeds, because of their autism...

it doesn't really have a whole lot to do with autism - it's more of a pet subject.

Beautiful cat (: People I last babysat for have a pair of maine coons, MASSIVE critters to what I'm used to calling a cat.

I've found that most pets I've had seem pretty fine-tuned to my emotions. Cats, birds, but not really rodents xD I have a pair of mud-breed cats, one of them a tortie that would occasionally let me walk her around the neighborhood on a leash. I'm fairly sure part of that though, is the fact she probably sustained head injuries as a kitten.

Anyways, back on subject. I really like the friendliness and such of forest kitties, but they've never really appealed to me outside that. I like tiny, energetic little balls of fluffy love :3 Looking at Munchkins and Ragdolls in my distant future. Wegies are cute, and 'Coons are GORGEOUS cats, but not really the sort of cat I'd go with for suiting my personality.

This has got to do with autism because she (I think Tuttle is a she) is asking why we as autistics benefit from this certain breed.

It's not 'name your favourite breed of cat' or 'why do you like Maine Coons.'

It's just like the big dog thread which is still in general.


Anyway, I will answer the first post.

I think my Maine Coon is the runt of the litter. She is so small she often still gets mistaken for a kitten. But I can tell from her face and the sharpness off her teeth she is full grown. Also, the vet said she was.

She is always meowing but not like the other cats asking for food. She is communicating to me. She will perch on her favourite spot and after every word I say to her will mew. She does not object being held by me, ever and is overly affectionate. I'm not sure if she can sense my migraines but I once had such bad abdominal pains she lay right along the site of the pain.

I'm teaching her to walk on a lead and most times she is just following me. Sometimes when she realises I do have her on the lead she will sit down and refuse to move but after a few seconds will walk again.

I've had so many cats but have never felt as close like I do this one. When she was a kitten she wanted to be constantly held and until recently she used to follow me around everywhere. She's into sitting on the roof now but I can still hear her meow when she sees me. When she sees me I know she will be too eager to get down to take the safe route so I have to direct her properly. Many times before she would nuzzle the spot on the roof and fall off so I'm very cautious of her on high spots.

When I pet her or even cuddle her I feel so calm. I actually miss her now that she is spending a lot of time outside. But in the morning she will come in and wait outside the bathroom and then mew once to tell me she is there. Then we walk down the stairs together. She follows me all around the backyard too.

She is very friendly with the dog, more so than with the other cats. She doesn't want to fight them but when they get confrontative she will fight back. She's a jealous cat too. She doesn't like it when I show more attention to the dog who gets very lonely when my sister isn't around.

This is me and Lyra



She's a very fast learner when it comes to walking on a lead. 3 lessons and she's already made so much progress.


In all her Maine Coon fluffiness...though I'm not sure if she is a full Maine Coon but she is certainly friendly enough.


Forever playful. She is also quite the hunter.


And lastly...what she does constantly.

Sod it. I'm having her on my bed tonight.

More pictures, please!

Those are such gorgeous cats, y'all are blessed to have them in your lives!

Sylkat

pensieve, it's too much of a stretch.

Personally, I'm glad this thread is in 'Random', or I'd never have seen it. I don't go to the Autism Forum because it depresses me.

And I still want more pictures!

Sylkat

I am in fact a she, and that was in fact my goal. The big dog thread is actually what made me think of starting it.



Is it a chirp like 'mew' instead of a full meow? That's what Ada does a lot. She's very talkative and I'm learning to communicate with her through mews. That's had the side effect that its even easier for me to keep the ability to say 'mew' when I'm losing speech, though I've also found that saying 'mew mew' doesn't actually get the message of "bring me my kitty, if I'm petting her I might come back to verbal again" very well.



That sounds like my kitty. She's gotten fine at walking inside by now though. She freaks out when she gets outside. I'm not sure whether its an association with being abandoned (she was abandoned by her previous family), or whether its fear of cars (I've had cats that were terrified of cars, even stationary ones), but she has issues going outside on her leash.



I've found that fur is one of the best things to help with my tactile sensitivities. Petting either a cat or a dog, just makes me skin crawl less and makes it easier to deal with my other sensory sensitivities.



You do realize that these cats are, at least at times, formally in order to help with ASDs, right? If you'd really rather it be in random, that's fine, but I see no stretch about making this about autism rather than about pets, when the topic of conversation is why a particular breed makes a good support animal for people with autism, rather than just why we like this breed as a pet.

My kitty is an emotional support animal that my doctor prescribed in order to help me with my meltdowns, sensory sensitivities, and general emotional stability. If cats could still become service animals, I'd be seriously thinking about going through that process with her, because the way she alerts me to migraines is beyond just an animal happening to be good for me.

My cat is 50% Maine Coon. I take him out on a leash, he loves going walkies. He wears sweaters sometimes if it's cold and he doesn't mind at all. He has a great personality and I love him to death. He also taught me to play fetch lol I call the second photo his "Garfield" pose, and the last photo of him these days, he is 1 year 6 months old.

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I like these breeds because of their fluffyness mostly. Gorgeous cats

I am sure my old cat, who now lives with my mum after I moved, is part norwegian forest cat.

Gorgeous and glamorous! More, please!!

Sylkat

I love Maine Coons. I wouldn't mind owning one.

Well my first post in GA was about whether anyone thought any of the ponies were autistic, and it wasn't moved.

Unsure what my cat is, I posted pictures of him today but on a different forum.




I pulled him out from under my car years ago now. Took about an hour and me driving in circles to get him tired enough to allow me to catch him.