Cats and children with ASD

[countdowntoxmas]

Our 7 year old (ASD) wants a cat for his birthday. He has already thought of every detail regarding the cat - name, friends' names, how long it will live to, etc. Does anyone have a cat and an ASD child and does it work for you?
How much work and money is needed in looking after a cat? Does it cost a lot to install a cat flap and from what age can they start going out? Do you need a litter tray or will they take themselves out to do their business?
We thought a cat would be better than a dog if I return to work, and probably easier for DS to cuddle than a rabbit/ guinea pig/ hamster.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks

We got a cat a few months ago, our ds is 5 1/2 and has asd. We got our cat through Blue Cross and they were fantastic. We went up a couple of times to look at cats & were able to pick one out who seemed like he'd fit in. They're very responsible & for example say they don't like giving kittens to families with very young children as it ends in trouble It's a £50 donation but the cat is fully chipped, neutered, flea'd etc. You also get a free months pet insurance.

Our cat is a year old, they generally live to around 15ish years, though I might be wrong. We didn't get a cat flap as when we're out for the day we keep our cat in & the same at night time. We kept him in for a few weeks before letting him out. The trick is gaining their trust & letting them know that your home is their home too & also where they get fed.

He's been an absolute joy to have around. Da loves him & it's been really good for him to learn about feeding & changers clean water etc. Theres a cat out there waiting for your family, hope you find it soon!

Where is Blue Cross? Where do you put the cat litter? Are they easy to toilet train? Are there any good books to read to help you initially? All very new to me!

Have a look on the Blue Cross website, they have shelters all over the country.

Your cat will definitely need a litter tray. Every cat I've come across has automatically gone to their tray. When they start going outside it can change. Our cat rarely uses his now & prefers to go outside. In the Pets section of Mumsnet there's a section called Litter Tray if you need more advice.

We've had a cat since my son's 3rd birthday, but I have to be honest and say the dog is of far more direct theraputic benefit to DS, and cheaper day to day to keep.

I have a lidded litter tray like this www.petsathome.com/shop/red-hooded-cat-loo-by-clean-n-tidy-26671 as DS was too interested in the cat's business iykwim & it's really unhygenic for a child to be playing with. This keeps it out of sight & therefore his mind. I buy 30l bags of litter off amazon at £10.99 a pop and they last a couple of months, if you buy from the supermarket it's suprising how much litter can cost!

Food works out at £7 a week and insurance at £7 a month. Don't avoid insurance as vet bills can run into thousands nowadays.

DS is responsible for feeding the cat 2x a day and for ensuring the water bowl is never empty. We use dry kibble as it's easier for him to handle.

Allow £35 a year for vac's and from £35 to £100 for neutering, depending on sex of cat. Also allow £10-20 every quarter for worm/flea treatments. Microchipping is £20. We got a feral kitten off a friend so DS and the cat have grown up together and adore each other.

We don't have a garden so cat is indoors and just takes a trot around the roof out the bathroom window when it takes his fancy.

The prices I've given will vary a bit depending of stuff like brands, your locale etc but should give you some idea.

I have 5 rescue cats and DS loves everyone of them :) The only thing with a cat is they are themselves independent loaners and only want fussing over on their terms. They are ideal in that they dont need walking etc and my 5 eat iams which costs about £30 a week. Some cats go outside some dont. The boys go outside the girls like the litter trays of which I have two in this house :)

DS feeds them and lets them in and out but to be honest I ended up buying him a dog for the company side. Got a small JR and the dogs been glued to his side for 2 years. He goes in and out the cat flap! which is cheap to install I got one for £11. Good thing about them is they are full of energy and if you have a garden they will zoom in and out quite happy and dont need a lot of walking every day if you dont want to but are small enough for a child to handle holding the lead too.

We have an cat and my DS (6) gets a lot from him. The cat is about 15 now and not in great health so he can be a bit grumpy at times. I'm sure it is helping my DS to learn some consideration, as the cat will claw him if he isn't in the mood for fuss or being followed. DS has learned to respect the cat and steer clear if he isn't showing friendly signs which is a huge learning skill for him to master. Now if he could just master it for actual people we would be getting somewhere

My ds 7 loves our cats he can sit and stroke them for as long as he likes....they are getting quite old now (just dawned on me just how old!! we had them both before ds was born) very placid, they are especially good for him when he has a bad day....they seem to calm him, he doesn't want to speak to anyone if he has had a bad day but then after he has chilled with the cat he bounces back :)