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Iris is a very special 5-year old British girl who is diagnosed with autism
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One of Iris’ daily struggles with autism was anxiety. She didn’t feel right in social situations. So, her mother, Arabella, decided that a nurturing animal companion would be helpful and calming.
When she researched autism, she found a lot of information on the wonderful effects that animals can have on autistic children. Arabella said, "We took Iris to equine therapy but she didn't seem very interested in horses at that time. Then I began to think about a therapy dog."
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Two years ago, Iris’s parents bought Thula, a beautiful Maine Coon
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Since then, Iris and Thula became inseparable
Arabella said, "Thula has lowered Iris' daily anxieties and keeps her calm, but equally has the effect of encouraging her to be more social."
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Iris even started to speak – something the doctors warned might never happen.
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Thula’s constant presence and gentle nature is having a remarkable effect upon Iris.
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Thula is not trained to be a service/therapy cat. But, since the family took her in at such a young age, she has gotten used to many things that ordinary cats may have a total hissy-fit about
For example, Thula wears a harness most of the time, rides in the car, boat rides, and bike rides.
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But mainly, Thula serves as Iris’s Muse for her artwork
Iris loves art, and her paintings fall nothing short from being masterpieces. Her work is abstract, colorful, but with perfect sequence and tones. Iris's beautiful paintings are sold to private art collectors around the world. Her family uses the money they make from the paintings to pay for therapy treatments, art supplies, and to raise awareness about autism.
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