What is it that makes Autism and Animals go hand in hand

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I love horses and dogs. I like most animals because they're natural. People seem more alien and artificial to me, like they don't belong in this world. Everything in nature seem to belong here except humans. Animals are not false and they have a body language that is easier to read, I think.
I think animals think in pictures and so does a lot of autistic people. Maybe we're just on a similar frequency so it's easier to meet.

I feel safest with animals and seem to be able to communicate with them much better than with humans.. they are much less stress and way more genuine.
I guess we hate complexity, have problems with nuance and appreciate honesty. Nothing in the universe is a more direct expression of whats in the soul, than an animals eyes.

Animals don't judge. All they care about is: "Is this person being kind to me and not cruel? Okay then, they're cool in my book."

They forgive you if you walk a bit oddly, talk a bit oddly, act a bit oddly, say silly things in a silly way. None of that makes a difference to them. They neither know nor care that one of us isn't conforming to "normal" human standards. As long as you're making them feel safe and accepted, they make you feel safe and accepted.

It feels like a blessing, a relief, a release and a kindness to be around something living that doesn't make you feel like sh-t the way humans can. That's what's wonderful about the other kind of animals.

Animals don't emotionally hurt us the way that many people like to do.

I can hold casual eye contact with animals.

For me, maybe a combination of feeling born the wrong species and being abused and always being expected to submit to another person. Never being able to be myself or feel free. Always being told there was something wrong with me or I need to stop doing X. Not being able to get people to see MY side of the story. I hated human beings even as a young child. In movies and stories, I was always on the side of the animal character...even if the animal character was supposed to be evil. I never felt bad for people who were hurt by animals because I figured they had it coming somehow. Only stupid people or people who didn't know me very well were dumb enough to ask me stupid questions like would I save my neighbor over my dog/pet. If you know me, you know exactly who'd I'd choose. I once had a bearded dragon I loved more than anything and if someone so much as looked at her wrong, I was ready to kill them. My mom says I loved the bearded dragon so much because it was "on my terms" whatever that meant. I think she was just jealous of the bearded dragon. The bearded dragon never yelled at me or told me to stop being obsessed with things or verbally abused me like she did. I had a dog I loved too and my mom seemed jealous of him as well. Forcing him to live outside, and blaming all the dog fights on him...I saw HER dog starting the fights but she refused to believe me and always wondered why I resented her dog.

I felt something simmaliar to how trans people probably feel about being born the wrong sex. My problem was I felt like I was born the wrong species. It was so deep and painful too but my mother would never allow me to talk about it. That's really all I wanted, someone to talk to about how I felt like I was born the wrong species but my mother would just tell me I was born a human being and had to learn to deal with it. I think my mom has some undiagnosed AS because empathy just isn't her thing (she also can't see something from another person's perspective...it's all about her)

I don't know, I just never felt I was human. It doesn't bother me as much as it did back then, and honestly I'm not sure exactly what species I was "supposed" to be instead of a human, but then perhaps because I can finally talk to people about it and I don't feel so "caged" like I did when I was a child. I no longer live with my parents...my mom couldn't admit her own issues and projected everything onto me, wouldn't let me grow up, and abused me (verbally and emotionally but claims I abused her verbally and emotionally) forcing me to run away from home. Anyway, I've always been a misanthrope, but doubt I was born one. I just found animals easier to relate too since they too suffered the same way I did.

Meerkat, I can relate to feeling like you were born the wrong species. I never thought of this this way until you mentioned but I think some part of me seems to have always felt that way too.

In the same way that a boy or girl can feel like they are really girl or a boy, I think I've always felt I'm something else too and got born into a human body when I'm actually something else in nature -- a bird, a deer, probably a freakin' prey animal like that, the way this life is going....

I do feel like I can't make sense of the human world and animals feel like my people.

My best friend, from about age 14-15, was a female cat named Zum Zum. I had no human friends then.

And I am something of a Wolfman

They are loyal friends, a lifeline in hard times and a life enhancer in good times. It's also fun to watch them play.

We are animals, we are no better than them. We just happen to be more advanced primates capable of higher cognitive processes with opposable thumbs. We are not superior, just more capable than most of the animal kingdom. I love animals of all types, many insects creep me out though. It makes me sick that people like to hurt other animals for nothing more than sport.

Animals have been my primary special interest since I was a toddler. also I am vegan! If you love animals you might consider veganism too to make the next step toward living compassionately. PM me anyone who is interested in learning more about the lifestyle, I love to help others who are interested

but yes, I think it is that animals don't judge, and they are our first friends oftentimes as children.Loyal friends who dont care about our eccentricities and awkwardness. I also believe autistic people are more inclined to be compassionate for whatever reason, and so we show compassion for all living beings.