Autism in cats?

I have read articles saying all cats are autistic, no cats are autistic, ya da ya da ya da. But I really question mine. She is about 4yrs old, extremely antisocial, she will no longer come out of one room, the past week she has secluded herself to a drawer (we removed all the clothes first and don't close it but she stays to the back). She has always been very anxious when we have company hiding for days at a time afterwards . Up until last week she would only go to sleep if you held her in your arms like a baby and patted her back (it took two years to figure this out), or she would wait until you fell asleep and bite your face. A few weeks ago she stopped leaving the room to eat or drink, when I made her leave the room she would meow loud, long, and nonstop. I have since moved everything into that room, but now she won't leave the drawer. Her mother was a stray, she was the runt (by far). Some of the other people who have thought their cats may be autistic didn't give much information, and I wasn't sure if they acted the same way. Her mother (a stray raised with raccoons and other cats) was very friendly. There have been no changes to her environment, she had her monthly bath and hair cut about two weeks before the "big change". I can make a list of everything, but she has never been like any of our other cats. She will love on myself or my husband if we come to her, and is tolerant of our 10 yr old. I am worried something may be wrong. If I try to take her to the vet again she will be very anxious ( she will seclude herself more, always does), and I don't want to stress her. She is mostly the same, but even more secluded. She hates any change in schedule. oh, and she had never eaten food that has sat in her bowl for more than a few hours ( it's dry food, how is it any different?)

I'm sure some cats have developmental disorders and/or neurological differences. Whether we can properly compare them to named disorders in humans, who knows? :dk: But certainly some cats have special needs.

Any sort of sudden behavioral changes should prompt a vet visit. She could be in pain or have the beginning of a disease---better have her checked out.

I think autism, as we call it in humans, would be an unlikely thing to exist in a cat.

A lot of autism is based around stuff that just doesn't apply to cats. The sensory aspects of it might, but since they are much less community-driven creatures, I just don't see how the social aspects (which are usually the most dominant feature of autism) would apply at all.

Other stuff associated with autism is just, well, normal in cats. For example, the tendency to be very rigid about routines. Man, that's all cats, believe me! Ask anyone who's ever tried to switch a kibble addict to wet food!

Humans are creatures who have huge parts of their brains dedicated specifically to social interaction and flexibility, because we are creatures that survive through novel invention and teamwork.

Cats aren't. Their communication is really very utilitarian and is mostly only designed to convey their own feelings, rather than to trade ideas. They don't have a ton of their brain dedicated to stuff like that.

Cats are creatures who, completely opposite to humans, survive by rigidity. They do ONE thing and they do VERY well (kill stuff super, super effectively, since they are both obligate carnivores and non-scavengers).

So, the social aspects just don't really apply, and the routine aspects that would be abnormal in a human are in fact normal in a cat.

Now, there might be a few things going on here. Clearly, she is receptive to social interaction with you! Something like autism doesn't pick and choose.

Firstly, do find a way to get her looked at by a vet. Get a home visit vet if you have to. Behavior changes need to be looked into, and some cats get extra hidey when they don't feel well.

It might be part of her family history. Do you know how many generations were feral before her mother? Some cats kind of "go back to the wild" after they've been feral for a while. She might just be quite fearful of these large, lumbering animals (and that's what we are to cats), apart from the only two that have gained her trust after years of work: you and your husband. That's normal for an animal who thinks a bit wild, rather than fully domestic.

But because cats are so rigid, the more you give into them, the more they'll push you. She's fearful of something, and when you give in by repeatedly shrinking her territory, she might be taking that as a sign that she has a REASON to be fearful, and shrink it even more.

The trick with cats is to make them think everything was their idea. You don't push back too hard -- you provide appealing opportunities for them to do what you want.

Invite her into more of the house. Get her stoned with some catnip if she's into that, and show her a nice, high cat tree or perch you got her. Stuff like that. Height is good for helping fearful cats to feel more comfortable as they expand their territory.

But autistic? Eh... cats are their own ball of fur. They aren't like humans, and shouldn't be compared to us.

Yeah I think it's highly unlikely. Some cats are just super independent.