I remember, one night five years ago, my father said to my mother, "I mean this in the nicest possible way, but these two (Nutsy, my late cat, and I) are birds of a feather." I asked him what he meant, and he said that we were so much alike. My mother said that Nutsy was a lazy cat, but he simply needed more naps and that. Nutsy and I were good mates and I miss him terribly. Cats, I find are easier, because they like solitude and will give affection on their terms. Dogs are more needy. I remember one night, I had to use the bathroom, and here's a bit of an interesting comparison, when we had Benny, our other cat, one night my brother needed to go to the bathroom and Benny was asleep on his bed, so my brother carried him down to the laundry and went to the bathroom, and Benny was waiting for him. One night, I needed to go to the bathroom and Nutsy went into his litter tray in the laundry and had a scratch. Another night, and this was funny, I was in the bathroom having a Number Two, and Nutsy put his front left paw under the door, and when I opened the door, he came and sat beside the toilet bowl. Another time, I'd had a shower and was just putting my socks on, when he put his front left paw under the door, and I opened it and he came in. Another time, he lay on the bathmat while I had a shower.

Cats can be a great mate for an autistic person.