are cats autistic?

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they dont socialize, they jump at being touched, they're hyper when they play, they jump at noise, they have rage attacks (my male cat has made several attempts on the vet's life - and mine, too. somehow by the grace of god i've suvived those attacks made by an almost tiger sized cat, with a temper to match, pitch black, with slanted apple green eyes with a wild look in them i've never seen on a cat before).
they'er obssessive with grooming. they have a low frustration level. they suffer from general anxiety, they dont like it when you stare them in the eye. they live in a world of their own.
the only thing is - they most certainly dont suffer from insomnia.
if you can think of something else, feel free to write it.
do you think cats are autistic and do you identify with them? i do.

Their brain is the size of a nut.
No. They do not have autism.

Every cat I have ever known has been smarter than most people. A few of them have been smarter than almost everyone.

But I don't think you can say that cats are autistic, since what you describe is, for them, neurotypical. They are a different species. I will say that I think cats are neurologically more similar to me (I can understand them better) than NTs. So their minds may work much like ours - but the important thing is that the way their minds work is their default.

Technically no, it is just their nature to have Autistic personality which is why people came up with the book all cats have Aspergers.

Cats dont mind being looked in the eyes, in fact one of their "greetings" is to look each other in the eye then slowly blink. Do it next time you see your cat, he'll most likely return the favor. Its akin to a smile to them.

Dogs on the other hand see eye contact as an act of agression.

I relate to cats a lot. They love freedom like I do, they are wary of strangers like I do, they want to be left alone like I do. A lot of people have cats as avatar here.

Agreed. My cat will frequently look me in the eye. Likewise, he will frequently lower his gaze and look at seemingly nothing. That's when I know that he's not paying attention to any one thing, but everything, using his excellent peripheral vision. Essentially, what I'm saying is that he's still watching me, even though it seems like he's not. Wouldn't you consider that an aspie trait, as well?

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maybe so

Well sure! How else would you explain this:

As someone of the underconnectivity persuasion, I would say that the answer to the question "are cats autistic?" depends upon whether their general white matter connectivity levels as a species are higher or lower than that of humans, dogs, or other species. Even if any cat's behaviour is deemed by anyone as "neurotypical" within the parameters of the species, some species of animal could, as a whole, be more or less autistic than others by virtue of different connectivity norms for different species.

I have 2 cats. The youngest can't be autistic because doesn't act like a cat. She acts like a dog (without the woofing plus she likes climbing trees). She wants to be everyone's friend and is happy and social, loves to be touched, eats everything and is best friend with the dog across the road.

The other one ... hmmm ... depends. Are autistic people furry mass murdering offspring of Satan?

Staring at a cat is more of a challenge, actually.

The reason they blink is to say "I feel comfortable enough to close my eyes in your presence." Which is to say, they know you are neither an enemy nor a predator.

The full "smile" for a cat consists of looking, and then looking away or closing one's eyes.

Not sure if this would be considered "autistic", but my eldest cat definitely has some issues - she was hand-raised by humans, the other cats we had at the time weren't the type to be "adoptive parents", and so Shadow never really learned "normal" cat behaviors. She tolerates other cats, but as far as socializing goes, I am the only living creature she acknowledges as being part of her "group".

moved from General Autism Discussion to Random Discussion

Cats aren't human though...