Tests have shown that mice can be autistic. The autistic mouse tends not to mix with the other mice and it takes pieces of cheese and arranges them in a straight line, smallest to largest.
Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Age: 56 Gender: Female Posts: 3,130 Location: 3rd rock from the sun
10 Jan 2013, 9:01 am
Jitro wrote:
Can animals be autistic like humans can?
I think I have read about animals having autistic behaviours.
Are you talking about domestic pets or wild animals though? Because if it's wild animals, then that would put paid to the theory of autism being environmental, whereas if you mean domestic pets, then it wouldn't.
Joined: 28 Sep 2012 Age: 38 Gender: Male Posts: 216 Location: UK
10 Jan 2013, 9:20 am
My mum has a cat that is a loner..she can't have any kind of interaction with other cats and she is a bit crazy always lashing out for no reason that's why she is called swiper as she swipes at everything that goes by her...maybe she has a touch of AS
Joined: 2 Aug 2012 Age: 41 Gender: Male Posts: 1,150
10 Jan 2013, 9:54 am
I joke that my cat has autism. She is the archetypal "scaredy puss". She doesn't like other cats at all. Actually I think it is more that she misunderstands other cats; another cat can be approaching her in a non-confrontational, friendly and even submissive manner and she consistently appears to interpret it as aggression and responds as would be appropriate i.e. with aggression or flight. She is also absolutely terrified of anything out of the ordinary happening e.g. a visitor aside from the normal 4 or so people who come to visit. She is particularly afraid of loud noises and will go to hide under one of the upstairs beds if anything involving any kind of loud noise occurs.
I realise that all cats can display some of these behaviours; it is the frequency and severity of the behaviours in this cat which causes the autism joke about her to arise. If cats can be autistic I think this one probably is.