Meet 7-year-old Iris Grace, the kid with autism whose gorgeous artworks rattled the Internet for a long. She gained numerous attention not only because of her paintings but also the story behind her accomplishment.
Iris is a girl with a particular ailment, therefore she requires someone to accompany her, at least in her early years. Though having nearly given up on the quest, one day, her parents brought home a loving cat, then the two connected almost instantly. The small fuzzy pal was Thula, who was an about 1-year-old Maine Coon at the time.
Maine Coon cats are recognized for their intellect and compassionate demeanor, and Thula differs in no way. She has been a big assistance for Iris: “Thula has lessened everyday stresses in life and keeps Iris calm,” said Iris’ mother, Arabella Carter-Johnson, “but equally has the impact of pushing her to be more sociable. She will converse more to Thula, using tiny things like ‘sit cat.’”
“No matter what it is that we are doing, Thula is always there and eager to lend a hand and participate.”
“… she offers Iris her friendship as well as her friendship, and she lends me support in my efforts to encourage Iris to interact with others.”
“Over the course of the last year, Iris went through a phase in which she detested taking showers and having her hair washed. Iris and Thula have been taking baths together, and Thula has been allowing me to wash her hair so that I may better assist Iris.”
Iris finds that having Thula around makes getting through her days much simpler.
During the painting sessions, Thula is sure to keep Iris company.
We enrolled Iris in equine therapy, although she did not seem to have much of an interest in horses at that time. Then I started considering getting a dog trained to work as a therapy animal.
“Iris and the dog did not get along. Iris detested having her face licked by the dog, and the dog’s excitable behavior would make her anxious.”
After that, Iris’s mother attempted cat therapy, but the first session was unsuccessful. Iris and the cat had a contentious relationship.
Just when she was contemplating giving up, good fortune knocked on her door. Iris had an instant connection with the lovely Siberian cat that required a home for the Christmas holidays since her brother’s fiancée needed a place for her pet to stay.
“It was at that very moment that I got the epiphany that I just hadn’t found the suitable animal as of yet. Because of this, it took us a very long time and a lot of time spent testing with a range of different options until we finally achieved success.
“Thula isn’t a trained service/therapy cat but I have done certain things – I got her used to wearing a harness when she was a kitten and riding in the car and on the bike. Maybe Maine Coon cats are just natural healers.” Thula was not a therapy cat, but perhaps Maine Coon cats are just naturally good at helping people feel better. The rest is something that she handles on her own.”
Thula will undoubtedly follow Iris around everywhere she goes. Let us hope that the couple has a happy life together.
