Animal Affinity

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Ever since I was about nine years old, I've been fascinated with cats.

Consequently, since I first had a chance to observe a cat--my first, a little female named Tiger--I have had extraordinary skill with communicating with cats. I can read feline body language a great deal better than human body language, and better than any human I know. Many times I have gotten to know a cat that likes only one person... and then, it decides it likes me, too. I can tell when a cat doesn't want to be touched; when it's scared or angry, what it's "thinking". A cat's world is all motion and sound and touch... different from a human's... but for some reason, I can understand what they are thinking and convey to them what I want to "say", as though I were another cat. (With ferals, I can tell what they're saying, but they can't tell what I'm saying, since they're not used to humans and their primary reaction to me is fear--smart, with all the mean people out there. Besides, at least a quarter of feline communication is tactile; and if they let me get that close, they wouldn't be ferals.)

I've always thought this was just a quirk of mine--a skill that came about because I am so very interested in cats--which, no doubt, it is; but recently I finished reading Temple Grandin's books. Temple Grandin (female, HFA, around 40 years old, special interest: Livestock behavior) has a special affinity with cows and other livestock, just as I do with cats. Hers seems to be even stronger than mine, probably because she is a very vivid visual thinker, and I'm more of a conceptual-visual type; and hers is broader, encompassing all livestock, while I understand only cats.

Two cases do not make evidence, certainly; but they are enough to make me curious. So I am wondering: Do any of you have special affinities for animals? Or do you have less of an affinity than the NTs around you? Do you think your ASD has anything to do with it, or is it a coincidence?

Yes, I have a special affinity for cats as well. I have tamed several feral cats in my lifetime and the three I own now are their offspring. Leo, the first feral I tamed died of feline leukemia, four years ago. I could communicate almost on a telepatic level with Leo. I allowed him all the freedom he wanted and he would "tell" me when he wanted to go out and I could sense when he wanted to come back in. He left for a whole year once and I had given up on his returning, but he found us even though we had moved. He brought with him his new wife and I named her Zena. I left the basement window open and allowed them to come and go as they pleased. Zena and Leo had a baby in one of our abandoned cars. She could run like greased lightning so I had a hard time getting her to warm up to me; but she finally did and I named her Katie Kat. Katie got pregnant at a very young age and had three stillborn kittens. Her next litter, she had six healty kittens and I kept two of them, (Hugo and Ryoko) and gave the rest to friends. I still have Katie, Hugo, and Ryoko, but Zena got hit by a car while crossing the street in front of our house. I was mowing the lawn so I saw it happen. The driver didn't even stop to see if she was okay. My cats are all housecats now.

I have a strong affinity for Animals. I feel closer to Animals than I do, people. I can also read their Minds better. People don't know me very well. Animals seem to know me better.

Your now the only one that is obessed with cats. I really obessed with Tigers. They will always be my favs. You ever had a wish that you could be a cat? I've been wishing that. I act really like a cat or a tiger because in the tub of hot water which I really enjoy I let out some roars. I always all the time have this sensation that I have a tail and it moves back and forth when I feel good.

there are good stories of aspies having affinity with animals, and animals seeking us out
im a vet i have good animal skills bad peoplke skills.

I love animals and relate to them much better than most people.

I wish I'd become a vet.

For me, it's dogs. I have been obsessed with dogs, my world filled with dogs, dogs have been my LIFE at least since I was a year old and able to crawl (my mother tells me she remembers me obsessively trying to get near the Lhasa she had at the time whenever she put me on the floor). I can't remember not being able to understand exactly what my dogs are thinking and feeling, and when I was younger especially I used to mimic canine behavior (my mom once got called by my preschool teacher because I was imitating a canine play-bow in class). Now I automatically cross-reference human behavior and body language in my mind with the canine sort in order to better understand people. I can tell when a dog is worried, tired, upset, angry, about to bite, thinking, wanting to play, suppliant, about to run around and go into 'hyperactive mode,' impatient, frustrated... I've never met a dog that didn't like me, either. I have been thinking about going into Animal Behavior and focusing on canids in college lately, actually.

I do think that my affinity for dogs is closely linked to my AS, because it has given me much more of an insight into how dogs feel and think. For one thing, as I said above, dogs have been my obsession/special interest for literally as long as I can remember. In fifteen years, I have collected a HUGE amount of information about them in my mind, and the years of constant observation of every single dog I see helps me to learn more. Secondly, my sensory issues include an extremely good nose, which helps me to orient much more on smell in the same way that dogs do and better understand them in that way (I can tell both of my dogs apart by scent, for example). Third, some of my AS oddities are that I don't enjoy hugs at ALL although I do like curling up next to people I love--in other words, I have a lot of the same preferences about touching that most of the dogs I've met have, with the exception that I'm a lot less pleased about being touched by strangers than some dogs.

Which reminds me: I wish Temple Grandin would LEAVE THE DOGS ALONE. She had a section on them in one of her books, and she clearly demonstrated that she did not know nearly as much about them as she does about livestock (she advocated breed-specific legislation, for one thing, which has been shown to be absolutely worthless when it comes to actually preventing canine aggression incidents, and she equated pale skin and white fur in dogs with unstable temperaments although a large percentage of breeds in the group of flock-guarding dogs, one of the most temperamentally stable, gentle with their flocks, independant and confident groups of breeds, only come with white coats). Really ticked me off.

I don't know if I have any special affinity with animals, but I like dogs and cats a lot better than humans and I can read their body language better than I can read human body language.

I've always had a special way with children and animals. Can't really explain it. They understand me and I understand them. Not like with NT adults, though we're gettin' used to each other.

I feel that cats are easier to understand than most humans.

i know one thing i don't like dogs at all. this is going to sound really dumb but they scare the s**t out of me like they always have ever since i was little. so have giraffs, pans those halfgoat halfman things that play a little flute, uhh and fish.

They're called either satyrs or fauns, depending on who you're reading. Pan is just the name of their god (who does double-duty as the Hellenic god of shepherds).

I'm not sure whether I could say I understand animals better, but I certainly like them a lot better. And a lot of animals seem to like me, especially cats. Our eldest cat, who is very shy, runs away from my father, and is fairly indifferent about my mother, but runs to me and wraps herself around my legs whenever I come into the room.

I love all animals. I can't think of a single species I dislike. Also very interested in them, reading endless wildlife books and watching documentaries - bugs are my pet topic.

some would say that Pan and other such archeotypes are what gave rise to the visual depiction of satan. when you think of satan, don't you think of some kind of half goat/devil with a pitchfork? The reasoning for this is that Pan was a fertility god of sorts (and saytars were just all around horny devils) and he's part goat for a reason... goats are "active" year round, which is why he plays a role in governing fertility but it is also a trait that is associated with lust and whatnot.... so it's not surprising that the visiaul imagery carries over to satan.

I LOVE animals. I have two cats and I love them sooo much. I feel like they are easier to understand than humans. I went to a zoo the other day and fell in love with all the animals!! ! Does anyone else love to go to zoos?

Animals have always seemed to like me more than normal. I like most animals, except snakes. I will kill snakes first and ask questions later, usually. I grew up in rattlesnake country.

Cats and dogs have always come over to me, even when they are scared of others. I used to do on-location photography for people at their homes and I never had a problem with their pets, even when they tell me not to bother, because their pet is totally intolerant of strangers. I'm not really a stranger to most of them, I guess. I've even won over skiddish horses a number of times and anyone familiar with horses knows that's no small thing. Cats always cuddle up to me, sometimes out of the blue, and I have also welcomed two feral cats into my home.
I love animals.